Posts by Lee Zimmerman

[rating=8.00] The Red Hot Chili Peppers made a strange and unlikely transition some 20 years ago or so, going from an alternative band of the clear insurgent variety to one whose music is not only palatable, but extremely well received by the PG public. It was instigated by the success of their single “Californication” and […]

[rating=6.00] Will Butler’s penchant for spontaneity is on full display on Friday Night, his boisterous second solo disc following on the heels of his 2015 debut, the ambiguously titled Policy. Recorded live on the tour that offered opportunity to tout that then-current album, it finds him playful, punchy and precocious, a far cry from the […]

[rating=8.00] Mike Eldred knows how to navigate the various hues of the blues. His band’s new album Baptist Town demonstrates this versatility while also proving a point — that is, that there’s no reason not to alter the template when the opportunity allows. Consequently, Eldred and company fully partake of that principle, rarely repeating themselves, […]

The influence of producer Jim James is especially pronounced on Ouroboros, the sixth studio album of Ray Lamontagne’s ever spiraling career. A hodgepodge of tones, textures and ambient atmospherics, it comes across as a series of haunting mood pieces that veer dramatically from the dusty veneer that once brought the one-time Grammy winner flattering comparisons […]

His stage name aside, drummer Brad M. Carlson, AKA. Bun E. Carlos, is one of the more colorful characters in rock ‘n’ roll, as well as one of the best examples of why Cheap Trick’s visual image quickly became as indelible as their music. With his stocky frame draped in a white short sleeved shirt, […]

[rating=9.00] With ten albums to his credit and a career that resides well below the radar, Michael McDermott might have been forgiven had he simply chosen to chuck his ambitions entirely. It’s to his credit then that he did the exact opposite, with the result that Willow Springs emerges as one of his most pointed […]

[rating=8.00] Neil Young has done his share of proselytizing over the course of his career, but never more so then he has recently. Last year’s Monsanto Years found him railing against corporate concerns and their poisoning of the year’s natural resources. Prior to that, his major concerns were focused on the nation’s political quagmire, a […]

[rating=7.00] If nothing else, Bruce Hornsby’s career has always seemed to be propelled by far flung ambitions. His early albums brought him an immediate fan base, garnering him a Grammy for the “Best New Artist” in 1987 and a hit single with “The Way It Is,” a moving testimonial to the state of American race […]

[rating=7.00] Tom Petty has a bucket full of accomplishments he’s been able to tout throughout his career. He’s a superstar by any and every measure, and accordingly, he’s worked with the biggest stars in the biz. His albums are certifiable classics and his tours with the Heartbreakers are hailed as something akin to the second […]

[rating=6.00] Beth Orton is no stranger to experimentation. Her early efforts found her collaborating with seminal electronica champions like William Orbit and the Chemical Brothers, raising the stakes for single female singer/songwriters who were eager to redefine themselves apart from the usual narrow stereotypes. Over time she narrowed her ambitions and focused on more on […]

[rating=9.00] At first glance, it seems like an unlikely pairing. Yet on first listen, the skepticism can be shoved aside. In truth, Steve Earle and Shawn Colvin share a common bond, because each has known their share of individual challenges, Earle as a former substance abuser and Colvin as an individual who overcame depression and […]

[rating=7.00] Despite two previous albums —  2009’s Curse Your Branches and 2011’s Strange Negotiations — David Bazan isn’t the kind of artist that can easily be categorized by simply giving a cursory listen. His new effort, Blanco, makes that all too clear. A full-time traveling musician, Bazan confronts a variety of challenging issues having to do […]

[rating=7.00] Given the fact that he’s an activist, poet, singer and musician, it should also go without saying that Michael Franti is a remarkably spiritual guy. That’s a given, what with earlier albums devoted to proselytizing about corporate greed, the dominance of TV, the need for peace, and universal affirmation. Lest there are those who […]

[rating=9.00] The outgrowth of two previous albums that paired Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, the ambitious  effort spawned from this creative collaboration between Martin, Brickell, director Walter Bobbie and musical supervisor Peter Asher has made Bright Star one of the bright lights on the Great White Way. The story goes back and forth in time, […]

[rating=7.00] It takes a certain amount of bravado to release two albums simultaneously, but then again, Islands was bred from a decided indie ethos. The Montreal-bred/L.A.-residing combo partially recorded their first album in a bedroom before moving on to more formal settings. The band went through several transitions, leaving founder/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist/producer Nick Thorburn its sole continuing […]

[rating=9.00] Josh Harty’s music brings with it an air of authenticity that transcends all those who are content to simply embrace their rustic accoutrements while attempting to strum out a song. A third generation musician and son of a police chief and preacher in his native Nebraska, he grew up singing gospel and country western […]

Based on the sheer power and largess of Elvis Costello’s catalog alone, any DVD that documents his 40 year career and more than 25 of his superb songs is in itself well worth the price of admission. Consequently, Detour Live at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, taken from last year’s Detour tour, makes for an outstanding concert […]

[rating=8.00] London-based but with membership that extends to both sides of the Atlantic, the Boxer Rebellion have been purveying their seductive and sensuous sound over the course of 15 years and five albums, stirring up a modicum of interest while battling the headwinds of a wider public that’s largely unawares. With Ocean By Ocean, the […]

[rating=9.00] Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros have always seemed most comfortable exploiting their innate eccentricity, a sprawling hippie ensemble whose members seem to come and go, leaving frontman and lead singer Alex Ebert to steer them through one otherwise unwieldy effort after another. Grandiose in both ambition and execution, the Magnetic Zeros’ music is […]

If nothing else, Bruce Hornsby’s career has always seemed to be propelled by far flung ambitions. His early albums reaped an immediate fan base, garnering him a Grammy for the “Best New Artist” in 1987 and a hit single his first time out with “The Way It Is,” a moving testimonial to the state of […]