Making music in 2021 has proved something of a feat for many artists. Even as performing live began to pick up again, the reality of releasing new work during a pandemic has taken the form of everything from archival projects to iPhone demos.

For some, lockdown offered the opportunity to revisit previously unreleased material — the estates of George Harrison, Tom Petty, Prince, Joni Mitchell and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young put out music that had, up until 2021, been locked down itself. Others turned to the comfort of familiar songs: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit delivered a full album of covers by Georgian artists, while Nancy Wilson, Peter Frampton and Deep Purple also revisited some of their favorite rock songs. Others — like Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper, Mammoth WVH and more — went back to the drawing board, composing brand new material that was often recorded remotely in home studios, utilizing the power of technology to fulfill their visions. Some even used the time to collaborate with artists they may not have otherwise – Brian Wilson sang with My Morning Jacket's Jim James, David Crosby worked with Donald Fagen and Michael McDonald and Elton John made an entire album of duets with some of his old and new friends.

The below list of the Top 40 Rock Songs of 2021 ranges from rock to metal, blues to prog and everything in between - the end results of an exciting and fruitful year.

40. Nancy Wilson, "4 Edward"

Eddie Van Halen was best known for his revolutionary electric guitar playing, but Nancy Wilson highlighted a less-famous side of his artistry with the tribute song "4 Edward." The gentle acoustic instrumental, which appears on the Heart singer and guitarist's debut solo album You and Me, was inspired by an exchange the duo had while on tour together decades ago. The morning after Wilson gifted Van Halen an acoustic guitar, he thanked her by calling her hotel room and playing what she described as "this beautiful piece of acoustic guitar instrumental music. I was so touched ... it was one of the prettiest things I'd ever heard." Six months after Van Halen's death, Wilson paid him back. - Matthew Wilkening

 

39. Jethro Tull, "Shoshana Sleeping"

“Shoshana Sleeping” marks the end of a long drought: Jethro Tull’s last album of original songs, J-Tull Dot Com, came out in 1999. (To be fair, bandleader Ian Anderson had since migrated the band's folk-prog sound over to his solo albums, including 2014’s Homo Erraticus.) Regardless, it was hard not to click “play” without a bit of nervousness: Given the delay (plus Anderson’s battle with COPD), a drop-off in quality would’ve been understandable. But “Shoshana” feels like a master telling his audience, “I still know how to do this” — draping poetic imagery (“Sweet field lily, sweet Shoshana / Names to conjure fragrant danger / My fingers tremble, trace the line / From nape to sacrum down the spine”) over a vintage flute pattern and dissonant guitar riff. - Ryan Reed

 

38. Blackberry Smoke, "You Hear Georgia"

Blackberry Smoke grew up surrounded by strong source material like local southern bands Georgia Satellites and Drivin N Cryin. You can hear traces of familiar drawling riffs in the title track to the band's seventh album, You Hear Georgia. But there’s also an unmistakable swagger of their own that's been perfected over 20 years together. In the call-and-response "You Hear Georgia," Charlie Starr and Paul Jackson trade licks back and forth, leading one of the year's biggest earworms. - Matt Wardlaw

 

37. Elvis Costello and the Imposters, "Magnificent Hurt"

After excursions into jazz and poetry on 2020's Hey Clockface and then oddly intriguing Hispanic recreations on 2021's Spanish Model, you could be forgiven for wondering if Elvis Costello would ever return to the curled-lipped post-punk of his earliest days. That's not a requirement, of course, so much as a closely held wish. After all, he was one of the the original Angry Young Men – the dude that infuriated Lorne Michaels in 1977 by rebelliously switching songs on Saturday Night Live, then provoked a 1979 bar fight that led to a completely justified face punch from Bonnie Bramlett. So, the deliciously abrupt "Magnificent Hurt," powered along by a series of organ blurts by Costello's Attractions-era collaborator Steve Nieve, fulfills every dream sequence. – Nick DeRiso

 

36. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, "Ivory Tower"

With four distinctive songwriters, CSNY had an embarrassment of riches — few other bands leave a song this solid on the cutting-room floor. True, it’s hard to imagine Deja Vu outtake “Ivory Tower” bumping any tracks from that 1970 classic. But this country-rock outtake, first envisioned for Stephen Stills’ band Manassas, deserved a better fate than being shelved for decades. (A revised version, titled “Little Miss Bright Eyes,” was released on the 2013 Stills box set, Carry On.) With its stacked vocal harmonies, stabbing guitars and laid-back swagger, it’s vintage CSNY in every sense — if slightly rough around the edges. - Reed

