Album Reviews

“can’t wait to quit music and never talk to anyone ever again also i wanna live on a damn farm” – Jay Som Anak Ko, the second proper album from Melina Duterte’s expansive dream pop project Jay Som, out now on Polyvinyl, followed the runaway success of Everybody Works, which seemed to require of Duterte […]

It’s been a fascinating progression to follow, that Justin Vernon and his Bon Iver. From the solo moniker of legendary debut For Emma, Forever Ago, to the full band of self-titled follow up to what has become a veritable community of like-minded musicians with shared ambitions and ideas, Vernon acting as a creative director of […]

So good to see you…I missed you so much.

Lillie Mae has transformed from busker to family band to vibrant solo artist via dynamic vocals, strong songwriting and blazing fiddle playing. Her second full-length solo record Other Girls finds her broadening her sound and sonic texture while not abandoning what she does best; singing string soaked Americana tunes with a mixture of grace and […]

Let’s establish two things from the start. Ronnie Earl is the King of Tone and, secondly, Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters have never made a bad album in recent history. This may even be one of the best. Let guest David Bromberg, master guitarist and musicologist without many peers, explain, “Ronnie Earl is an incredible […]

If you were to download the tracks from this album, James Carter Organ Trio: Live From Newport Jazz, without any advance information, you might be surprised that each of the five tracks are titled in French. Four are from Reinhardt with one from his contemporary Auguste “Gusti” Mahla. Carter calls it a willful attempt to […]

In the latest Wannabe, artist Chris Prunckle offers his illustrated commentary on Thrashing Thru The Passion, the new album from The Hold Steady, in his signature six-panel comic strip form. Click on the image for full resolution (best viewed on desktop):

Blue Dawn -Blue Nights is the Philadelphian-born trumpeter and bandleader Wallace Roney’s twenty-second album as a leader. This album departs from others in his catalog as it includes none of his own compositions  but more importantly, he taps the next generation of improvisational jazz musicians, including saxophonist Emilio Modeste (tenor/soprano), pianist Oscar Williams II, bassist […]

Bassist, bandleader and composer Ben Wolfe delivers this impressive work, Fatherhood both in tribute to his father who passed away in 2018 and to his own son, Milo. It’s an introspective, angular, oft melancholy and complex nine originals and an innovative interpretation of a standard across some very interesting blends of instrumentation. Wolfe was guided by […]

There was a time when Gregg Allman once contemplated whether he’d be remembered or easily forgotten. The answer, in this year that celebrates the 50th anniversary of The Allman Brothers Band, is a resounding “Yes, he’ll be remembered.” The music played by Gregg Allman, whether in a solo setting, with supporting casts other than his […]

Having established her reputation through live performances, it’s somewhat surprising Live At The Old Church is Holly Bowling’s first official concert release (though there have been more than a few soundboards made available on-line). But hearing this double CD from one night on stage in Portland, Oregon last September, it’s quite clear how she has […]

Quintet from composer and saxophonist Roxy Coss takes on two meanings. It’s her fifth album and it’s rendered with a quintet. These are all Coss compositions, reimagined from previous albums along with her arrangement of “All of Nothing at All.” Coss is a perennial Downbeat poll contender on tenor and soprano sax. She possesses superior […]

Who Cares is the fourth album for singer-songwriter/guitarist David G. Smith, an Iowa-based artist who records in Nashville. The album was produced by and dedicated to the late Blue Miller (Bob Seger, Albert King, Isaac  Hayes, etc.). These are a dozen originals, either penned by Smith or co-written with Tom Favreau, Dean Madonia, Karen Leipziger […]

Talk about being born to sing. With the name Jazzmeia Horn, could there possibly be any other destiny? At a mere 25 years old, the Dallas-born vocalist and composer received a Grammy nomination for her debut, A Social Call. Fast forward three years later with Love & Liberation and we find Horn’s vocal skills even […]

The Dallas-based outfit The 40 Acre Mule is all about the traditions and evolution of American music from the early days of boogie-woogie into ‘50s R&B into good old rock n’ roll, naturally infused with blues as well as rockabilly and country. Good Night & Good Luck is their debut album. The title does not […]

Charlie Wooton, the accomplished New Orleans bass player formerly with Royal Southern Brotherhood and The New Orleans Suspects, has released a new album. With his Charlie Wooton Project, the Blue Basso album is a collection of tracks that feature Wooton’s funky bass lines joined by a solid lineup of musicians. Wooton’s Project has Daniel Groover […]

Texas singer-songwriter/guitarist Seth James does not make albums very often but this time he had a specific goal in mind. Like many of us have observed, many of the artists we admire have great bands behind them. Mention Delbert McClinton and the next phrase is likely “he has a really good band.” James had the […]

A decade ago this writer used to time visits to Los Angeles for the monthly “Sweethearts of the Rodeo” held on the last Wednesday of the month at Molly Malone’s.  Either Leslie Stevens hadn’t emerged by then or somehow got lost in my memory. It appears that she burst on the scene shortly thereafter with […]

In the latest Wannabe, artist Chris Prunckle offers his illustrated commentary on Be Good, the new album from Off With Their Heads, in his signature six-panel comic strip form. Click on the image for full resolution (best viewed on desktop):

Louisiana-based Seratones – fronted by the gospel-trained vocal powerhouse A.J. Haynes made quite an impact with their 2016 debut, Get Gone but retooled in several ways for this soul-infused recording, Power. They have a new member lineup, a label deal with New West, and a new producer in Cage the Elephant’s Bradley Schultz. Yet, the […]