Reviews of the latest from Boston blues great Paul Rishell, fledgling Philadelphia rock act D&M and New York "popcore" punks Well Excuse Me, Princess, along with capsule reviews for Bonnie Raitt, Counting Crows and fun.

Lionel Richie is probably dancing on the ceiling. His latest album, “Tuskegee,” remains at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 Album’s chart for its second consecutive week.

It’s pretty much a given that on any Friday afternoon, some classic rock station somewhere in America (maybe it’s every classic rock station, everywhere) will be playing “Working for the Weekend.” The driving rocker by the Canadian band Loverboy first hit the airwaves in 1981, and immediately became a radio staple. The video of the song was one of the early hits on MTV.

Song and dance legend Mitzi Gaynor made her name in the movies — starring in 17 feature films including 1958’s “South Pacific,” for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination — but her lasting success has come in television and from her decades as a celebrated nightclub headliner.

It’s been up and down and back and forth between musical styles and even different instruments for Dan Hicks over his four-decade career. He played drums with the Dixieland Dudes in junior high school, later switched to guitar and folk music in the duo Dick & Dan, played drums and electric guitar in the early psychedelic band the Charlatans, then switched to a combination folk-blues-jazz-old timey sound with Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks.

Wilson Phillips’ latest album truly is “Dedicated” to the ones they love.

"American Idol” is still going strong. Season 11 could be one of the best seasons yet, if not the best.

Macy Gray is an artist who I would have least expected to do a “covers” album and pull it off. Her sound is so uniquely “her” that it would be difficult to associate her with someone else’s song.

If you’ve heard of Soul Coughing, you may have enjoyed “Circles.” “Super Bon-Bon” is another one of the group’s better-known tunes. They were released during the mid- to late-1990s, when the rock band enjoyed a cult following that catapulted them briefly into the alternative music mainstream.

Elton John, who turns 65 on Sunday, proved last week he can still rock — Crocodile style.

If there's one thing that gets people out in a community, it's music. I grew up in an area where there were numerous concerts going on every weekend, from major acts to smaller local bands. And no matter which concert you attended, it was always a full house.

What might you get if you could blend the talents of All-American Rejects, Don McLean, Queen and Weezer? I don’t know exactly, but the result could be Fun. Fun is where it’s at right now. The rock trio is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second week with a Freddie Mercury-esque anthem “We Are Young.” That’s  impressive considering the single was released more than six months ago.

This past week has been a rough one for Bruce Springsteen in terms of female and feminist critique, with two high-profile critical pieces making a splash on the Web. While those authors raise valid points, we felt the need — as women, feminists, and Springsteen fans — to provide our own input as to just why it is that Bruce Springsteen’s music appeals to us.

Brian Setzer may get all the press, but Stray Cats bassist Lee Rocker has been quietly amassing his own impressive body of work — his latest, “Night Train to Memphis” (Upright Records), is of a piece with tributes like Setzer’s “Rockabilly Riot” and Chris Isaak’s “Beyond the Sun.”

Is there a more literate band out there right now than Leland Sundries? On its new EP, “The Foundry” (L'Echiquier Records), the Brooklyn-based combo led by Nick Loss-Eaton continues what it started on 2010’s “The Apothecary,” weaving a striking series of descriptions and turns of phrase that’s as potent as it is mesmerizing.

Tennis, Craig Finn, Leonard Cohen and Josh Ritter all make our list of recent releases worth your time and money.

Simon Cowell may have lost what gave him that X-factor. I never thought the day would come. At one time, no star would have turned down the chance to work with him. Now, big names tell him “no” on a daily basis.

When soul singer Charles Bradley screams, "Why is it so hard to make it America?" you truly feel it. Bradley could be singing for anyone really, but it’s his own life story and soul coming through his songs. Tales of tough living and truth laced with classic soul and funk is a winning recipe that will never go away. What sets Bradley apart is his brutally honest, sometimes heart breaking delivery. Maybe it’s so powerful because it’s been stewing for so long, over 50 years. After spending most his life drifting across the country, Bradley released his first proper album - "No Time for Dreaming" - at the age of 63.

With Kelly Clarkson sitting at No. 1 atop the Billboard Hot 100  with “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” Carrie Underwood readying a new album, Clay Aiken trumping other celebrity-hopefuls on “The Apprentice” and Jordin Sparks putting finishing touches on the remake of “Sparkle” with the late Whitney Houston, one could say the “American Idol” machine is doing well.

Trace Adkins' publicists have been on him for years to start tweeting. But he was hesitant; it wasn't his thing. The country star finally budged Feb. 28, making his Twitter debut. And his first tweet probably gave his publicists pause. It was a photo of Adkins in a hospital gown. From behind.