 

35. Marillion, "Be Hard on Yourself"

The higher the stakes, the more cinematic the vibe, the better the Marillion. And three-part epic “Be Hard on Yourself” — the first sample of their upcoming 2022 LP, An Hour Before It’s Dark — brings all the mystery and intensity of the band’s proggiest peaks. After a wintry choral intro, the tune’s first section (“The Tear in the Big Picture”) builds an unsettling art-rock atmosphere, highlighted by plenty of Steve Hogarth falsetto. It’s a patient climb over nine-plus minutes, but the payoff is immense: The third section (“You Can Learn”) stacks synths and guitars into blinking Morse code, until the rhythm shifts into double-time and the band reaches overdrive. “Strap in, get ready,” Hogarth sings, fittingly. “Push the button, blow it all up.” - Reed

 

34. Neil Young, "Heading West"

Restoring an old barn to its former vintage glory provided the perfect setting for Neil Young to tackle his 12th album with Crazy Horse. As “Heading West” demonstrates, the music that emerged was also classic and surprisingly succinct. Despite operating with some parameters of brevity, Young and his musical comrades still find plenty of room to jam on the song, a raggedly gritty, electric tribute to his “growing up” years and the early adventures he shared with his mom. - Wardlaw

 

33. Jason Isbell, "Driver 8"

Jason Isbell's southern roots run deep. Hailing from northern Alabama, the guitarist swiftly fell into the Muscle Shoals scene while still a teenager But Isbell's style has consistently gravitated toward a style of modernity, inspired by groups like R.E.M., who Isbell once described as "'southern rock' that isn't that at all." He and his band, the 400 Unit, made good on their promise to release an album of covers by Georgian artists after the 2020 presidential election — "Driver 8" stands out as a succinct tribute to R.E.M., a band that effectively proved that "southern rock" could take on new forms. Isbell ably carries the torch. - Allison Rapp

 

32. The Fixx, "Wake Up"

"Politicians just lie to get elected, and then forget what they said. It’s all bullshit," Fixx frontman Cy Curnin says. "As a band, we like to remind people of that and to not just lie there like sheep, and to wake up to their own responsibilities." Sounds like the perfect soundbite for their 2021 single, also titled "Wake Up." Except Curnin's quote is from years ago. In keeping, "Wake Up" isn't some out-of-nowhere clarion call to awareness and activism. It's just another sign that the Fixx, a rare band boasting both all of its classic-era members and all of its classic-era nerve, were always about something more than their cool-coifed MTV contemporaries. While nobody noticed, they were picking apart our empty Cold War allegiances, discussing the dangers of fixating on mutually assured nuclear destruction and then, more recently, examining the ugly aftermath of 9/11. "Wake Up" could have neatly fit in any of those eras but seems especially needed in this one. – DeRiso

 

31. Weezer, "All My Favorite Songs"

Rivers Cuomo aims for his sad-silly sweet spot on “All My Favorite Songs,” a centerpiece of Weezer’s recent baroque-rock excursion OK Human. With its shiny classical keyboard motif and nursery-rhyme vocal delivery, “Songs” at first seems like surface-level Weezer: shiny and playful, without much under the surface. But as the strings swell and Patrick Wilson leans into his hip-hop drum groove, the track reveals an unexpected depth and drama: Cuomo's words use irony as clever contrasts — even touching on social anxiety: “I love parties, but I don’t go,” he sings. “Then I feel bad when I stay home.” - Reed

 

30. Melvins, "Hund"

Never content to stay in one spot for long, Melvins reformed their "1983" lineup for the first time in eight years on 2021's Working With God. Mike Dillard, who briefly served as the band's first drummer before Dale Crover took over in 1984, had to take time off from his full-time job as a union machinist to record with the band, while Crover switches to bass. The general idea is that this lineup offers a slightly simpler, more primal version of Melvins' complex and unconventional approach to heavy music, peppered with humorously profane Beach Boys and Harry Nilsson covers. But songs like the blistering and quite intricate "Hund" lay that description to waste quickly, particularly during a dazzling mid-song instrumental section where King Buzzo makes like Ace Frehley on acid in between furious Keith Moon-style bursts by Dillard. - Wilkening

 

