Album Reviews

The special guests on this recording have either employed Olatuja as a sideman or became friends with him along the way. “Lionel and Angelique are like my big brother and sister,” Olatuja says. “I toured with him, and we just hit it off. His mum speaks Yoruba. I met Angelique two years ago and have toured with […]

Gary, Indiana, may not be as synonymous with soul as Memphis. However, it is the home of The Jackson 5, and the birthplace of soul artist Quinn Deveaux. Deveaux (like so many other musicians) now calls Nashville home after becoming known in San Francisco for his energetic live shows. No matter where he lives, it’s […]

June 6th will mark the first anniversary of Dr. John’s passing. The day prior The Last Music Company will release a commemorative vinyl edition of Ske Dat De Dat, the Doctor’s lauded tribute to Louis Armstrong, which was recorded seven years ago and ended up being his last studio recording. It was a mammoth project, […]

Fans of blues and soul should love this one, whether they’re jazz fans or not. Those of us old enough to remember the great CTI albums of the ‘70s will welcome this sound as the great saxophonist Bob Mintzer arranges and conducts a set of recognizable tunes associated with Marvin Gaye, Prince, Glen Campbell, and […]

Keyboard master David K. Mathews, longtime sideman for Santana and Etta James prior to that, delivers his second vocals project, again calling on some of the singers in the Bay Area. While 2018’s Vol. 1 was an album of jazz standards, he goes in a different direction this time with soul, R&B and pop. This […]

The debut release from Holy Hive on Big Crown Records brings their self-described “folk soul” to the masses with clean playing, slow retro R&B styling and pristine vocals. Float Back To You is aptly titled as the music drifts along with a very relaxed pace and vibe.    The band was formed by drummer Homer Steinweiss […]

Fresh, unaffected and openly vulnerable, Juniper sounds like she recorded this debut album of hers in one prolonged flash of inspiration (or a rush of them). In that sense, the work of this precocious fifteen-year-old resides in the great tradition of studio spontaneity favored by icons such as Bob Dylan and Neil Young, while the […]

Jaime Wyatt’s 2017 debut, Felony Blues, may have put her on the radar of a slew of music writers with its solid confessionary lyrics and Outlaw Country vibe, but it’s her latest, Neon Cross, that’s bound to bring her to the attention of the rest of the world. Attention that she so rightfully deserves. In […]

Fresh off his second-place finish in the 2020 International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, Costa Rican native and now Florida resident Jose Ramirez teamed with guitar legend and highly sought producer Anson Funderburgh to record this exciting debut, Here I Come, a mix of blues, soul, and R&B. At the IBC Ramirez was representing The […]

Unreleased albums from iconic names are usually a treat and fusion lovers will bask in this high energy 2CD set from the Brecker Brothers at a live show in Germany in 1980. Trumpeter Randy Brecker is still thriving, delivering projects consistently, having won six Grammys, the latest as recently as 2016. The venerable Brecker, who […]

In the latest Wannabe, artist Chris Prunckle offers his illustrated commentary on Reunions, the new album from Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, in his signature six-panel comic strip form. Click on the image for full resolution (best viewed on desktop):

As detailed in our coverage of Gina Sicilia’s 2018 Heard the Lie this writer has witnessed her musical growth first-hand, recalling the then Philadelphia-based Sicilia in her early twenties (before she released any albums). Now with her ninth album, Love Me Madly, her third for the evolving Blue Elan label (Rita Coolidge, Chelsea Williams, Janiva Magness, to […]

Maita is the musical project of Portland, Oregon-based artist Maria Maita-Keppeler. Like many musicians, Maita-Keppeler and her band had big plans around the release of their debut album Best Wishes. With a pre-release buzz already circulating after the indie rockers grabbed the attention of respected label Kill Rock Stars, there were plans to play album […]

The son of Richard and Linda Thompson, Teddy Thompson, has always been burdened with a rich legacy to uphold but he’s done quite well as a producer, solo artist, and as a contributor to projects of others. Heartbreaker Please is his sixth solo album, the latest installment of his melodic, hook-filled roots and pop style, […]

Woods have released their newest album, Strange To Explain, marking their 15th anniversary as a band. Formed in Brooklyn back in 2005 and at one point featuring Kevin Morby on bass, the indie band has always had the ability to maintained its bedroom sensibilities while still being appreciated for its fantastic instrumental organization. The album […]

The Haggis Horns is a seven-piece funk band from Leeds. While the band is English, you don’t have to listen long to know that the members have spent a lot of time listening to American funk. Throughout its previous four full-length albums, the band has produced songs steeped in the funk sounds of the 70s. […]

The album isn’t anything revolutionary, but Songs I Can’t Live Without will please fans of Marshall Chapman, whose worldly crooning and sparse reimaginings of vintage tunes come off as a sort of auditory comfort food. It’s as if Chapman took a stack of records off a long-neglected shelf, blew the dust off of them, pinched the crumpled […]

The full name of this “Best of” digital release is Straighten Up and Fly Right- The Best of Hittin’ the Ramp – the early years (1936-1943). These 21 songs, one of which has never been issued (not available in the 7CD/10LP set of early Nat King Cole, Hittin’ the Ramp, issued by Resonance Records last […]

Texas has a long tradition of producing songwriters from Ernest Tubb to Willie Nelson. Like many musicians, Jarrod Dickenson started his music career in the clubs of Austin. However, it was when he took a trip to the West Coast that he realized he wanted to do more than play gigs in Austin. That was […]

The first impression of listening to the jazz-world ensemble AJOYO is how infectious their music is. It stirs you from the opening title track “War Chant.” They are a multi-cultural quintet that infuses some of the tracks with special guests. This is their second album and they are led by multi-reedist Yacine Boularès. On their […]