Posts by Lee Zimmerman

[rating=8.00] For those who have never experienced the joys of the seagoing music festival that is called Cayamo, suffice it to say it ought not be missed. Boasting a veritable who’s who of Americana icons — John Prine, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, and Lucinda Williams being but a fraction of the major names involved — […]

[rating=8.00] One might be forgiven for feeling some confusion as far as Freakwater is concerned. Never mind the fact that much of the band’s line-up is interchangeable with that of the band Eleventh Dream Day, another Chicago-based outfit of a similar variety. Or that Scheherazade is Freakwater’s first album in ten years, a seemingly lengthy […]

[rating=7.00] Lew Card makes an impressive third outing with the invitingly titled Follow Me Down, an album immersed in tradition and a kind of backwoods sway. It’s a knowing approach, one that’s gleaned from the many years of lending his talents to various bands in his native Austin. It’s paid off in other ways as […]

Few artists deserve having the word “legend” affixed to their name more than Graham Nash. In a career that spans over 50 (that’s Five-oh) years, he’s literally helped shape the foundation of modern rock, from his early inventive efforts with the Hollies, which found him stitching the buoyant melodies inspired by Buddy Holly with the […]

[rating=8.00] Anyone who’s ever caught them in concert will attest to the fact that an Avett Brothers show is one of the most exhilarating experiences one will ever encounter. The energy, enthusiasm and spontaneity the band offers its audiences are not only contagious, but an experience that resonates long after those live last notes fade […]

(editors note- David Bowie passed away at age 69 on 1/10/16 just days following the publication of this list) David Bowie has always epitomized what it means to be a true musical chameleon. Some artists evolve. Bowie transforms. From his beginnings in the late ‘60s as a fair-haired folkie to his drag queen persona, on […]

[rating=7.00] Bob Schneider’s never been a fan of the tried and true. The Texas songwriter’s music has often defied convention and expanded the parameters as far as what’s expected from the typical singer/songwriter. Consequently, his latest album isn’t an album in the strictest sense but more a series of EPs released at different intervals over […]

Queen was a band that was initially, and perhaps unintentionally, underrated. To some, they were a garish glam band, to others, heavy metal wannabes. Indeed, their sound and style were far more extravagant than most, a hard rock outfit with a keen sense of art and excess. Hit albums and chart topping singles aside, they […]

[rating=8.00] There aren’t too many artists genuinely committed to old school soul these days, what with the proliferation of rap, hip-hop and various mutations that deviate from the form. That makes Ladies & Gentlemen… Nigel Hall an auspicious debut for any number of reasons, not the least of which is found in the fact that Hall […]

[rating=9.00] Tusk, Fleetwood Mac’s 1979 opus was a daring experiment, one that defied commercial possibilities while expanding the band’s musical parameters into areas that were otherwise unimaginable. It was especially daring considering the fact that the band had just come off two LPs that had broken them wide open in the States, Fleetwood Mac and […]

[rating=7.00] Billy Talbot’s back story is fairly well known. At the age of 17 he moved to L.A. and then cast his fate with drummer Ralph Molina and guitarist Danny Whitten. After a series of false starts and unfortunate names, they eventually morphed into a band called the Rockets. After releasing one album on the […]

[rating=6.00] Jerry Joseph has gone unheralded far too long as a true hero of the heartland, even though his work, both solo and in cahoots with his sometimes band Jackmorons and various earlier ensembles, has produced an impressive body of work, some thirty albums in all, that have spanned the greater part of the past […]

[rating=7.00] Along with shortening his name, the former Israel Nash Gripka has also pared down his approach, placing due emphasis on ringing guitars and forlorn vocals to achieve maximum affect. Nash often comes across as a Neil Young soundalike, due not only to his mournful croon but also to a sense of harrowing desperation that […]

[rating=7.00] Brian Ritchey’s allegiance to southern spirituality takes many forms — swampy ballads, back porch devotionals, spirited, soulful laments and the usual pedal steel-laced homilies to home and hearth. Bordeaux surveys all these settings and more. While each of his preceding albums have taken different tacks — his eponymous debut drew comparisons to the usual […]

Although they retain their down home, good old boys persona, the Avett Brothers have advanced head first into the major leagues over the last couple of years. Their albums are eagerly anticipated, they can claim a big name producer in Rick Rubin, a major label record deal with Republic Records, an expanded front line from […]

[rating=6.00] Few artists have made such chameleon-like transformations throughout their careers with the daring consistency demonstrated by Neil Young. Dylan, Bowie and Lou Reed may have come close, but none  of them have altered their artistic intentions with as much rabid daring and determination. Whether operating under the guise of winsome folkie, rabid rocker, country […]

[rating=8.00] Never mind that Squeeze has become the branding for any effort involving the band’s two principals, Chris Difford and Glen Tilbrook, or that the rest of the group consists mainly of hired hands. And forget the fact that since their original demise in the ‘80s — and their second dissolution in the late ‘90s […]

To the unknowing observer, the Dear’s music sometimes seems to be somewhat ominous, thanks in no small part to a sweeping orchestral approach that reflects a certain degree of both pomp and posturing. Some have described it as a modern incarnation of the classic prog rock sensibility, given its frequent dark and dramatic designs. It’s […]

[rating=9.00] Considered by most Dylantologists to be the definitive period in Bob Dylan’s nascent development, the mid ‘60s found him moving at stratospheric speed in an evolution that took him from starry-eyed folk troubadour and populist hero to an influential and revolutionary rocker. The three albums produced during that narrow span of time — Bringing […]

[rating=7.00] Don’t be fooled by the name. Wild Child aren’t nearly as unhinged as their handle might otherwise suggest. And yet, they’re no fools either, the handle of their third long-player not withstanding. Still, there’s something to be said for their giddy exuberance and the communal bond of comradery that echoes from these grooves, making […]