29. Greta Van Fleet, "Broken Bells"

Josh Kiszka romanticizes familiar images of perseverance (cracked bells ringing, flowers sprouting between sidewalk cracks) on this smoldering, string-anchored power ballad — the most dramatic moment on Greta Van Fleet's supersized second LP. Though they're best known for retro-leaning hard-rock riffs, these guys were born to soundtrack lighter-waving arena moments — adding orchestrations was the next logical step. To all the horns-up haters: Stick around until the climax to savor Jake Kiszka's psychedelic wah-wah guitar solo. - Reed

 

28. Ann Wilson, "Black Wing"

Ann Wilson was watching birds fly across the river outside her home when inspiration for "Black Wing" struck. "I thought, 'Well, that spirit is carrying a lifeline from the world,'" she said. "So that got me thinking about writing a song … about carrying messages from the world's insanity out to this pure place." The resulting song is an exercise in contrasts: light and dark, soft and heavy, physical and spiritual. Over delicate acoustic strums and a repeating keyboard riff, Wilson sings of the spirits connecting the threads of nature, before monstrous drums and power chords come crashing in and she unleashes her transcendent, gravelly howl. - Bryan Rolli

 

27. Yes, "The Ice Bridge"

“The Ice Bridge” commences with one of the corniest moments in recent prog history: a squelching synth-brass fanfare that would have sounded dated in 1984. But that awkward opening is an aberration on The Quest’s lead single, a spirited showcase for every Yes member. Guitarist Steve Howe, who produced the quintet’s 22nd album, is on fire here — sustaining the song’s momentum through slippery hammer-ons and laser-beam staccato fills destined to score an epic fantasy film. On an album occasionally hurting for energy, “The Ice Bridge” proves Yes can still tap into that ‘70s spark when the mood arises. - Reed

 

 

26. Tears for Fears, "No Small Thing"

New wave legends Tears for Fears are best known for synth-pop hits like “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” But for their first album in nearly 18 years, the duo - made up of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith - tap into a folk-rock sound. Jangly acoustic guitar, a stomping backbeat, accordion and strings highlight the song, which alternates from Dylan-esque composition to something darker and much more menacing. It’s a distinct change for the band, yet one that doesn’t feel forced or strays so far from previous work that Tears for Fears lose what made them such a dynamic act in the first place. “No Small Things” proves that even more than 40 years after they first formed, Orzabal and Smith still have plenty of tricks up their sleeves. - Corey Irwin

 

25. Cheap Trick, "Light Up the Fire"

Cheap Trick prove rock 'n' roll alchemists on In Another World, expertly blending bubblegum and bombast on the raucous single "Light Up the Fire." Guitarist Rick Nielsen exacts maximum wattage from his descending three-chord riffs, while Robin Zander bellows like a cocksure ringmaster inviting his audience to the hottest show in town. The band cuts the hard-rock tumult with a sweet, poppy pre-chorus before launching into the supersized chorus, exhorting listeners to "light up the fire" with abandon. "Are you looking for heaven or one hell of a time?" Zander asks early on. He already knows the answer — and so do you. - Rolli

 

24. Sleater-Kinney, "Worry With You"

Sleater-Kinney's most recent advance single, "Hurry on Home" from 2019's The Center Won't Hold, was an angular expression of come-hither horniness – a scene from the button-popping beginning of a relationship. "Worry With You," which likewise led off 2021's Path of Wellness, sounds like the same couple once they've settled into the rhythms, the comfort and (most of all) the trust that follows as a pairing becomes a pair. The song's breezy feel only adds to a sense of contentment that might have once felt off-putting, or even maybe lazy, from a band known more for pushing envelopes until the paper cuts. But "Worry With You," a COVID-era paean to pulling up the covers, arrived at just the right time. – DeRiso

 

23. Brian Wilson and Jim James, "Right Where I Belong"

"Well I get anxious, I get scared a lot / It's what I live with," Brian Wilson sings in "Right Where I Belong," openly acknowledging the significant mental health issues the Beach Boys co-founder has struggled with for decades. Even after all the heartbreak, Wilson remains driven and unwilling to abandon the joy he clearly finds, still, in making music. Enlisting the assistance of My Morning Jacket's Jim James, who seems to have an innate knack for those Beach Boys-style high notes, Wilson keeps looking to the future: "I know myself / I know my willpower will get through again." - Rapp

 

