Rodrigo Y Gabriela
11:11 (Rubyworks)

The spicy, flamenco-infused guitar work will leave you speechless, but don’t expect much variety from song to song.

Jay-Z
Blueprint 3 (Roc Nation)

Jay-Z has made a somewhat successful stab at getting back to basics. “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-tune)” is almost shamefully catchy, but the Rihanna and Kayne collaboration (“Run This Town”) is unremarkable.

Phish
Joy (JEMP Records)

Not worth the wait. Phish’s first album in five years lacks the creative spark – and effortless jamming – found in their previous releases.