Posts by Eric Liebetrau

Sharon Jones has officially arrived. With her sold-out show at the Beacon Theatre, the 51-year-old soul singer reached a significant point in a long, fractured career.

Another Sound is Dying offers some interesting layering effects, but despite the band’s obvious chops, it’s an album that may have a difficult time finding an audience. Dub fans will be turned off immediately, and hardcore fans probably won’t tolerate the extended airy sections.

Though they thrive on stage, the members of New Monsoon also know how to put together reliable studio albums, as evidenced by Hydrophonic (2001) and The Sound (2005). On V, they continue to demonstrate a fine ear for balanced, precise playing, creating a bright blend of sunny California rock, down-home, dirty blues and jazzy, world-music rhythms.

If you enjoy live electronica, Infradig may be one of the best bands you’ve never heard of—and sadly, you may never hear from them again. The group disbanded in late 2007, leaving Ecstatic Everywhere as a sonic reminder of their frenetic power.

The purveyors of some of the best live electronic music out there, Lotus lends itself well to a disc of remixes, and Copy/Paste/Repeat is mostly a success, with contributors including The Juan Maclean, DJ Harry, J. Tonal, Telepath and Lymbyc Systym.

Sticks and Stones may not be their best effort, but it’s a good addition to moe.’s well-rounded discography, which makes a great case for best on the jam scene.

After back-to-back accomplished albums with the Benevento/Russo Duo—Best Reason to Buy the Sun (2005) and Play Pause Stop (2006)—Marco Benevento strikes out on his own with Invisible Baby. While once again roaming across genres, Benevento still maintains firm jazz roots, producing an updated organ trio sound injected with darker, post-rock elements.

The Greyboy Allstars' set was a definite improvement on the smooth jazz-plagued 2006 Nokia performance, and had the added bonus of the pairing with Soulive, who, as usual, ripped open the jazz/funk/soul template and found new life.

With their 11/2/07 performance at the Music Hall of Williamsburg—which used to be the hipster haunt Northsix, but was bought by the Bowery crew and transformed into one of the most promising new venues in New York City—Lotus demonstrated yet again their commitment to continued growth and developmen

Though guitarist Jack Antonoff may be best known for his (former) relationship with sultry actress Scarlett Johansson, his band, Steel Train—which he formed as a duo with singer Scott Irby-Ranniar in New York City in 1999—evinces enough indie-pop power to make him famous in his own right.

Lotus demonstrated yet again their commitment to continued growth and development.

Producer Aaron Levinson and Ropeadope Records founder Andy Hurwitz return with another genre-bending musical tribute to a specific cultural breeding ground. But unlike Philadelphia Experiment and Detroit Experiment, this one spotlights a single neighborhood, Harlem, one of the most artistically fertile areas in the country. Structured as an imaginary AM radio transmission, “hosted” by Harlem DJ muMs—and featuring a talented house band—Harlem Experiment weaves an aural tapestry of funk, blues, jazz, salsa, hip-hop and beyond.

John McLaughlin, Jaco Pastorius, Tony Williams. Those three names on the same album are enough to make any jazz or fusion fan take notice. Incarnated here as Trio of Doom, the three virtuosos played a short but fiery set at the 1979 Havana Jam festival in Cuba, followed by a brief recording session in New York the following week.

On their third studio album, Mr. Patterson’s Hat (the title is a tribute to a local auto mechanic who haunts the local bars and music venues), Papa Grows Funk mostly does it right, displaying great respect for the musical traditions of the Crescent City, from funk to blues to R&B to jazz and beyond.

Newbies may find Live at the Murat a difficult entrée to the band, but Umphrey’s fans should be satisfied with a well-produced if uneven collection.

Ticklah vs. Axelrod may not break any new ground, but it’s a solid addition to any dub collection and will certainly be of interest to Antibalas and reggae fans.

riginally released in 1999, M. Ward’s debut, Duet for Guitars #2—which was reissued in July by Merge Records—is certainly a low-key affair. Almost entirely acoustic, with a couple of fuzzy electric tracks and the occasional hint of mandolin and dulcimer, the album drifts from track to track in a near weightless manner.

The members of Umphrey’s McGee and the Disco Biscuits share many common traits: freewheeling attitude, outstanding musicianship, a penchant for complex, proggy song structures, the ability to seamlessly segue between songs. In an appropriate pairing, they shared the stage on 8/15/07 at McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn, New York, the Williamsburg venue created from the crumbling remains of a former community pool.

Lotus has enjoyed a steady upswing in their following over the past 5 years, a tribute to the band’s hard work and progressive development. Simply put, they just keep getting better. Their performance on 8/10/07 in New York City—actually, on the harbor, aboard The Temptress—was more proof of their ascendance as one of the premier live electronica acts.

On From the Corner to the Block, the funksters take a definitive step forward by tackling hip-hop for the first time. Though the band’s sound has always worked well with guest hip-hop emcees—they’ve shared the stage with The Roots, Juvenile and Jurassic 5—this album fully embraces the tradition with collaborations from a veritable who’s-who list of hip-hop artists and turntablists: Juvenile, Lyrics Born, Mr. Lif, Boots Riley, Gift of Gab, Lateef the Truthspeaker, Ohmega Watts, Chali 2na, Ladybug Mecca and DJ Z-Trip.