22. Peter Frampton, "Isn't It a Pity?"

Peter Frampton, who literally made his guitar sing via a talk box, has always best expressed himself with his instrument rather than his voice. That thinking fuels Frampton Forgets the Wordsan album of instrumental covers of songs by artists who've inspired Frampton over the course of his career. The album's highlight is a rendition of George Harrison's "Isn't It a Pity?" and it comes with history: Harrison invited a 20-year-old Frampton to play acoustic guitar on his landmark 1970 solo album All Things Must Pass, which includes "Isn't a Pity?" Fifty years later, Frampton brings new emotional weight to one of the late Beatle's greatest compositions. - Rapp

 

21. Guns N' Roses "Hard Skool"

Let's get the negatives out of the way: No, Guns N' Roses' "Hard Skool" is technically not a new track but rather a repurposed Chinese Democracy-era demo with new guitar and bass piped in by Slash and Duff McKagan, respectively. That doesn't change the fact that it's a kick-ass tune, powered by infectious hooks and vintage GNR riffage. McKagan's one-note bass intro a la "It's So Easy" delivers an instant serotonin boost, and Slash's slinky, bluesy solo transitions effortlessly into a trippy bridge before Axl Rose takes it home with his caterwauling screams. Fellas: We’ll happily take a "new" GNR album of songs that are old enough to vote if they all sound this good. - Rolli

 

20. George Harrison, "Cosmic Empire"

The box set marking the 50th anniversary of George Harrison's landmark 1970 solo album All Things Must Pass chronicles the making of the record over six discs and more than 40 previously unreleased demos and outtakes. Harrison spent two consecutive days laying down demos for the record; on the second, he went totally solo with just an acoustic guitar. "Cosmic Empire" is one of the handful of songs that never made the album, a spirit-questing bit of revelry that pushes Harrison's voice into its upper register. Too bad we never got a full-band take on the song, but this breezy version is a one-man celebration. - Michael Gallucci

 

19. Alice Cooper, "Social Debris"

"Social Debris" was released in early February on Alice Cooper's 73rd birthday, but it sounds like it could have been pulled from 1971. Featuring the original Alice Cooper Band lineup, the track - which appears on Cooper's 21st album, Detroit Stories - pays tribute to the group's breakout years in the city. "We didn’t fit in with the folk scene, we didn’t fit in with the metal scene, we really didn’t fit in with anything that was going on at that time," Cooper said of the song - a "gift to Detroit, to my fans and to myself." - Rapp

 

18. Dirty Honey, "California Dreamin'"

You could easily write off Dirty Honey as merely the sum of their very obvious influences: ZeppelinAerosmith, the Black Crowes, et al. But it's much more fun to hang up your critic's hat and lose yourself in the quartet's soaring hooks and killer chops, both of which are on full display in "California Dreamin'," the lead track off the band's self-titled debut album. Singer Marc LaBelle unleashes raspy, skyscraping vocal runs over guitarist John Notto's slinky riffs, while bassist Justin Smolian and drummer Corey Coverstone anchor the track with their meat-and-potatoes grooves. "It's so easy," LaBelle howls in the pre-choruses, but he's being modest: It takes years of practice to rock as effortlessly as Dirty Honey. Rolli

 

17. Jerry Cantrell, "Atone"

The lead single off Jerry Cantrell's third solo album, Brighten, bears all the Alice in Chains hallmarks: towering guitars, somber hooks and haunting, harmonized vocals, this time all capably supplied by Cantrell. But on "Atone," the guitarist dials back the gain without sacrificing an ounce of heaviness, eschewing AIC's dour alt-metal wallop in favor of quasi-psychedelic outlaw-country menace. The track is a tantalizing slow burn rather than a riff-rock inferno, enveloping listeners with twangy guitars and a sinister tale of a man trying to outrun the hellhounds on his trail. - Rolli

 

16. Kings of Leon, "100,000 People"

Released the same day as “The Bandit,” “100,000 People” was somewhat overlooked at first. But a relisten reveals one of Kings of Leon’s deepest tracks in more than a decade. Built upon a driving bass line, the song offers a slow build as Caleb Followill sings about various memories strung together during a long romance. The singer was inspired by his father-in-law, who suffered from dementia. “I felt like I could write a love story about it, this man who is still in love with this woman. And maybe she’s gone, maybe she isn’t. Maybe he’s gone, maybe he isn’t," he explained to Apple Music. "It’s one of those things where the whole song is just kind of searching for something.” The result is one of the most poignant tracks of Kings of Leon’s career. - Irwin

 

15. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "105 Degrees"

