Posts by Jason Gonulsen

“I want to make an impact, I want to make a difference,” Jessica Sonner sings on the title track of her first album, All We Need. At this point in her young career as a singer-songwriter, Sonner is a little bit of everything. And on All We Need, all the goods are on display, and with good reason.

Singer-songwriter Jacob Golden has unleashed his stash of break-up songs, and it appears his heart is still aching. The 11 sad tunes that make up Revenge Songs, Golden’s mighty debut, cover a lot of ground, but mostly lament on a relationship that’s “not around anymore.” And that’s putting it lightly.

It took some time, but Asking for Flowers reveals that there is plenty of fuel left in the tank for Edwards to rule the highways and bridges that connect from Ottawa to New Orleans.

I’m going to take you back a bit. Not back when Steve Earle was a guitar town hero in Nashville, hung up on heroin, behind bars, or even “just another country-rock artist.” I’m going to take you back when I first heard a Steve Earle song.

Cover records seem to be catching on these days–just take a look at what Cat Power is doing. But for Allison Moorer, her new album, Mockingbird, is a little different. It features one original song written by Moorer (the title track), and 11 covers–all of which were written by female singer-songwriters. It’s an organized and beautiful project to honor the voices that have shaped Moorer’s career, and it delivers with seductive and passionate visions.

Trinity Revisited, which will be released as a DVD packaged with an audio CD on February 26, 2008, on Latent/Zoë Records, is not an attempt to outdo what holds a special place in music history—it’s a brief look back to see what remained, an exploration with three guest musicians: Ryan Adams, Natalie Merchant, and Vic Chesnutt.

Silver State doesn’t just close in on being a great record–it finishes the job, serving as an early highlight for 2008.

With his latest album, Some Mad Hope, Matt Nathanson wants your attention.  But there’s also part of him that wants to be known for writing songs you love.  In other words, he’s not Adam Sandler’s long lost cousin.

I’ve been to my fair share of Neil Young shows over the last 10 years. I’ve seen him on the HORDE tour with Crazy Horse. Twice on his solo acoustic jaunt in ’99. Twice again with his Friends and Relatives band in 2000. Three Greendale shows with the Horse in 2001. Five times with Crosby, Stills, and Nash. A little bit of everything, with each show being good, mixed with a little bit of great. Young’s performance at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis was a whole lot of great, and not much else.

Regina Spektor is pretty damn special. Special enough that for this trip to the Gateway City, she sold out The Pageant, which holds around 2,000. On a Monday night. With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner.

Although Le Concorde has only been around since 2003, they sound like pop rock veterans on their newest EP, Suite. Stephen Becker, the mastermind behind the band from Chicago, gets how to write a catchy song—and this new batch brings plenty of energy. The gem here is “All These Fragile Unions,” which uses Becker’s rhythm and wonderfully awkward sense of melody and sounds to form almost three minutes of suiteness. The bar has officially been raised for their next full-length album.

Dane Cook is everywhere these days. If you haven’t caught him on HBO during his “Tourgasm” episodes or concert in the round, then it’s likely you’ve seen him on the big screen, smooching it up with Jessica Alba or Jessica Simpson. Come on, you know him…remember “There’s only one October!” during this past baseball season? Yeah, that guy. And now we're going to tell you a little bit more about him.

For years now, Brandi Carlile has been doing things the right way. She’s waited her turn, opening shows for Ray LaMontagne, Shawn Colvin, Tori Amos, and Chris Isaak, smiling while indifferent crowds filled into their seats, drinking and talking until the main act was upon them. The singer-songwriter from Ravensdale, Washington knew that her time would come. And for her current tour supporting her latest album, The Story, all eyes are finally on her.

Country Mouse, City House draws on Josh Rouse's 70's vibe, and again, makes it work with Rouse’s signature vocals and steady rhythm. Melody has always king for the singer-songwriter from Nebraska, and this new effort doesn’t disappoint.

With only caffeine being the drug being still on the menu, Adams proved that you can take away the booze, speed balls, and nicotine (Adams quit smoking several days before the show), but can’t take away the crazy. That stays.

Home is a sweet place on Chrome Dreams II, and no matter what you love about Neil Young, my guess is that you’re going to like what you find when you get there.

In one of Neil Young’s many great songs on Harvest Moon, we are given a description of a free soul, a woman with long blonde hair flyin’ in the wind. This woman also dresses two kids, used to work in a diner, and grew up in a small town. The woman in the song is loyal. The woman is Pegi Young.

“I don’t want to waste your time with music you don’t need,” Karin Bergquist, lead singer of Over the Rhine, declares at the start of The Trumpet Child, the Cincinnati-based band’s 18th full-length album.  She’s not joking, either.  Bergquist has never really been a shy singer, but up until recent years, she wouldn’t be classified as what she is now: confident.  

On the surface, St. Louis country-rock artist Rena Summers has a lot of things going her way. She has just released her debut album, It’s All About You, a collection of songs that were mostly written herself. She has a band that knows how to bring her songs to life, capturing simple and pure energy to complement her vocals. And on this special night, she got to show off her tunes and her band off at one of St. Louis’ best venues for intimate, live music: The Sheldon.

Easy Tiger is not a disappointment or a bad record, it just fails to take any kind of grip by playing it too safe.  Minus the humorous rocker “Halloween Head,” Adams isn’t looking to raise any eyebrows on Tiger.