Rhythm of War

There really are more War best-of packages than the situation warrants, and while the double-CD The Very Best of War is a fine compilation if you don't already have one in your collection, it's questionable whether it was a necessary addition to the band's discography. For one thing, it doesn't differ all that much from the previous two-CD War best-of on Rhino, Anthology (1970-1994). Sure, each has a few tracks not on the other, but both are built around their lengthy string of big hits. Even Barry Alfonso's accompanying essay was adapted from the liner notes to Anthology (1970-1994). Still, this does have all of the big chart hits and a few minor ones, as well as standout album tracks from throughout the 1970s and early '80s that illustrate the band's versatility. Reading the small print on the track listings, it's revealed that half a dozen of these cuts are edits that either appear here for the first time or were only available on previous anthologies or imports.

The cover art of War in My Mind, Beth Hart's first solo album since 2016's Fire on the Floor, finds the singer/songwriter sitting at a piano with a storm cloud looming in the horizon. It's a good visual summation of the record. Working with producer Rob Cavallo, Hart plumbs deep into her soul, coming up with a collection of searching ballads and clear-eyed blues. Hart doesn't avoid good times – "Try a Little Harder" conjures a bit of funky gospel, "Sugar Shack" pulsates to a sensual electronic throb – but this is an album where a title as seemingly lascivious as "Rub Me for Luck" is a roiling bit of minor-key blues. The darkly introspective tone is there from the start.

If REVERENCE stays on the same trajectory they have been, they’re soon to become a household name for metalheads everywhere. Though they play Power, this album should appeal to lovers of everything heavy metal. Gods of War is a brilliant follow-up to an already amazing debut, and one that you need in your collection.

The cover art of War in My Mind, Beth Hart's first solo album since 2016's Fire on the Floor, finds the singer/songwriter sitting at a piano with a storm cloud looming in the horizon. It's a good visual summation of the record. Working with producer Rob Cavallo, Hart plumbs deep into her soul, coming up with a collection of searching ballads and clear-eyed blues. Hart doesn't avoid good times – "Try a Little Harder" conjures a bit of funky gospel, "Sugar Shack" pulsates to a sensual electronic throb – but this is an album where a title as seemingly lascivious as "Rub Me for Luck" is a roiling bit of minor-key blues. The darkly introspective tone is there from the start.