Back in the late ’80s, the Jayhawks stood at the front of a group of musicians dedicated to fusing rock and twang in the spirit of the late, great Gram Parsons. It was the dark time before the days of “Americana” labels and coffee house radio, a time when Wilco and Son Volt were still unborn inside a band called Uncle Tupelo. Now with a new generation of Americana acts, such as Mumford & Sons and Avett Brothers, threatening to bury their memory, the Jayhawks are stepping into the Americana dirt once again.

“Mockingbird Time” is the band’s first album since 2003′s “Rainy Day Music.” More importantly, it’s the first time the original lineup — including founding member Mark Olson — has recorded since 1995. That’s a lot of pressure. “Tomorrow the Green Grass,” from 1995, is widely considered not only the band’s high-water mark but also the standard bearer of truly glorious Americana music. It’s also the album that led me to the Joshua Tree desert to record Mark Olson for my own stab at the Americana dream, “Harlem.” “Mockingbird Time” doesn’t quite reach the heights of those ’90s glory days, but it’s a thrill to hear Olson and Gary Louris wrap their harmonies together once again. Welcome back, guys.

WATCH the official teaser for the Jayhawks’ new album.

Everybody loves a comeback, and fallen Disney idol Demi Lovato has all of the perfect ingredients: a rehab stay, an apologetic public re-entry, and a highly personal album. “Unbroken” is as polished as you’d expect from any Disney singer (although Lovato has left the Disney channel show “Sonny with a Chance,” she still records for the company’s Hollywood Records label). And like most Disney records, it sounds like it was made by an entire branch of government. But unlike those albums, Lovato’s authenticity and voice manage to rise above the mountains of production.

I’m skipping “Unbroken” because musically it’s no different from the hundreds of other formulaic factory albums that numb my brain. Still, I’m looking forward to hearing the artist Demi Lovato will become once she cuts the final Disney cord.

WATCH the official music video for Demi Lovato’s single “Skyscraper.”

Tori Amos has never been interested in playing the pop game by its set of conventional rules. And to prove it, she’s drifted farther from the mainstream with each new album. In reality, “Night of Hunters” is a straight-up classical album, akin to “The Juliet Letters,” the 1993 classically influenced song cycle by fellow musical wanderer Elvis Costello. And just like Costello, Tori Amos has the chops and the curiosity to make herself at home. Fans looking for a return to “Cornflake Girl” are bound to be disappointed. But for the diehard Amos adventurers who appreciate her diversions, “Night of Hunters” is as challenging as it is satisfying.

WATCH the official music video for Tori Amos’ single “Carry.”

With Frank Sinatra gone, Tony Bennett is left to hold the title of the last of the great American vocalists. And like Ol’ Blue Eyes, he’s not above singing with anyone who will put his legacy in front of the uninitiated. Tony Bennett is a genre unto himself. On “Duets II,” he sings with country crooners, pop stars, soul-stirrers, and opera maestros. Only gangsta rappers are missing (stay tuned for “Duets III: Bennett Brings Forth the Rhythm & the Rhyme”). Amy Winehouse’s duet on “Body and Soul” will no doubt get all of the attention — and deservedly so. It’s tragic in its subtext and tender in its delivery. Still, its not the only classic worth revisiting. “Duets II” is full of goosebumps. Yeah, it’s a tired formula, but in the hands of a master, Tony Bennett makes these standards feel like the first time.

WATCH Tony Bennett perform “Body and Soul” with the late Amy Winehouse.

How are we to view supergroup SuperHeavy? Is it a relic of bloated, big music machine excess? Or is it the first sincere attempt at moving beyond the needless segregation of music and genres in the new digital world where every song must neatly fit into a playlist? It’s both. This is the sound of true global music made by global superstars committed to creating a new musical language that transcends boundaries. It’s also a bunch of rich, aging (minus Joss Stone) music stars who are too far up the ivory tower to really feel the beat of the street. Sure, Mick Jagger, Dave Stewart, Damian Marley, and A.R. Rahman are all royalty. But it’s hard for royalty to avoid being self-conscious. As supergroup outings go, it’s worth a spin, but I can’t help wonder if a band of global serfs would’ve brought more grit to this global stew.

WATCH the official music video for SuperHeavy’s single “Miracle Worker.”

I don’t think Grammy winners should necessarily be held to a higher standard than anyone else, but it’s hard to believe that this country pop trio has snatched up six statues in its short life, not to mention a nomination for Best New Artist in 2009. “Own the Night” is radio pop at its blandest, only dipping far enough into “country” to fool the most passive of listeners. In reality, it’s about three degrees south of John Mayer — except that I like John Mayer, most of the time anyway when lays off the tweets and TMZ. “Own the Night” is the kind of watered-down, assembly-line pop music that makes me wish for a Nashville revolution.

WATCH the official live music video for Lady Antebellum’s single “We Owned the Night.”

Back in the ’90s, Primus was one of the freshest — OK, oddest — heavy rock groups around, and even today there are few bassists who can match Les Claypool’s bizarre brand of subsonic virtuosity. Unfortunately, the act has been getting stale since Fred Durst got his hands on “Antipop” in 1999, their last full album until now. That’s not to say “Green Naugahyde” is as uninspired as “Antipop,” but even with original drummer Jay Lane back on the kit, they aren’t able to rekindle that old odd magic. There are plenty of stunning solos, courtesy of guitarist Ler LaLonde, but that’s the only relief you’ll get from Claypool’s redneck Residents rehash. The album’s opener, “Prelude to a Crawl,” is appropriate. Choose to play this album, and you’re in for 50 minutes of slow-moving circus metal. Maybe that’s your thing. I’m skipping.

WATCH Primus perform “Green Ranger” live at Bonnaroo.

Forget it, Washington and Brooklyn. Oregon is becoming the center a new music revolution. The Decemberists and M. Ward may get all of the Northwestern glory, but Blind Pilot are close behind. Part Sigur Ros and part Fleet Foxes, this Portland-based band puts a contemporary psychedelic spin on an otherwise traditional, acoustic indie-folk setup. The production is so precise and so pristine that it’s tough to imagine how they pulled off a West Coast tour on their bikes in 2009, but “We Are the Tide” is evidence that they have every intention of developing their sound: folk songs reaching for the stars.

WATCH Blind Pilot perform “New York” live in the studio.

Blind Pilot: We Are The Tide – Album Preview 3 from Blind Pilot on

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