Paul Rodgers - Now (1997)

In a career dating back to 1968, Now was only Paul Rodgers' second solo album of original material, following 1983's Cut Loose. Of course, in that time he fronted Free, Bad Company, the Firm and the Law, and in the early 1990s crafted tributes to Muddy Waters and Jimi Hendrix, so he wasn't exactly idle. Now was an album for Free and Bad Company fans, recreating those groups' guitar-bass-drums backing and bluesy hard rock sound. It has always been amazing that a singer as distinctive as Rodgers, whose gruff voice can be identified within seconds, has remained anonymous behind his group monikers. And it is doubly surprising since Rodgers has always performed the same kind of simple, driving rock. Now was more of the same: as a songwriter, Rodgers' lyrics rarely moved far from expressions of love and longing, and as a composer he never moved beyond a few basic chords. What mattered, of course, was that voice, and it was as powerful on Now as it had ever been.