Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds - Out Of The Blue + Born Again (2014)

Out of the Blue marked Chris Farlowe's return to American soul music and blues, after a decade-long hiatus caused by a road accident injury and a series of gigs with other players. It was as though he'd picked up right where he'd left off at Immediate Records in 1970, without skipping a beat -- opening with Willie Dixon's "I Ain't Superstitious," he sounds so American and so black that listeners could still do double-takes after 20 years in the spotlight for the singer. "The Thrill Is Gone" and "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" are among the best cuts, but the whole album is worthwhile and then some. ~by Bruce Eder

Born Again was the second phase of Chris Farlowe's return to recording after almost a decade away from his own career -- the production is more opulent than the sound on its predecessor, Out of the Blue, but he still holds his own as the blackest-sounding white soul singer most of us have ever heard. The title track, "One Night Stand," and "Never Too Old to Rock" are the highlights, but there's not a bad song here, with Farlowe in top form. ~by Bruce Eder