Posts by Lee Zimmerman

[rating=8.00] GospelbeacH (the capital ‘H’ is intentional) front man Brent Rademaker is well versed in making music with a retro stance. His previous outfits — Beachwood Sparks, Everest, The Tyde, were all well versed in a legacy antecedent. It’s little surprise then that GospelbeacH picks up on this perspective and makes music that could easily have […]

[rating=7.00] When most of us were sixteen, chances are we were dealing with acne issues, body changes and the mystery of the opposite sex. Well, the latter is still a concern for some, so consider that a constant. So with all of that in mind, it’s all the more astounding to find 16-year-old Sammy Brue […]

[rating=9.00] It’s time to consider Jason Isbell a bonafide superstar. That’s not just idle chatter, but a verified assessment given the fact that the former Drive-By Trucker is now the recipient of all sorts of critical kudos and prestigious honors, not the least of which are the pair of Grammys bestowed on him in 2016 […]

[rating=9.00] Having originated in the most difficult of circumstances — after nursing her terminally ill mother and experiencing an exceptionally difficult divorce — Black Irish exudes none of the disappointment and despair one might have expected to result from such an unsettling scenario. In fact, it comes across as one of Shannon McNally’s most assured […]

[rating=8.00] When it was learned that Glen Campbell had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2011, fans and critics showed well-deserved homage to a man whose career had slipped in and out of the spotlight for the past 50 years. More than simply a consistent hit maker, he finally got the credit he deserved for […]

[rating=8.00] It’s not like Little Steven Van Zandt has been idle the past few years. Not by a long shot. His syndicated show on Sirius XM, “Little Steven’s Underground Garage: and his work scoring soundtracks (for TV’s “Lilyhammer” in particular), reputation as a producer, songwriter and studio contributor for others’ efforts, and — oh yeah […]

[rating=8.00] With her new album Memphis, Amy Black has made an abrupt turn from the backwoods of the heartland towards the namesake city after which this record is titled. It’s not as abrupt a switch as one might think — after all, Americana forms a broad umbrella — but Black’s effort to affect a tribute […]

There’s no small risk involved in tampering with a classic, and the Beatles in particular. The Love spectacular by Cirque de Soleil aside, any attempt to enhance the Fabs’ original intents takes history down a rabbit hole where the producers’ vision threatens to supersede the Beatles’ intents with their own vision of how history should be […]

[rating=9.00] As the son of once notorious bad boy Steve Earle, it was only natural that the younger Justin Townes Earle would follow in dad’s sometimes shaky footsteps. Sadly, his determination once included his dad’s vices as well. That said, he’s due credit for his ability to shake those bad habits and get on with […]

[rating=8.00] It’s been several decades since Paul Weller cast himself in the role of the brash young punk at the helm of the Jam, a band initially intent on recreating the signature sounds established by those that lined the trenches during the first English invasion. These days, he’s comfortable with the more stately standing that […]

[rating=8.00] In a recent interview, Todd Rundgren declared his desire to make himself more visible, apparently a reference to the fact that he’s strayed out of the mainstream of late. Not that he’s about to reclaim the status of pop purist that he attained with songs like “Hello, It’s Me” or “It Wouldn’t Have Made […]

[rating=8.00] The Mountain Goats are an odd bunch, not in the sense that their music defies description, but rather in the way they seem to shift their template from album to album. Their last album, Beat the Champ, revealed a certain fascination for the sport of wrestling, building an entire album around that unlikely theme. […]

[rating=8.00] Its title to the contrary, Canadian singer/songwriter Daniel Romano’s new album seems remarkably free of the pressure that might burden most artists hoping to get on the radar these days. With his seventh album to date, he’s emerged even more confident than before, owing at least in part to the fact that his last […]

[rating=9.00] Lennon and McCartney. Laurel and Hardy. Peanut butter and jelly. Politicians and pontificators. Some combinations are so in sync, they’re not only the sum of their parts but all but the parts are indistinguishable from one another. The same could be said of Keb’ Mo’ and Taj Mahal, two veteran musicians who possess so […]

[rating=9.00] After making the transition from rebellious rocker to tireless troubadour, John Mellencamp now claims a similar status to those who find themselves in that populist echelon inhabited by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger and Willie Nelson, an elite group of rugged rockers whose allegiance is always with the Everyman. His heartland stance and populist appeal […]

[rating=9.00] Afghan Whigs’ efforts over the course of the past three decades have paid off — in spades actually — and that makes In Spades, the name of their latest release, their first since adding drummer Patrick Keeler (formerly of The Raconteurs and The Greenhornes) to the band in 2014, all the more appropriate. While […]

[rating=8.00] In the ten or so years since her second LP and seminal effort The Story, Brandi Carlile has risen to the upper tier of young up and coming singer/songwriters. And for good reason as well. Known for her insightful, intuitive material and for her dynamic and compelling live performances, she’s clearly a force to […]

[rating=9.00] You would think that at the ripe old age of 84 — an age that would find most people taking full advantage of retirement and the security of home and hearth — Willie Nelson would see fit to rest comfortably on his laurels and focus entirely on his golf game. Indeed, given his prodigious […]

[rating=9.00] In most cases, so-called “supergroups” are best described as the sum of their parts. It’s fortuitous then to find a band such as BNQT creating a unified sound that doesn’t betray any singular influence of any of those involved. The band describes itself as a “poor man’s Traveling Wilburys,” and, in fact, that’s not […]

[rating=9.00] Needless to say, Ray Davies needs no introduction. As the singer, songwriter, and erstwhile leader of the Kinks, one of the most remarkable bands to ever emerge out of England, he possesses a musical catalog that ranks with any of his contemporaries, the Beatles, The Who and the Stones included. It’s not that he […]