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Here are reviews for several albums released in the waning weeks of 2016.

The Rolling Stones, "Blue & Lonesome" (Interscope)

It shouldn't be a surprise, really, but still it's a bit startling to hear just how well the Rolling Stones can play the blues. Strip away the glitz, the oversized stages and the pyrotechnics, and you're left with two terrific guitarists, a frontman who can play an exuberant harp — and a drummer named Charlie Watts. No wonder "Blue & Lonesome" sounds so solid.

Their first studio album in more than a decade has the simplest of concepts: Put the guys in a studio for three days, give them a songbook heavy on Jimmy Reed, Willie Dixon and Howlin' Wolf, and play it live, without overdubs. The album is noteworthy for what it is not: It's not a museum piece, not a tribute album, not an exercise in nostalgia, even if at times the sound harks back to the blues covers that filled the Stones' first few albums.

In those early days, they always seemed to be trying to sound like somebody — Chuck Berry here, Muddy Waters there — and the songs, though undeniably cool, had a rushed, frenzied feel. The Stones were trying to prove their Delta authenticity, not an easy task for five English kids. Fifty-plus years later, they aren't trying to sound like anybody but themselves. The songs have grown, expanded, been given room to breathe, and the playing is remarkably self-assured and comfortable.

Mick Jagger's voice is deeper and raspier now, and he's not straining for effect. His blues harp playing, neglected for decades, is effective and convincing. The guitars take center stage, showing Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood at their expressive best, with Eric Clapton sitting in on two tracks.

The Stones' early passion for the blues helped introduce a young white audience to the established giants of the Chicago blues scene. Songs like "Little Rain" and "Hoo Doo Blues" show the Stones can continue the tradition on their own.

Gregory Katz

Madness, "Can't Touch Us Now" (UMe)

"Can't Touch Us Now" is an invitation into the Madness carnival of sounds, brimming with intriguing, colorful characters.

One of the most British of bands and some energetic concert performers, Madness brings the goods in familiarly entertaining fashion, sustaining the strong resurgence on its third album since 2009.

Having long expanded from its ska-punk beginnings, the band is deft in a wide array of styles and rhythms, blending pop, soul and reggae. The lyrics carry plenty of whimsy and nostalgia, and if the tunes drag a bit here and there, there's enough energy to feed the festivities.

Songwriting duties of the 16 tracks are spread out among the band, now a sextet after the departure of Chas Smash.

Lead singer Suggs contributes touching portraits of Amy Winehouse ("the voice of fallen angels") on "Blackbird" and of a legendary West End homeless woman on "Pam the Hawk," whose "toothless smile laughs like a machine gun" as she pours her coins in slot machines.

The album's first single was "Mr. Apples," a less sympathetic but wholly believable depiction of a wholesome citizen by day who spends his nights on the wrong side of town.

"Herbert" is a terrified ode to a prospective father-in-law who happens to be a preacher and has a shotgun to make sure his daughter is honored correctly. The Ian Dury-like rhymes (hotelier/derriere, Herbert/sherbet) amplify the fun.

Dressed in top hats and dark capes, "older and gray" they may be, as the slightly lunatic "Soul Denying" describes, but Madness can still be counted on to please. On "Mumbo Jumbo" they even dust off the old ska rhythms.

Pablo Gorondi

Neil Young, "Peace Trail" (Reprise Records)

Prolific rocker Neil Young is at his curmudgeonly best on "Peace Trail," bemoaning his place in the current generation while standing up for his decadeslong commitment to fighting for the underdog.

In that way, the largely acoustic "Peace Trail" is representative of late-career Young. It's quirky, soulful, poignant and powerful — if not a little unpolished.

Young stands up for the Standing Rock Sioux and other protesters who have been fighting an oil pipeline in North Dakota on "Indian Givers." He ends the 10-song album with "My New Robot," a track that could have easily fit on his computerized 1982 release "Trans."

On "My Pledge" Young sings, "I'm lost in this new generation, left me behind it seems." And, in a great touch of irony, he sings it while using Auto-Tune.

Young has become quite a fan of Auto-Tune lately. He used it sparingly on his hybrid live album "Earth," released just six months ago, and it comes up again on "Peace Trail," his fourth studio album in less than three years.

On "Can't Stop Workin'," Young sings that he likes to work even though "it's bad for the body but it's good for the soul." Let's hope Young, who turned 71 last month, has much more work to do in the years ahead.

