New music releases from Cheap Trick and Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs among best picks of week

For this week, the Now Hear This column spotlights the very worthy new albums from two veteran bands, Cheap Trick and the Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs. The other acts featured this week may not have as much history, but their music doesn’t take a back seat to their more famous peers. I hope you’ll give these albums a spin.

Cheap Trick: “In Another World”

It seems almost inevitable that bands that are good enough and successful enough to have careers that stretch three decades or more eventually get seen as heritage or oldies acts. Even bands that periodically release new music, such as Styx, Journey, Deep Purple, Blue Oyster Cult and even the Rolling Stones and the Who, are viewed through the prism of their peak success. Cheap Trick is the rare band of such longevity that still seems to be viewed as a current band — and deservedly so. A big reason is Cheap Trick continues to turn out new albums — eight of them since 1997, most of which have been strong efforts. Now comes “In Another World,” Cheap Trick’s 20th album. At this point, you know what to expect — plenty of catchy and crunchy rockers (“Boys & Girls & Rock & Roll,” “Light Up the Fire” and “Summer Looks Good On You”), with a few sturdy, melodic ballads (the largely acoustic “So It Goes” and the title song) peppered in between. “In Another World,” doesn’t quite match the stellar quality of this band’s classic first three studio albums (“Cheap Trick,” “In Color” and “Heaven Tonight”) — but it comes close. Clearly Cheap Trick isn’t coasting by on past glories.

Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs: “One More Drink”

One of the standout punk-rooted bands of the 1990s, the Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs (with founding members Frank Meyer, Dino Everett and Matt Sessa on board) have kept busy touring since reforming in 2014 after a 12-year hiatus. Now we have the band’s first album in two decades in “One More Drink.” The album has some spirited power pop tunes in “Ain’t It Summer,” “We Are the Ones (We’ve Been Waiting For)” and “Let Me Out.” “Scorpio Rising” and “Warzone” are more straight-ahead rock. Elsewhere, “One More Drink” is a punk rock party, with songs like “Rumblin’ Train,” “The Rejected,” “Switchblade Knights” and “Bad Vacation” delivering hooks and energy in equal and copious amounts. Let’s not wait 20 years again for another round.

The Imaginaries: “The Imaginaries”

This husband-and-wife duo of Shane Henry and Maggie McClure caught my attention in 2019 with “Hometown Christmas,” that year’s best holiday album. Now the couple has released their debut album, and it delivers and then some on the promise of the Christmas album. With a rootsy and melodic sound that’s equal parts rock and pop, Henry and McClure bring their accomplished songwriting skills and highly pleasing vocal blend to songs that rock (“Revival,” “Enough Of You” and “Geronimo”), tunes that lean toward rustic and melodic folk (“Thinking ‘Bout You” and “Trust Falling with You”) and ballads that fall closer to pop (“There Will Come A Day” and “You Remind Me”). By all indications, the Imaginaries are the real deal.

Say Darling: “Before & After”

The songwriting team that formed Say Darling comes from the bluegrass group Della Mae (singer Celia Woodsmith) and the alt-country band Girls Guns & Glory (guitarist Chris Hersh). But you won’t hear much of those influences in Say Darling. Instead, this group specializes in bluesy soul. Hersh makes his presence felt with his playing on “Before & After,” the group’s full-length debut album. But it’s Scott Coulter’s work on the B-3 organ that frequently steals the instrumental show, adding richness to the swinging blues of “Say What You Mean,” the soulful ballads “Isolation” and “Good Man” and the bluesy rocker “Turn It On.” Woodsmith, meanwhile, has some sass and bite in her voice, which works particularly well in the perky piano-centric “Cat Calls” and the gospel-flavored, B-3-laced rocker “Chocolate Jesus.” Her voice is also supple enough to wrap itself nicely around the excellent soul ballad, “To Fail” and the folk-ish acoustic-based ballad “Harvey Blaine.” This excellent debut suggests Woodmsith and Hersh have as much talent for soul and blues as they do in bluegrass and country.

Jesse Brewster: “The Lonely Pines”

Brewster has been one busy guy in music. He’s done producing, had side bands and is even working on a rock opera he hopes to bring to Broadway. And Brewster has been releasing solo albums since 2005 where literate, yet plain-spoken lyrics populate his highly enjoyable songs. On “The Lonely Pines” he frequently deals insightfully with accepting the past and striving to make the most of what’s ahead. Musically, the songs on “The Lonely Pines” are just as strong as the lyrics, as Brewster draws from California-ish country, rock and folk for a rich musical palate. He rocks effortlessly on “Let’s Run Away” (which recalls an Eagles song like “Take It Easy”) and “Kicking and Screaming” (which will prompt comparisons to Jackson Browne) and creates a rich tapestry on ballads like “No One To Blame” (a bluegrass-accented rock tune) and “Bitter Pill” (a rustic but lovely two-stepping waltz). There’s a lot to like about “The Lonely Pines,” a welcome addition to what has been a string of solid albums from this underappreciated artist.

Music writer Alan Sculley is a freelancer for The Morning Call.