There are certain inescapable times when, if you're like me, you feel completely at one with music!

And at the moment, I'm having a near-peak experience!

As I write this, I just finished listening to Vanity Fare's 1970 hit "Early In The Morning"--and even now the adrenalin buzz lingers! And simultaneously--on the computer on my immediate left--I just finished ripping the 1996 Varese Sarabande compilation John Travolta Sings!

Finally, and I ask you to put yourself in my shoes, I am preparing to soon construct an actual sentence about the Black Label Society! The catch? It may need a verb!

Black Label Society: Order Of The Black (E1 Music)  Often it seems that the biggest stories of all in this exciting world of rock 'n' roll are the ones going on under our very noses of which we are completely oblivious! For example, did you know that slowly but surely, this lovable batch of hard rockers--whose self-proclaimed mantra is "Strength, Determination, Merciless, Forever"--is amassing an

Sad to report that I'm not in the best of spirits at themoment!

Though with the anonymity of my computer keyboard I canadmittedly write whatever I like in this blog without retribution, I am vulnerable! And on occasion, if I saysomething that some of my more irrational, perhaps physically dangerous, readersdon't agree with--because of the picture at the top of this blog, they can feelfree to leave such comments as "I didn't realize Stephen King was reviewingalbums now" or, even more scarring, call me a"Stephen King-lookin' muthahfu**ah!"

Imagine my chagrin, therefore, when I visited theinteresting internet site I Write Like this afternoon, andread the following: "Check which famouswriter you write like with this statistical analysis tool, which analyzes yourword choice and writing style and compares them with those of the famouswriters."

Happy to follow the site's instructions, I pasted in a sampleof my sterling prose, clicked the "Analyze" button, and was told I write like...Stephen

New albums by Eminem and Miley Cyrus?

Clearly, all's right with the world!

This is one of those good weeks when I make a list of "likely prospects"--albums I might draw your attention to if I so desire--and decide, after maybe 16 or so, there's no point in listing any more! It must mean the music business is healthier than ever! It's back on its feet, and so are we!

And to confirm your faith in my ability to single out today's most relevant and happening new music, let me share this: At this very moment, the computer on my left is ripping the complete works of Latin percussionist Pancho Sanchez, while the computer on my right is recording the last three vinyl albums produced by rockers Orleans before they were forbidden to make any more!

I tell you this for one reason alone: That I would do both of these things simultaneously, on two separate computers--capturing for all eternity the complete works of artists I don't really care about--while writing this blog on yet a third, indicates

Whoops! Apologies for posting this a day late!

I spent the weekend in San Francisco and had no idea that the record industry--which recently underwent its worst sales week in years--was counting on me to write about the week's best new releases, encourage sales, and thus save the entire music business!

And I just noticed a reader asked where my new blog was in last week's comments section!

So admittedly a day late and a dollar short, here I am, ready to spread the word about why this is the best week ever for new releases--and why you should simply buy them all!

But I'd rather write this instead!

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Mojo (Reprise)  A surprisingly strong album by Petty and his long-lived crew carries on the tradition that his groovy recent box set established--that is, of being one of the best live bands on the planet--largely because of its purposeful emulation of country and blues styles upon which all of rock 'n' roll has long been based! Still, time has taken its toll on