Tower Of Power Step Up [Mack Avenue] TOP’s potent latest effort is both a reminder that the inimitable Bay Area horn band is unstoppable, as it enters its 51st year of touring and recording, and a heartfelt tribute to Rocco Prestia. Prestia, who appears on all 14 tracks, co-writing five, is honored in the liner notes as a bass innovator and “the most adored member of the band,” who has retired from the road. A shout-out to current bassist Marc Van Wangeningen is also included. Rocco gets right down to rhythm-and-business with lifelong drumming partner David Garibaldi to provide the bubbling underpinning for the “Oakland Stroke”-like opener and closer, “East Bay All the Way” and the riffy title track. “Look in My Eyes,” the first of two straight tracks Prestia co-wrote with Spyro Gyra keyboardist Tom Schuman, sports a slick, syncopated start before Rocco settles into his trademark galloping groove. The second collab, “You Da One,” rides Prestia’s percolating, broken-16ths line as only he can phrase it. The Rock is at his most creative on “Sleeping With Ya Baby” and “Beyond My Wildest Dreams.” Both tunes give bass all the space to drive the engine both rhythmically and melodically, and Prestia takes advantage, using chord tones, drop downs, upper-register fills, and counter-rhythms through each composition’s cycle-rich chord changes. The legend lives on. —Chris Jisi Stone Temple Pilots Perdida [Play Pen Music] Reenergized and inspired with the recent addition of frontman Jeff Guff, Stone Temple Pilots have notched a new first in their already illustrious careers by releasing an album of all acoustic songs. Robert DeLeo’s rich, warm acoustic tone and sturdy rhythmic playing fills out the album of ten originals, giving listeners insight on exactly how big of a hand DeLeo has in STP’s writing process. But beyond foundational support, DeLeo shows off his superb melodicism, delivering winding, soulful, beautiful moments throughout the record. “I Didn’t Know the Time,” “Years,” and “Sunburst” show exactly how important and central DeLeo is to the music of STP, while also giving a masterclass in how to melodically support a vocalist with the bass. —Jon D’Auria Ben Kenney Must Be Nice [Ghetto Crush] For his sixth solo release, Ben Kenney flexes his muscles as a multi-instrumentalist and once again lets fans inside the musical headspace of his personal stylings. A mastermind of tones and themes who gives acute, meticulous attention to detail in his songwriting, the Incubus bassist tees off on his newest creation, oscillating from aggressive, dirty, and heavy to melodic, vulnerable, and decisively self-aware. His crushing tones on “Over Me” and “Red Hot” lay a vast contrast to the soulful pop sensibilities of “No Lives,” Blue Tint,” and “Sidereal.” More than being in awe of his mastery of bass, guitar, drums, vocal range, and producti