Scott Bauer

Childish Gambino, "Awaken, My Love!" (Glassnote Records)

It's OK not to "get" Childish Gambino's third studio album "Awaken, My Love!" With its lush soundscapes and sparse lyrics, one can only gather that the funk-drenched latest release from the multitalented Donald Glover is a collection that is to be felt first and understood second — if understanding is possible at all.

Outstanding first single "Me and Your Mama" and equally arresting follow-up track "Redbone" are the easiest to digest of the 11-song set. Twinkling chimes and a haunting chorus give way to fiery electric guitar and crashing drums on the former, while Gambino coos and cries out in his falsetto across the swaggering production of the latter.

Both were produced by Gambino's longtime collaborator and Swedish music composer Ludwig Goransson, who has a hand in the majority of the tracks. But Gambino and Goransson's latest project together is nothing like the previous albums and mixtapes. The cartoonish production and silly wordplay are gone. Instead of rapping, Gambino sings from the gut, sounding like Rick James on the spine-tingling "Zombies," featuring up-and-coming singer-rapper Kari Faux.

"They can smell your money, and they want your soul," Gambino sings, in a warning that could easily be about the music industry or Hollywood — the "Atlanta" show creator and music artist knows both. His voice is ghoulish on the uplifting Parliament-Funkadelic-inspired "Have Some Love" and desperate on the chaotic "Riot," which includes in its credits members of the legendary funk collective.

Gambino channels an easier '70s vibe on "Baby Boy." (Think: Sly and the Family Stone.) "Little hands, little feet, tiny heart, tiny beat," he sings before pleading, "Don't take him away."

It's easy to get lost in the music, with one psychedelic-tinged track washing into another. That is, with the exception of the beachy, annoyingly catchy and slightly out of place "California." Gambino pushes the limits of his sound on "Awaken, My Love!" and while it's not all smooth sailing, it's a trippy ride worth taking.

Melanie Sims

Kate Bush, "Before the Dawn" (Concord Records)

Kate Bush gives fans an exquisite souvenir with "Before the Dawn," a massive live album taken from her series of 22 concerts in 2014.

With tantalizingly few chart hits and dominated by two conceptual collections, the triple album conjures its magic spells with Bush's powerfully expressive voice, her captivating songs and the integrity of an artistic vision that nurtures and challenges the imagination.

By all accounts, her residency at London's Hammersmith Odeon two years ago was a musical and a visual delight. "Before the Dawn" reproduces only the sounds — it seems no video release is planned — but still effectively captures the emotions and the thrill of the performances.

While ignoring her first four albums — which means no "Wuthering Heights" or "Babooshka" — the first disc is a superior opening with highlights like "Hounds of Love," "Lily" and "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)."

The second disc is "The Ninth Wave," once side two of the "Hounds of Love" album, about a woman adrift in the ocean waiting to be rescued. The third disc includes "A Sky of Honey," the second half of 2005's "Aerial," a journey through a summer day. "Cloudbusting" is the graceful, triumphant closer.

Bush's son, Albert "Bertie" McIntosh, sings some leads and has a couple of duets with his mother on disc three. Some dialogue and longer musical passages remind listeners that, onstage, there was something more going on.

The album is officially credited to The KT Fellowship and, unsurprisingly, superior musicianship is provided by the likes of Omar Hakim, John Giblin and David Rhodes.

Shunning overdubs or re-recordings, "Before the Dawn" sounds preciously, powerfully alive.

Pablo Gorondi

Miranda Lambert, "The Weight of These Wings" (RCA Nashville)

Double albums are rare these days, and the best ones came out decades ago in vinyl form. But country star Miranda Lambert revives that tradition in an expansive new album, "The Weight of These Wings," which emphasizes the duality of her personality on disc A's "The Nerve" and disc B's "The Heart." At times, the album feels a bit repetitive, but there are enough standout songs to make it worth the extra time.

The fiery guitar slinger from Texas highlights her rock side with a touch of distortion, echoing vocals and high-pitched guitar licks. First single "Vice" starts with the crackle of a record and her voice drips like a smoky dive bar singer as the bass line wavers.

She embodies the highway drifter trying to outrun her heartache on songs like "Runnin' Just in Case," but argues that it's the journey that makes her stronger. "Happiness isn't prison, but there's freedom in a broken heart," she sings on the album, her first record since her 2015 divorce from country star Blake Shelton after four years of marriage. She kicks up her heels with a little well-crafted lyrical levity on songs like "Pink Sunglasses" and "Highway Vagabond."