After releasing the expansive Wildflowers & All the Rest last year, Tom Petty's estate once again dipped into the treasure trove of material from the late singer-songwriter's mid-'90s period. Angel Dream, a reimagined collection of songs from 1996's She's the One soundtrack, features several previously unheard songs, like the rollicking "105 Degrees," a full-band number that stands out from the more tender songs typical of the Wildflowers era. "Come on Tommy!" someone exclaims just before a chugging riff enters "What do you want?" Petty sings. "Perfection?- Rapp

 

14. Jackson Browne, "My Cleveland Heart"

Jackson Browne shows his humorous side with “My Cleveland Heart,” a wry acknowledgement of his own advancing years in which the singer-songwriter imagines a scenario where his actual beating heart is replaced with an artificial one. “They never break, they don't even beat and they don't ache / They just plug in and shine,” he sings with an uncharacteristically sunny tone to the musical bed enveloping his words. The video, featuring new-school singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers as a nurse munching on Browne's heart, is a perfect companion for one of the veteran's best songs in years. - Wardlaw

 

13. Iron Maiden, "The Writing on the Wall"

Six years after releasing their last album, The Book of Souls, Iron Maiden return in predictably grandiose fashion with "The Writing on the Wall," a swaggering mid-tempo rocker full of vintage riffs that split the difference between power metal and outlaw country. (No, really.) The band's signature dueling riffs and solos abound, but "The Writing on the Wall" is ultimately more restrained than many of Maiden's recent efforts, allowing Bruce Dickinson's powerhouse vocals to carry the song's simple, heroic chorus. The tune crushes on its own, but its epic animated video — featuring gunslinging demon bikers, a bloated caricature of a certain disgraced ex-president and a larger-than-life samurai Eddie — is required viewing. - Rolli

 

12. Elton John  and Dua Lipa, "Cold Heart"

Elton John has worked harder than any other artist of his rarefied stature to promote new musicians, collaborating with countless younger stars and tirelessly promoting their work on his online Rocket Hour show. That enthusiasm and open-mindedness pays big dividends in "Cold Heart," which finds John teaming up with pop sensation Dua Lipa to mash together lyrics and melodies from four of his older songs over an infectious dance beat. The song became John's first U.K. No. 1 in 16 years, offering further proof of his continuing relevancy. - Wilkening

 

11. Billy Gibbons, "My Lucky Card"

From the first pulsating note, its evident what Billy Gibbons is delivering on “My Lucky Card”: pure, unfiltered blues rock. That comes as no surprise considering the bearded musician is best known as the frontman of the legendary trio ZZ Top. But the fact that Gibbons, now 71, can still rock this hard is nothing short of stunning. “My Lucky Card” is as grizzled as the man behind it - a heavy, grimy combination of bass, guitar, drums and attitude. Sure, the lyrics are a standard affair - Gibbons compares his mystery woman to a high-stakes game of poker - but fans don’t come here for the words. The allure is in the riffs, and “My Lucky Card” delivers some of the burliest guitar sounds of the year. - Irwin

 

10. Prince, "Welcome 2 America"

Even though "Welcome 2 America" was recorded more than a decade ago, it couldn't have arrived at a better moment. In a little more than five minutes, Prince's rhythmic spoken-word assessment of the U.S. covers everything from excessive media consumption to a broken educational system to lack of equality for women. "Hope and change?" Prince's background singers chime in. "Everything takes forever," he replies. "And truth is a new minority." Many of the songs from the posthumously released album of the same name utilize similar themes of social and political commentary. Now's the time for us to finally listen. - Rapp

 

9. Duran Duran, "Anniversary"

Aging gracefully is a myth: You simply stay exciting or become boring. Duran Duran do the former on the effervescent Future Past single "Anniversary," which finds the new wave survivors celebrating four decades together. Roger Taylor's four-on-the-floor kick and John Taylor's nimble bass lines anchor the swaggering synth-rock romp, while Nick Rhodes' keyboard hooks pop like bottle rockets toward the stratosphere. Singer Simon Le Bon preens and peacocks atop the track, beseeching listeners in that ebullient tenor to join the band, holy and unchained, in a toast to its enduring triumph. - Rolli

 

8. Foo Fighters, "Waiting on a War"

Foo Fighters aren’t confined to one style on their 10th LP — dabbling in funk-rock (“Medicine at Midnight”), horns-up quasi-metal (“No Son of Mine”) and McCartney-styled pop balladry (“Chasing Birds”). But the album’s showstopper is just good ol’ fashioned Foo, conjuring the same big arena thunder as the eternal “Times Like These.” Sure, there are new wrinkles on this wide-eyed protest rocker: the strings shadowing Dave Grohl’s strummed acoustic, the skyrocketing tempo toward the grand finale. But when those palm-muted electric guitars arrive with a pile-driving alt-rock flourish, it feels like 2002 all over again. - Reed

