(We welcome the return of Dan Barkasi with another one of his monthly collections of reviews, this time focusing on eight albums released in September of this year.)

Sequels – the often lame, half-baked follow-up to a film that sullies and dilutes what made the original great. Or worse – a next chapter to something which wasn’t anything you wanted to see in the first place. The latter aptly describes our time since our last rendezvous on this fine site.

I mentioned the devastation of hurricane Helene, which grazed past our specific location with minimal issues, other than a day without power (we were incredibly lucky). Then, the dreaded sequel named Milton showed up. Seemingly seeking vengeance for being given such a name – apologies to the fine folks who have been bestowed said moniker – Milton was the most destructive storm to hit west central Florida in over 100 years.

We ended up having to evacuate along with our large army of fuzzy family members to Ft. Pierce and the wife’s cousin’s place, who were incredibly accommodating in hosting us for a few days. The wild part is that an EF3 tornado struck a few miles from their house. This showcases the wide and frightening impacts that this storm brought. Continue reading »