Album Reviews
Low Proves Less Is More On Spellbinding ‘Double Negative’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
It’s difficult to know what to say about Double Negative – such is its extraordinary power. Low, a band now 12 albums in, have truly fulfilled their name and ambition in crafting raw and understated ...
Alejandro Escovedo Continues To Earn Renegade Reputation With ‘The Crossing’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
One of the chief architects of insurgent Americana, Alejandro Escovedo earned his renegade reputation by cutting a swatch across rock and roots with deliberate defiance. Honing his skills in populist punk outfits like the Nuns ...
Eric Bachmann Harnesses Restraint & Organic Beauty On Fourth Solo Album ‘No Recover’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
The first moments of No Recover are, in many ways, a signpost. A signal of things to come over the course of Eric Bachmann’s fourth solo album. The softly building persistent tap, fingerpicked motif and ...
Chicago Blues Greats Play Decades of Rolling Stones Songs on” Chicago Plays the Stones” (ALBUM REVIEW)
Some will naturally think that this is simply a reaction to 2016’s Rolling Stones’ Blue and Lonesome where the English band covered many of their favorite Chicago blues songs. Yet, this project, Chicago Plays the ...
Medeski, Martin & Wood Meld Spontaneity & Classical Structures On Progressive ‘Omnisphere’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
Medeski, Martin & Wood don’t play live together very often these days or issue many new albums, so when they do it’s a special pleasure, in part because the trio invariably treats such occasions with ...
Malcolm Holcombe Collaborates with Greg Brown and Iris DeMent On Haunting ‘Come Hell or High Water’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
The last time this writer described Malcolm Holcombe for his 2017 release Pretty Little Troubles, the phrase used was – “a troubadour seemingly from another age.” Holcombe is back with Come Hell or High Water ...
Tony Bennett and Diana Krall Join Forces to Celebrate the Gershwins With ‘Love Is Here to Stay” (ALBUM REVIEW)
Two weeks ahead of the 120th anniversary of George Gershwin’s birthday, Tony Bennett and Diana Krall come together for their first full album project to honor the music of the Gershwins with Love Is Here ...
Ana Popovic Empowers, Collaborates with Keb’ Mo’, & Ignites Electricity on ‘Like it On Top’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
The press leading up to the album is all about an empowering statement for females to rise to the top but the bigger news, considering so many artists across multiple genres have plied the same ...
Marcus King Band Take Planned Setlist Off The Rails at Santa Cruz’s Catalyst Atrium (SHOW REVIEW)
Marcus King probably tired of hearing it long ago. The comments about how talented a guitar player he is, with the qualifier that he’s only 19, then 20, then 21, and now just 22 years ...
Band of Heathens Looks to Ray Charles to Bring Unity by Revisiting 1972 Landmark Album ‘A Message From the People’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
Covering Ray Charles would be a risky endeavor for any band or artist. Arguably, Charles is the greatest soul singer ever. Yet, Austin’s Band of Heathens, though not evoking the same soul as Brother Ray ...