 

7. The Rolling Stones, "Troubles a Comin"

Charlie Watts' death brought with it a shower of tributes, but none more powerful – or more perfect – than this one. The Rolling Stones have been returning to the vault to complete left-behind tracks for anniversary box sets for some time; that tradition continued with 2021's expanded reissue of Tattoo You. The difference is Tattoo You was fashioned just the same way, so it perhaps unsurprisingly yielded far sturdier source material. Watts is (once again) the cucumber-cool star of "Troubles a Comin," the best of the set's nine pretty great previously unreleased songs. With a basic track recorded in Paris in 1979, this cover of a Chi-Lites' 1970 song swings with an understated authority that only could come from their late Savile Row-suited drummer. – DeRiso

 

6. David Crosby, "Rodriguez for a Night"

The former Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash co-founder has been sidling up to this collaboration with Donald Fagen for years, memorably releasing "She's Got to Be Somewhere" as part of 2017's Sky Trails – a song rightly described as Steely David Crosby. Unlike "Rodriguez for a Night," however, Steely Dan's Fagen didn't actually appear back then. But Crosby was clearly telegraphing his interest in Steely Dan's sophisticated jazz-inflected vibe. Fagen finally came around, sending over lyrics for a song that became "Rodriguez for a Night." The results put an exclamation point on a remarkable late-career run that's seen Crosby release five albums since 2014. – DeRiso

 

5. Radiohead, "If You Say the Word"

Kid A Mnesia is the year's best archival release, a three-disc packaging of Radiohead's one-two Kid A/Amnesiac combo punch from 2000-01. A third CD collects leftovers, B-sides and alternate versions, delivering a more complete portrait of the era as well as of one of the most essential recordings of the century. "If You Say the Word" was recorded during the sessions for the LPs but never released. It's hard to understand why. The track is a multitextured think piece that doesn't sound like a castoff or unfinished sketch from the period. It's a remarkable excerpt from a new musical revolution. - Gallucci

 

4. The Black Keys, "Crawling Kingsnake"

"Crawling Kingsnake" was first recorded in the early '40s, but its origins go back two decades earlier, when it was a Delta blues staple that eventually evolved into the more familiar electric versions over the years. John Lee Hooker recorded the song in the '40s, and it's his take (via a Junior Kimbrough interpretation) the Black Keys draw inspiration from in their spirited cover included on Delta Kream, an album of the hill country blues that influenced the duo in its early days. After several years expanding their musical palette, the Keys return to their basic elements on their 10th album. "Crawling Kingsnake" is a callback to what they do best. - Gallucci

 

3. Mammoth WVH, "Don't Back Down"

"Don't Back Down"'s finale features a split-second musical quote from the ending of Van Halen's 1981 single "So This Is Love?" but that's about the only time you'll hear Wolfgang Van Halen borrowing from his father on Mammoth WVH's debut album. Acting as a one-man band throughout, the younger Van Halen draws from a completely different and newer set of influences. In this case, he pairs a big Gary Glitter beat with Songs for the Deaf-era Queens of the Stone Age riffing to rousing effect. He also gets bonus points for making one of the funniest music videos in years. - Wilkening

 

2. Lindsey Buckingham, "I Don't Mind"

Lindsey Buckingham's self-titled 2021 album marks his first solo record in a decade and first since his split from Fleetwood Mac. It's also a breakup album that traces, in very adult terms, the hard decision to move on amid uncertainty. "I Don't Mind" offers up solutions and compromises, even if resolution seems nowhere in sight. The kicker? This potentially downer subject is cloaked in a springy pop song that belies its true intentions. The entire album is like that; this first single is a perfect introduction to it. - Gallucci

 

1. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, "Can't Let Go"

There are plenty of mood-setting, dust-kissed songs on Raise the Roof - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' excellent follow-up LP to 2007's Raising Sand - that feel lived-in and snug within their environment. "Can't Let Go" is one of a handful of tracks that breaks a little sweat along the way. Like most of the songs on Raise the Roof, "Can't Let Go" is a cover - written by obscure singer-songwriter Randy Weeks and recorded by Lucinda Williams on her landmark 1998 LP Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. Plant and Krauss give a typically nuanced performance here, melding their voices until two points of beauty become one glorious sound. - Gallucci  

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