Richard Gehr

Singing drummer Levon Helm, who died April 19 at age 71, enjoyed one of the more glorious second acts in American music. As heartbeat and…

8SPIN Rating: 8 of 10Release Date: April 17, 2012Label: Story SoundDarkly amusing multigenerational affair ponders sex, death, taxing relationships.

6SPIN Rating: 6 of 10Release Date: April 17, 2012Label: Abstract LogixUsually dazzling outside jazz-funk guitarist takes fusion-y rock turn; results often on par with title…

8SPIN Rating: 8 of 10Release Date: April 10, 2012Label: RVNG Intl.L.A. freaks splinter beloved reggae voices into hyper-heady crystal chaos.

8SPIN Rating: 8 of 10Release Date: May 08, 2012Label: PartisanNot an atom of irony to be found on Gene Ween's glorious rediscovery of kitsch king…

7SPIN Rating: 7 of 10Release Date: April 03, 2012Label: Six DegreesBreathy chanteuse ditches lounge, hits road, rediscovers eclectic sounds of Northeastern Brazil.

7SPIN Rating: 7 of 10Release Date: April 03, 2012Label: Awesome Tapes from AfricaMighty-mouthed Ghanaian updates fierce Frafra evocations, two-stringed lute riffage, with dry electric drums…

On their seventh album, Folila, Malian guitarist Amadou Bagayoko and his singing wife Mariam Doumbia exploit Western pop with as much cross-cultural savvy as Paul…

8SPIN Rating: 8 of 10Release Date: April 03, 2012Label: NonesuchBlack Key furthers NOLA legend's late-career surge with heady Ethio-Afrobeat moves and strategic guitar bombs.

8SPIN Rating: 8 of 10Release Date: March 27, 2012Label: PiBopping alto saxist leads tightrope trio through whip-smart originals, Coltrane, Willie Wonka.

6SPIN Rating: 6 of 10Release Date: March 27, 2012Label: CumbanchaMalian guitarist, Israeli pianist turn casual two-chord jams into LP's worth of mellow.

8SPIN Rating: 8 of 10Release Date: March 13, 2012Label: Teranga BeatGambia traditionals revamped as percussively akimbo, fuzzed/flanged psych-rock on unreleased 1984 live gem.

7SPIN Rating: 7 of 10Release Date: March 13, 2012Label: AmbrolinaCumbia bonds with Bollywood when gorgeous Chilean actor rebrands self as stylish shamanic Gypsy acid queen.

6SPIN Rating: 6 of 10Release Date: March 12, 2012Label: Sony LegacyToo many pretty guitars on a comp that's less Hendrix than 'Mystic Moods.'

9SPIN Rating: 9 of 10Release Date: March 13, 2012Label: Sub PopHe's creepy and he's kooky, mysterious and Spoek-y — and he's altogether the most ambitious…