The other Lambert we've all come to love is the heart-on-her-sleeve songwriter, who helped write 20 of the 24 songs. She creates a country classic in the waltzy "To Learn Her," and she lets herself be timid with a new love on "Pushing Time," a beautiful duet with her boyfriend, Anderson East.

She seems to speak to her own legacy as an artist with "Keeper of the Flame," a passionate anthem for blazing ahead to be a light for others.

Although releasing a double album in the reign of digital singles is likely a gamble, Lambert has a lot to say, and there are plenty of fans ready to listen.

Kristin M. Hall

Sting, "57th and 9th" (A&M/Interscope)

The first single on Sting's new album, "I Can't Stop Thinking About You," sounds like the love child of Police classics "Every Breath You Take" and "Can't Stand Losing You."

There are the achy lyrics of the former, which holds up well but has more of a stalker vibe than it seemed to the first time around. And there's the driving bass line of the latter, the style of playing that made Sting's former band one of the best of the 1980s.

"57th and 9th" as a whole sounds a lot like Sting's old stuff, but that's not a bad thing. It's musically incredible and lyrically wiser, though it also veers into self-importance at times — just as the old stuff did.

Unlike a lot of aging rockers living on past glory, Sting's return to rock 'n' roll from other projects seems driven more by a desire to return to something he loves than the need to make a buck. There's a payoff for waiting.

Recorded in a period of weeks, the album has spontaneity but also a rawness. He could have scrubbed a few clichés from the lyrics — "the sands of time" on one song, "old rockers never die (they just fade away)" on another — but the pulsating rush that was the hallmark of Sting's early work makes up for it.

A man who knows how to rock this well can be forgiven. It is good to have him back.

New 'Hamilton' CD features songs by Alicia Keys, Sia, Usher

The Broadway megahit "Hamilton" has already spawned a best-selling cast album, a PBS documentary and a book about its creation. Now it's spinning off a CD by fans who happen to be some of popular music's biggest stars.

The 23-track "Hamilton Mixtape," set for release Friday, features covers by such artists as Usher, Kelly Clarkson, Nas, Ben Folds, Alicia Keys, Ashanti, John Legend, Sia, Common, Wiz Khalifa, Queen Latifah, The Roots, Jill Scott and Busta Rhymes.

It was unveiled Thursday during a four-song performance at the Broadway home of "Hamilton" at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, which was packed with those who had won an online lottery. A live stream also captured the event.

Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter of The Roots served as host, and he helped open the show with his version of "My Shot." There were also performances by Ashanti and Ja Rule ("Helpless"), Andra Day ("Burn") and Regina Spektor ("Dear Theodosia").

The album features songs from the show that have been reworked with new arrangements and new lyrics, as well as demos that never made the show, remixes and new songs like "Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)."

Highlights include Legend reimagining "History Has Its Eyes on You" as a gospel anthem, Clarkson turning "It's Quiet Uptown" into a power ballad and TV host Jimmy Fallon channeling his inner Broadway with "You'll Be Back."

Joell Ortiz, a New York rapper who is featured on the mixtape, said he thinks the new album has more appeal to a non-Broadway audience. "I have friends who have never been to Broadway," he said. "I realized they're just scared of it. The buildings seem big and the elevators seem like places they don't belong."

Lin-Manuel Miranda's hip-hop-flavored biography about the first U.S. treasury secretary has become a hot ticket on Broadway and has birthed a production in Chicago, with plans for others for San Francisco and London.

The mixtape is in many ways a return to the roots of the project, which began as a collection of songs inspired by hip-hop artists. When Miranda was writing "Helpless," he admits he was thinking of Ashanti and Ja Rule singing it.

Ja Rule went to see the show without high expectations, fearful the mix of rap and Broadway wouldn't work. He left "blown away" and a Miranda fan. "This is the beauty of what he did: He took something so left and fused it with something so right and made it so right," he said before hitting the stage.

The mixtape arrives after the cast album has sold more than 2 million copies and won a Grammy for best musical-theater album. It debuted at No. 12 on Billboard's album charts — the highest for a cast album debut since 1963. The new mixtape is executive produced by Miranda and Questlove of The Roots.

Producer and DJ !llmind, who produced four tracks on the mixtape, said the biggest challenge of putting together the new album was maintaining the integrity of the original songs while also making them new and fresh.

"Trust me, it was definitely a challenge," he said. "Sometimes it was like 'OK, we're on our 15th revision' and then we end up going back to the original one. That's just the nature of music, but it was a hell of a lot of fun doing this."

The Associated Press