Hey, it's been a while since we've last done a "Quickies;" time to play catch up.

This go around includes a couple of new releases by some Brit rockers from the sixties and seventies showing they still have what it takes. Since their names don't end with "Clapton," "Page," "McCartney" or even "Davies," their fresh new records have evaded the notice of most of the rock listening public, but they deserve at least a tryout.

The other two artists are relative newcomers, and because their music is off the mainstream, they'll never gain wide notice. That comes with the territory of being a niche player, but if it happens to be in your niche, these records could be a treat for you.

Without further delay, here are some offerings by musicians both old and new:

Jack Bruce/Robin Trower Seven Moons
Is there still a place in this world for vintage-sounding psychedelic blues-rock? Jack Bruce seems to think so. Wanting to keep the good power trio vibe he got from Cream's one-off performance at the Royal Albert Hall in 2005, he dialed up old friend Robin Trower to revive that spirit on a full studio album.

It's just as much a revival of another sort: Bruce and the former Procol Harum guitar god banned together for a couple of albums of the same vein in the early eighties. Gary Husband fills in the drum chair this time and mostly stays out of the way, but that's OK; this isn't his show, anyhow. There's nothing in this collection that goes over the top like either guys did in their heyday, but the sound of that time is faithfully followed and there's plenty enough chops on display to convince you they can still perform.

They rip through their eleven, riff-heavy fresh cuts — all co-written by the two — in mostly slow-to-medium tempo without extended jamming. That's probably best left for the live shows, anyway. Most of the target audience may not have the stamina for ten minute Hendrixian solos anymore. Bruce's voice is still in decent shape, too. "Lives Of Clay" does provide a nice, five minute Cream fix and "The Last Door," one of the few uptempo tracks on here, is another highlight.

Amos Hoffman - Evolution
Like Sam Barsh, whose new release I covered earlier this week, Israeli Amos Hoffman is yet another talent from the Avishai Cohen orbit. It was his brooding oud (a sort of lute type of instrument) that caught my attention on Cohen's "Nu Nu" a couple of years ago. Hoffman is now getting ready to release Evolution, his third album overall, but his first for Cohen's Razdaz label. Cohen is also on board to lend his double-bass skills to the recordings.

Oud players don't get a lot of airings stateside, but I suspect they are as common in the Middle East as guitars are here. Lebanese-born Rabih Abou-Khalil is perhaps among th best-known out of those who use it to play world fusion. In contrast to Abou-Khalil's jazz leanings, Hoffman's Evolution nods to bop are more subtle and sticks to presenting music that's overwhelmingly Middle-Eastern. An exception is multi-faceted "Hamsa" incorporates his jazz and other influences more earnestly than elsewhere. Hoffman also adds some tasteful electric guitar to the song. "I Met You" is the lone vocal, provided by Cohen, in Hebrew (I think).