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Rockin' Rich Lynch's Month In Review - April 2026 Rockin' Rich Lynch is a Nashville-based journalist, concert reporter and rock photographer with decades of experience in the music business. He receives dozens of new releases every week that all vie for his unique review style and personalized perspective. If you would like to see this column prosper - or if you would like to help bolster RRL's ongoing muscial efforts - the best thing that you can do is show some support by purchasing some of his tracks at the link provided > Rockin' Rich Lynch on BandCamp.
• .38 SPECIAL: MILESTONE - With Milestone, .38 Special returns after more than 20 years, reminding listeners that at their best - in their heyday - they often had more in common with Foreigner than Lynyrd Skynyrd, thanks to a run of radio‑shaping hits built on melody, muscle and FM‑radio precision. That melodic instinct still anchors the record. The emotional centerpiece, "All I Haven't Said", delivers a jangling, harmony‑rich throwback that critics praise for its layered arrangement and introspective lift. Meanwhile, "Long Long Train" stands out as the album's workhorse anthem - a gritty, rolling track that feels like a band determined to go the distance and deliver the goods after two decades away. Elsewhere, "So Much So Right" reintroduces the group with swagger, while "Slightly Controversial" and "The Main Thing" showcase their updated blend of Southern rock and arena‑ready polish. Milestone proves .38 Special still fires with purpose, craft and heart. (More at > https://www.38special.com) • CACTUS: TEMPLE OF BLUES II - Cactus has always sounded like a band that could be a little prickly - sharp edges, rough bark, no apologies. But Temple of Blues II proves the reward is what's inside: ten refreshing, full‑throttle tracks delivered by an all‑star cast that's as sharp as it is deserving of attention. Carmine Appice anchors the record with his unmistakable power and groove, driving a lineup that spans Steve Morse, Joe Lynn Turner, Dee Snider, Pat Travers, Rudy Sarzo, Alex Skolnick and more. With an all‑star cast whose roots go deeper than your typical desert flower, this collection blossoms with the Rated X reunion on "Bad Stuff", which stands as the record's center point. The album feels like a revival tent built on heavy blues swagger - "Back Door Man", "Moanin' at Midnight", "Bad Stuff" and a wild "Spoonful" all roar with the looseness and live‑wire energy only road‑scarred players can summon. Even the Hendrix‑linked "Purple Haze" lands with surprising emotional weight. Two years after opening the first Temple, Cactus returns louder, looser and absolutely committed to delivering the goods. Worshippers are welcome to come inside. (More at > https://www.cactusrocks.com) • FANTASTIC CAT: CAT OUT OF HELL - Cat Out of Hell opens like a feline bat out of... well, you know. "Donnie Takes The Bus" comes roaring out of the gate, while "The Waiting Room" gives off a slightly unsettling chill before "Elevator" delivers the patented lift Fantastic Cat excels at. So yes - two out of three ain't bad, and Meat Loaf would absolutely grin at the reference. Across the album, influences rise through the grooves like smoke signals - familiar meows and musings that never feel threatening or too feral, just sharp, clever and fully alive. In a world that may be descending into Hell in a Handbasket in 2026, at least we've got the purrfect soundtrack for the ride. On several tracks like "I Spoke To God A Lot Last Year", "Don't Let Go" and "Back to the Beginning" - the band becomes a Dead Ringer for The War on Drugs - if that band ever slammed a few energy drinks before tracking. Cat Out of Hell is chaos, craft and charm in glorious overdrive. (More at > https://www.fantasticcatband.com) • GUS G: NAME - Gus G.'s Steel Burner lives up to its name - a molten, metal‑shaping blast of instrumentals and guest‑driven firepower that slices clean through the noise. The album's explosive mix of shred showcases and powerhouse vocal features gives it the feel of a machine built for maximum heat and precision. A who's‑who of metal royalty steps into the furnace, including two razor‑sharp turns from the ubiquitous Ronnie Romero. But it's Dino Jelusick's performance on "No One Has To Know" that steals the spotlight, proving once again why the guy with the golden chops is on every classic rock and metal band's short list and Rolodex. Inspired by an actual industrial metal‑shaping machine, the title track sets the tone: relentless, mechanical and scorching. From Doro Pesch's anthemic grit to Matt Barlow's thunderous intensity, Steel Burner is both a tribute to metal's roots and a forward‑looking blaze of modern craftsmanship. Gus G. doesn't just play - he forges. (More at > https://www.gusgofficial.com) • JON ANDERSON: EARTH MOTHER EARTH - Jon Anderson may be best known as the unmistakable voice of YES, but at this point in his long and storied career he's quietly amassed more solo albums than full‑length studio releases with the prog gods themselves. That means it's entirely possible - even natural - to be a fan of Jon's prolific solo universe without ever setting foot inside the YES cathedral. With that in mind, Frontiers Records' new reissue series shines a welcome light on Earth Mother Earth, a reflective, contemplative gem from the mid‑'90s. The remaster restores the album's original intent: environmental mysticism, pastoral warmth and a deep Mother‑Earth reverence that once sat buried under dated production. Anderson's luminous, weightless voice floats over acoustic textures, gentle electronics and the natural sounds of his own home - birds, wind, even Jane's spoken‑word cameos. What emerges is a quietly radiant offering, a grounded counterpart to Olias of Sunhillow, reaffirming Anderson's gift for turning idealism into melody. Earth meets Mother. Mother meets music. (More at > https://www.jonanderson.com) • MATT ROGERS: GRANDMA'S HOUSE - Dropped last month with perfect timing for anyone celebrating the annual 4/20 green holiday, Matt Rogers' "Grandma's House" is a heartfelt track that manages to be both fun and funny, all wrapped in strong Nashville sensibility and top‑tier