The final song, Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” captures the essence of Jukebox: sultry, soft and emotionally fatigued. But predictable is one thing this record is not, as Marshall has made this “covers” Jukebox her very own.
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.
Can Ringo Starr do anything without seeming like a goof? He was the comic relief for The Beatles and he's continued in that role during his solo career, including his latest release, Liverpool 8. It's a bit of a sentimental journey for Ringo it seems, but not one with a lot of depth.
In keeping with its pre-release announcement, The North Mississippi Allstars new studio album Hernando gets off to an extremely powerful start. It’s to the credit of the self produced trio (in collaboration with Cody and Luther’s famous father Jim Dickinson) that the variety included on Hernando ultimately emphasizes the band’s forte.
When I first saw Kimya Dawson several years ago opening for They Might Be Giants, there was nothing that made me think that her music would eventually be the soundtrack to a successful movie. Don't get me wrong, I liked her…a lot. She can't sing, she can't play, her songs are simple, yet she has an undeniable charm that comes from a bizarre off-color and childlike innocence. As such, she is perhaps the perfect person to make the music for Juno, a film with characters whose innocence isn't candy-coated.
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 debut EP CB Radio by Chris Burns is an energetic acoustic album with enough hooks to carry any full-length release. The metaphor-rich lyrics and soft, boy-next-door vocals punctuate the songs, but it’s Burns’ compositions that stand out.
For his latest album, 12, Keller Williams employs a fairly straightforward concept: 12 songs, one from each of his 11 albums and one previously unreleased track. It’s a neat twist on the “greatest hits” concept, a unique approach that should be no surprise to fans of the eccentric musician.
If you thought it extremely unlikely to see Grateful Dead merch being hawked during a public television fundraising campaign, as has happened in recent years, you probably never imagined something called “An Orchestral Tribute to The Music of The Grateful Dead.” But lo and behold here it is, in the form of Dead Symphony.
Although the band’s Latin influences are curiously subdued on the album, The Bedlam in Goliath is a hauntingly rich adventure.
