Album Reviews

Whether processed through a double CD or triple LP set, the twenty-eight tracks that comprise Van Morrison’s Latest Record Project Volume 1 will become either a treasure trove or a test of endurance for owners of the title. Devoted fans who found pleasure in recent records like Keep Me Singing should discover this one will […]

Malian guitar music owes its still growing popularity to the contributions of the iconic singer-songwriter and guitarist Ali Farka Touré and his 1984 Red is one of the first that first drew global fans to the music although it took another four years when in 1988 his self-titled album brought him worldwide fame. The Red […]

When God Was Great, the eleventh studio album from ska legends The Mighty Mighty BossToneS is their first for Hellcat records. While the sound digs into their punk past and more polished pop; the songs are disjointed, worryingly preoccupied with the current pandemic and mindsets surrounding it.  Produced by Ted Hutt and Tim Armstrong the album […]

Maia Sharp is probably known just as much for her songwriting skills for others – having written for everyone from The Chicks, Bonnie Raitt and Lisa Loeb to Cher and Edwin McCain, among many others – as she is for her own albums. But her latest, Mercy Rising, could change that. Across a dozen tracks […]

The Accidentals formed in Traverse City, Michigan, in 2011 when Savannah Buist and Katie Larson got together for a class orchestra project. The next year, the band released its first album Tangled Red and Blue that explored themes of feminism amidst folk melodies. The folk melodies remain on the group’s new EP Time Out (Session […]

This writer is a strong advocate for the St. Petersburg, Russia label Rainy Days, which in its short history has recruited top talent both from its home country, and the U.S.  A key figure on the label is pianist Benito Gonzalez, who has both supported others and is now releasing his label debut as a leader, […]

Soul Conversations marks the renowned drummer, Ulysses Owens Jr.’s recording debut with his new 19-piece outfit, the UOJ Big Band, as well as the artist’s first release on Outside in Music. Owens Jr. has gained his cred as an integral driver of ensembles led by Christian McBride, Wynton Marsalis, and Kurt Elling. Owens Jr. has also gained recognition for his own […]

In the latest Wannabe, artist Chris Prunckle offers his illustrated commentary on I Can’t Take It Anymore, the new album from ska outfit Joystick!, in his signature six-panel comic strip form. Click on the image for full resolution (best viewed on desktop):

Alex Chilton apparently has a trove of unissued material and we’ve heard some in recent years – his ‘80s songs From Memphis to New Orleans and several Big Star releases, notably 2019’s Live on WLIR, from the label that produces a wealth of unissued material, Omnivore, the same folks that bring us this one – […]

We’ve seen thousands of albums remixed and remastered, but this may be the first of its kind, a rarity in any case, where each track bears the name of a different producer and/or mixer. Also, considering that the UK trio GoGo Penguin (GGP) only issued their self-titled album, the source of these remixes, last year […]

It’s taken a generation, but the satisfyingly sweet jangle pop seeds planted from bands like R.E.M., The Smithereens and The Gin Blossoms are finally starting to sprout. Nowhere is that more evident than on the debut from LA-based band The Rose Petals. American Grenadine kicks off with the solid opening shot “Welcome to the Big […]

There are few practitioners left that concentrate on vintage jazz and blues from the ‘20s and ‘30s. It takes huge amounts of research that only a dedicated musicologist is willing to invest in. It takes a sassy embrace of some salacious material, and mostly, unless it’s a solo act like Rory Block, it takes skilled […]

Like the rest of the world, Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule have been sidelined for a good portion of the last year aside from some select socially distanced solo performances. But it is fitting that this quartet was one of the first to commit to performing live again since so much of their history has […]

For over 30 years, Leftover Salmon has been at the helm of the burgeoning “jam grass” scene, leaving in their wake a legacy of legendary live shows and a genre-defying sound, with absolutely no signs of slowing down anytime soon.  With their ninth studio album, Brand New Good Old Days, their first to be released […]

Just like East Nashville celebrated author, poet, and songwriter Doug Hoekstra’s multiple means of expressing words, listening to The Day Deserved requires more than just your attention and your ears. To fully appreciate his creation, one needs to also not only read the song lyrics while listening but to spend time reading the backstories to […]

Dawn Richard’s career has been defined by her evolution. From her earnest beginnings as a cast member and eventual winner of Diddy’s Making The Band reality show and eventual pop success with her fellow contestants as Danity Kane, Richards has been poised for reinvention ever since. Even as her band’s success dwindled and the group […]

Over its seventeen years of alternative music, Manchester Orchestra’s sound has been about balance — balancing light and darkness, heavy and soft, introspection and aggression. At times, the scales shift heavily in one direction, such as with the consistently heavy Cope, but the Atlanta rockers rely greatly on opposing dynamics — glimmers of hope to […]

On her latest, Carsie Blanton delivers quite possibly the catchiest protest album in years. Themes of protest and justice are slathered all over Love & Rage, but the lyrics are delivered by Blanton’s sublimely smooth vocals and occasionally punctuated with horns, jazz drumming and rock guitars, making for a fantastically irreverent mix. The album opens […]

The Shootouts is a band that came together because of a love of classic country music among its members. You don’t have to listen to much of their music to hear how classic country has influenced the band’s sound. On their new album Bullseye, the band continues to explore not only classic country, but also […]

In a similar vein to the better known Tinarawen, hailing also from Africa, comes Innov Gnawa, a Grammy-nominated musical group of Moroccan expats, making their Daptone Records debut with Lila. The NYC-based group makes Gnawa music, a spiritual tradition rooted in Morocco’s ancient history. Not unlike the blues in the American south (and not too […]