Catching Up on 2023: Peter Gabriel, Jason Aldean, Juan Carlos Quintero

Before 2023 fully fades into history, I want to highlight several outstanding late year releases worthy of your full attention.

Artist: Peter Gabriel

Title: i/o (Real World Productions)

You might like if you enjoy: Radiohead, Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, Kate Bush

Tell me more: Before the release of Peter Gabriel's i/o this year, the groundbreaking English artist hadn't released a full-length album of material since 2002's Up. The good news for the countless millions of lovers of the 73-year-old English singer-songwriter-producer is that the new masterwork that has been in the works since early 1995 was well worth the wait. What jumps out with an initial listen is how fully and powerfully intact his signature vocals are across the disc, and how sophisticated and detailed the sonic landscape that surrounds each track. In early 2023, Gabriel began releasing a new song from the album with the arrival of every full moon; the initiative also served as a way to let each selection to be the focus on listeners' radar for a full month before another song was released. The full album was released as a cohesive collection on Dec. 1, 2023 (each of the dozen tracks are presented via two stereo mixes; a third "In-Side Mix" version is presented in Dolby Atmos). The intoxicating opener "Panopticom," experimental "The Court," masterfully luxurious "Playing For Time," stirring "And Still" and reflective title track (the latter bolstered by the most artful of dynamics) just begin to tell the story of an album that demands repeated listens and continues to reveal its bewitching secrets with each subsequent play. Information: petergabriel.com.

Artist: Jason Aldean
Title: Highway Desperado (Broken Bow Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Luke Bryan, 3 Doors Down
Tell me more: One of country music's biggest stars of the 21st century, Jason Aldean has successfully used his talents as a dynamic live performer and exceptional recording artist to propel more than two dozen of his singles to number 1 on either the Hot Country Songs or Country Airplay charts. On his latest full-length album Highway Desperado, the Macon, Georgia native continues his incredible run with a terrific collection that showcases real life triumphs and struggles while simultaneously celebrating the American spirit with an otherworldly and emotional touch. Aldean has been especially masterful at blending modern country and classic rock genres into a signature style that resonates at festivals and arena settings. Each of the 14 songs on Highway Desperado are immediately infectious; the timely number one hit "Try That In A Small Town" taps into the well-founded fears of millions of Americans who have seen violent crime soar in big cities across the United States over the past several years. The Michael Knox-produced album's strengths are found across its run; the tender ballad "Hungover in a Hotel" offers a heartfelt message of regret, while the country rocker "Let Your Boys Be Country" celebrates time-honored traditions that champion how boys grow into men. Aldean sings of romantic loss poignantly on the beautiful "Whose Rearview" and "I'm Over You." Aldean explores newfound love on the soaring "Knew You'd Come Around," while the moody closer "Highway Desperado" taps into the powerful and invisible forces that lure some to keep moving on down the open road. Information: JasonAldean.com.

Artist: Juan Carlos Quintero
Title: desserts... (Moondo Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Craig Chaquico, Laurence Juber
Tell me more: Guitar master Juan Carlos Quintero's latest album desserts... is a ravishing celebration of Latin-jazz instrumental music and the artist's flawless fretwork. The self-produced 10-track desserts... brings together the Medellin, Columbia-born artist's incredible jazz mining guitar playing with the sounds, rhythms and grooves of the Southern American and Caribbean regions. Surrounded by a terrific group of top-tier players (bassist Eddie Resto, pianist Joe Rotondi, drummer Aaron Serfaty and percussionist Joey DeLeon), the troupe brings a stylish elegance to wonderful originals composed by Van Morrison (the artfully reworked "Moondance"), Armando Peraza (the joyful "Estampa Cuban"), Eden Ahbez (the luxurious and deeply affecting "Nature Boy"), John Gillespie (fleet-footed "A Night In Tunisia") and more. Information: juancarlosquintero.com.

Robert Kinsler