production. Even before this single, there was already a buzz building behind Rogers - the likable, quick‑witted songwriter with a voice built for radio - and this release only amplifies it. What begins like a sentimental country visit quickly turns into a sly weed‑culture wink, delivered with Rogers' bright, self‑aware charm. The breezy guitars, playful banjo, and polished mix give the humor room to bloom, making the song as catchy as it is clever. A perfect 4/20 companion - and another win for Rogers' rising star. (More at > https://www.mattrogerscountry.com) • MELODY GUY: TRAIN TO DREAMLAND - Melody Guy overcomes with grit and resiliency to take the ride of her life on Train to Dreamland, an album that feels like boarding a midnight locomotive headed straight through memory, healing and hard‑earned hope. "Invisible" sets a triumphant pace right out of the station, its harmonies echoing the best Indigo Girls tracks and giving the record immediate momentum. The title track eases the throttle, slowing things down just enough to drift into something dreamy - a soft ticket to sleepy time without ever losing emotional clarity. Guy balances introspective slow burners with enough up‑tempo rockers to keep you awake in your seat, watching the landscape of her life flash by in vivid color. Her top‑notch, home‑brewed production gives the whole album a warm, road‑worn authenticity, like a train car lit by lantern light. Train to Dreamland isn't just a destination - it's the journey, and Melody Guy drives it with heart, honesty and unstoppable forward motion. (More at > https://www.melodyguy.com) • MOON WALKER: WASTELAND COUNTRY - Moon Walker's spacy approach to music‑making is clearly striking a chord - if global stream counts are any indication, this lunar wanderer has built an entire galaxy of listeners. Wasteland Country, his fifth album in as many years, feels like watching a lone astronaut trek across a scorched frontier with nothing but distortion, defiance and a cracked‑open heart to guide him. The opener "Disappearing Act" sets the tone: cinematic, eerie and atmospheric enough to feel like the first step onto alien soil. From there, Moon Walker stomps, struts and spirals through a maximalist landscape of strings, stacked harmonies and guitar solos that howl like solar flares. Tracks like "Sandbox", "Supernationalist" and the title cut blend glam‑rock swagger with dystopian grit, creating a world that's equal parts moonlit dream and wasteland nightmare. It's bold, it's unfiltered, and it's unmistakably his - another giant leap for an artist who refuses to stop walking. (More at > https://www.listentomoonwalker.com) • UFO: THE WILD, THE WILLING AND THE INNOCENT - Before Def Leppard, and long before the hairspray‑and‑hooks wave that would dominate the '80s, there was an out‑of‑this‑world rock act from England called UFO - a band that sparked the imagination of adolescent males the world over, myself included. They were loud, melodic, dangerous and strangely elegant - a group that felt beamed in from somewhere just beyond the stratosphere. Now, fans can relive those youthful moments with the newly expanded reissue of The Wild, The Willing and The Innocent, complete with a bonus live recording that captures the band at full cosmic burn. The 1981 studio album remains a creative high point: soaring melodies, muscular riffs and Phil Mogg delivering some of his finest vocals. The addition of Neil Carter brought fresh textures - keys, guitar, even sax - giving tracks like "Lonely Heart" and "It's Killing Me" a new dimension. The 2026 remaster sharpens every detail, revealing weight, warmth and clarity that earlier editions only hinted at. But the crown jewel is the newly mixed Hammersmith Odeon show from January 29, 1981 - a previously unreleased, electrifying snapshot of UFO in their prime. It's raw, powerful and essential. This reissue doesn't just revisit a classic - it re‑ignites it. A must‑own for the wild, the willing and the eternally innocent. (More at > https://www.philmogg.co.uk/ufo/) • BETTY MOON: STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL - Betty Moon makes modern music rooted in vintage pop stylings, and Strangely Beautiful proves her millions of followers across multiple platforms can't be wrong. This EP is a strange and beautiful fusion of alt‑pop shimmer, electronic pulse, and soulful undertones, all delivered with Moon's signature confidence. The closing single "Want Me To" is a sultry, electrifying standout, while her reimagined take on "Live in the Moment" fits seamlessly into the EP's dreamlike mood. Moon's independence shines throughout - bold, instinctive and emotionally honest. Strangely Beautiful is both a reinvention and a reminder of why she remains a magnetic creative force. (More at > https://bettymoon.com ) • JEFF AUG: INTERIM - Jeff Aug delivers a beautiful instrumental presentation on Interim, a record built around an interim suite that reappears like a recurring thought you can't shake - reflective, transitional and quietly powerful. Each return of the theme deepens the journey, tying the album together with a sense of movement between moments. Aug's acoustic mastery shines across the set, from the bright lift of "New Day's Dawn" to the rhythmic sway of "Open Fields", while electric textures and violin flourishes add emotional dimension. As a transitional statement from an artist always evolving, Interim feels anything but temporary - it lingers long after the final note. (More at > https://www.jeffaug.com) • VINCENT NEIL EMERSON: BLUE STARS - On Livin' In The Past, Vincent Neil Emerson leans into classic cowboy country - tender Texas storytelling delivered not as an outlaw, but as a poetic seer with melodies wrapped in lived truth and quiet strength. The title track reflects on simpler days, drifting like a warm breeze through memories we're all guilty of revisiting. Sonically inspired by Dylan and The Band, Emerson blends country, soul and folk into something timeless rather than nostalgic. It's a reminder that living in the past isn't always retreat - sometimes it's how we remember who we are, and why these songs still matter. (More at > https://vincentneilemerson.com)
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