The 2026 3 Albums A Week Challenge; July

 

The 2026 3 Albums A Week Challenge; July

        July

2026 Album Challenge (Home Link)

My Morning Jacket - Circuital

Format: Vinyl

Stereo

Notes: A favorite of mine and after this album, I kind of lost touch with this band. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy their music since, but I am not as engaged with it as I once was. This record reminds me a lot of YHF by Wilco. It has this vibe with one song that kind of breaks up the mellow thing that's going on. "Holding On To Black Metal" is that song and it really kicks. I also really like "Wonderful" and "The Day is Coming" too. 

Don Henley - Building The Perfect Beast

Format: CD

Stereo

Notes: This record holds a lot of nostalgia for me. It was a big hit during my high school days and I listened to it A LOT in my car cassette player. It still holds up after 30+ years and I enjoy every song on it. 

Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair

Format: CD

Stereo

Notes: Another record that I was in love with during my high school days. Several songs were all over the radio including one of my all-time favorite pop songs "Head Over Heels". The album can feel dated in spots, but I also feel like it has a timeless energy that drifts at times into a jazz....smokey feel. Don't sleep on "Mothers Talk"....pretty kick ass song. 

Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting

Format: CD

Stereo

Notes: I was turned on to this band and album by a business professor/assistant baseball coach when I was in college. I was a couple years older than most of my classmates after sitting out of school for two years after I graduated high school. That helped me have a relationship with some of the coaches that bordered on friendship. Coach John Howery was older, but he was big into music. He gave this CD to me one day saying it was a "little dark" for his tastes, but he thought there was some stuff on it I would like. He wasn't wrong. I loved this record and so did the guys on the baseball team I lived with. We put on the CD constantly. Yeah, it's definitely dark and brooding at times, but the energy and aggression is infectious. "Joey" and "Caroline" are standout tracks and "Days and Days" is a terrific rocker. I never tire of this album. 

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

Format: Vinyl

Stereo

Notes: Back to the 70's with this all time classic. Not a lot to say about it. Just a gem from start to finish and another album that I can listen to over and over. The "reality" that the songs bring is alluring from a distance. "Go Your Own Way" is a favorite off an album that has no filler. 

Beastie Boys - Check Your Head

Format: CD

Stereo

Notes: Yes....Paul's Boutique is their masterpiece....their Sgt Peppers if you will. BUT, this, in my opinion is their best overall record. It has something about it that keeps it becoming attached to the early 90's like so many records from that time period seem to have. It still feels fresh. It's fun and the energy is real. They picked their instruments up again and reinvented who they were as a band. Great record that any alternative or roots hip hop fan should dig into at least once. 

Donald Fagen - The Nightfly

Format: CD

Stereo

Notes: Simply put, one of the most well produced albums of all time. It is just flawless. Every instrument is given space and is played to perfection. It's very much in the line with what Donald Fagen was doing with Steely Dan. If you doubt me, put on "IGY" and/or "New Frontier" with your headphones on. A real master work by what I think is one of our most underappreciated American artists. This record garnered seven....yes, seven, Grammy nominations in 1983. 

Waylon Jennings - I've Always Been Crazy

Format: Vinyl

Stereo

Notes: Probably my favorite Waylon album. I wrote about it here;

I've Always Been Crazy....about this album!

Rolling Stones - Foreign Tongues

Format: Apple

Air Pods

Notes: This feels like an extension of "Hackney Diamonds" release a few years back. It definitely has the Stones vibe and while it has some good tracks.....really, most of the songs are OK, but not much stands out. I will probably take a song or two and put them on my Stones compilation, but overall, can't see myself revisiting this one too much, especially with all the great albums they released in the 70's. 

Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds

Format: Apple

Air Pods

Notes: I really enjoyed this record when it came out. I listened to it quite a bit for a few weeks. Several songs would fit right into the "best of" in my opinion. Favorites include "Angry", "Bite My Head Off", and "Get Close". A shout out to "Sweet Sounds of Heaven". Recorded with Lady Gaga, it gets a thumbs up too! 

Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed

Format: Vinyl

Stereo

Notes: Probably going to go ahead and accept that this is my favorite Rolling Stones Record. Very gritty and loose. At times it leans into Keith Richard's love of country music and that's not a detriment to their sound and roots at all. It only expands on their greatness. "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "Gimme Shelter" and "Monkey Man" are absolute classics, but I really like "Country Honk", and "Midnight Rambler" as much as anything on the record. 

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd

Format: Vinyl

Stereo

Notes: One helluva debut record from a band that put "southern rock" on the map. "Simple Man", "Tuesday's Gone", Gimme Three Steps", and "Free Bird" all on their first album? GTFOH.  If you have never heard this from front to back, do yourself a favor and put this in your head!  

The Police - Synchronicity

Format: Vinyl

Stereo

Notes: Lots to like here. Catchy tunes with some biting lyrics. This is a band that was destined to fail. The personalities just didn't mesh. Before they hung it up, they gave us some pretty good music though. Favorites on this one are the title track, "Synchronicity II" and "King of Pain". They even take a shot at being Tom Waits with "Mother". 

Def Leppard - Diamond Star Halos

Format: Apple 

Air Pods

Notes: I enjoyed this album when it first came out, giving it a few spins. I decided to revisit and now, I find it a bit bloated and less interesting that my original dive. It doesn't need to be an hour long with 15 tracks. The quality of the music/songs aren't served by numbers. An 11 song album would have given fans a tight experience. This still has those signature harmonies and layers of guitar, but again, there are too many songs that just don't hold up. I do enjoy the throwback vibe they were going for, recalling Mott The Hoople, Bowie, and T-Rex. The standout song for me is "This Guitar" which features Alison Krauss. A must listen for Def Leppard fans, but anyone with a passing interest, may want to skip it and revisit "Hysteria" instead. 

Mile Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson 

Format: Apple 

Fiio FT-1 Headphones

Notes: Maybe the best instrumental album I have ever heard. It only has two tracks (overall clocks in around 52 minutes), but the way the music is weaved through, it doesn't feel tiresome. Different instruments take front and center and come alive at various times. It's music you can sit with and pick out which instruments to focus on while taking the ride. It's got some rock n roll mixed in with the jazz and definitely plays with improvisation throughout. A joy to listen to and an album I will revisit often. A Miles Davis masterpiece....but then he's got a few.