I played Booker T and the MGs "Melting Pot" about 12 times last week. Just a great, great, but very short album. "Chicken Pox" rocks.

Bozzio-Levin-Stevens- "Black Light Syndrome" is just amazing. To think it's all improvised just makes my head spin. I wish these guys would do a 3rd album.

Jordan Rudess "Feeding the Wheel" is an instrumental progmetal album that is mostly keyboard based. Some great meoments.

RPWL- "Trying to kiss the Sun". Not as good as "Stock", but still very enjoyable Pink Floyd style space pop.

Peter Gabriel 3 (melt). New wave art-rock. 5 stars.

Thomas Dolby "Golden Age of the Wireless". Dated as hell, but still, a pleasant listening experience. It's like every song off this thing was a single.

King Crimson "Thrak" is about as dense as I care to get. A very different album that came out of left field when it was released in the mid-90s. Groundbreaking spacejazz-metal.

Porcupine Tree "Stupid Dream" is this band at their most accessible.

Mike Keneally's "Dog". I have to say, that is exactly what it is. A Dog. Undisciplined (or seemingly so), shrill and ugly. Too much guitar density. Not enough melodic songcraft. But what's really missing for me is JOY. All his other albums are filled with this playfull exuberance and that utter "We are having the BEST time making this" vibe that is totally absent from this album. It feels labored and forced. Easily, the biggest disappointment in CD buying for me in YEARS.