Album Reviews

The term “Blues Summit” implies a gathering of guests. Whether Devon Allman was inspired by B.B. King’s Grammy-winning 1993 album of the same name or not, there are similarities in that the lineup featured contemporary artists and blues stalwarts. Here, Allman takes a break from the Allman-Betts Band and returns to Ruf Records for this […]

By the time Héctor Lavoe released El Sabio in 1980, he had already established himself as salsa’s most captivating figure: a gifted vocalist with impeccable phrasing and charisma who brought vulnerability, humor, and fire to every performance. El Sabio may not be his most commercially celebrated album, but it stands as one of his most […]

Jade Bird’s newest album is titled Who Wants to Talk About Love, and the English-born, Los Angeles-based pop/Americana artist has a lot to say on the subject, especially the aftermath.  All the songs on this album explore the dissolution of relationships. While there may be multiple influences, the most significant and overarching theme is the recent breakup of […]

Colin Hay has managed that rare pivot, segueing nearly seamlessly from 1980s New Wave One-Hit-Wonder status (though admittedly, Men At Work had several hits) to being a prolific solo artist, writing some of the best songs of his career decades later.  In 2003, he put out Man @ Work, a career retrospective of both his […]

It’s been twenty years since the last System of a Down album, and although the band has toured off and on since 2010, there’s no indication there will be another recording. Luckily, that’s not Daron Malakian’s only band. In 2008, two years after System of a Down went on hiatus, Malakian launched a new band, […]

After over a decade of creating moving and emotionally charged pieces of Americana that blur the lines between genre-bending and traditional, Lord Huron is reaching a new peak. Under the watchful eye of band leader Ben Schneider, the band has released critically acclaimed LPs that produced platinum hits, been tapped to write and produce movie […]

It is not often that we hear solo material from the Rome-based singer-songwriter and producer Luca Sapio, making every release feel like a proper celebration while also doubling the pressure on the artist to make every release memorable. Throughout his over-decade-long career, Sapio has worked with legends from all genres, mastered the art of collaboration, […]

By the time Metiendo Mano! hit shelves in 1977, salsa was already becoming a dominant force in Latin music, but this album marked a subtle yet powerful turning point. It was the first collaboration between Willie Colón and a then-rising Rubén Blades. While their next project, Siembra, would become a commercial juggernaut, Metiendo Mano! is […]

There is an authenticity to Longtime Friend, the New West Records debut from siblings Aila and Elisha Wildman, that simply cannot be faked. Raised in the tiny Virginia town of Floyd (population of less than 500 based on the last census), Elisha learned guitar and mandolin as a kid, while Aila opted for the fiddle […]

Sometimes the title of the album says it all. With Ain’t Rocked in a While, Brent Cobb & The Fixin’s decided to press pause on Cobb’s more singer/songwriter offerings, strap on the electric guitars, and turn the amps up.  Produced by Cobb and Oran Thornton, the players recorded live to tape at The Black Palace in Springfield, […]

“Openness Trio.” Guitarist Nate Mercereau, saxophonist Josh Johnson, and percussionist Carlos Niño have joined up as The Openness Trio for their Blue Note debut. All are producers and skilled in effects and electronics. Both Mercereau and Niño have toured with Andre 3000. Johnson is known for his work with Jeff Parker and as a producer […]

Sunking is a band born out of restlessness. As members of the jazz fusion powerhouse High Pulp, the trio of Bobby Granfelt, Antoine Martel, and Victory Nguyen create innovative and expansive examples of how jazz has evolved to fit modern times. Even with the borderless atmosphere and creative freedom offered by working with a large […]

For its sophomore album, UK indie rock quintet Wet Leg ventures into new territory: love songs. That’s not to say the band known for snarky lines like “what makes you think you’re good enough to think about me when you’re touching yourself” has gone all soft and sappy. The Isle of Wight rockers are as […]

Philly’s saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator Jaleel Shaw emerges as a leader again after 13 years. Shaw has collaborated with a wide range of jazz giants, including Roy Haynes, Roy Hargrove, Nate Smith, Christian McBride, and many others. He is currently a fixture in both Dave Holland’s Quartet and Trio. Finding time to make a […]

First Meeting is a collaboration of four top jazz artists on their respective instruments, each receiving equal billing for their three-night engagement at Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center in August 2022. Although the title “First Meeting” is accurate, pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, saxophonist Chris Potter, and drummer Eric Harland were part of the Monterey […]

Released in 1995, the Clueless soundtrack captures a specific moment in pop culture when alternative rock was crossing into the mainstream, and teen movies were starting to reflect a broader range of sounds and moods. Like the film itself, the soundtrack balances bright surfaces with more thoughtful undercurrents, pulling together a mix of guitar-driven pop, […]

By the time Robin Tower’s For Earth Below was released a half-century ago, the former guitarist for Procol Harum had hit his stride creatively and commercially as a solo artist. Thus, the third album under his name began a process of refinement that, not surprisingly, involved a shift of personnel: ex-Sly Stone drummer Bill Lordan […]

25 years after its original release, Elliott Smith’s Figure 8 returns on deluxe vinyl—restored, remastered, and more emotionally immediate than ever. Long considered his most sonically expansive album, this new edition doesn’t just honor the legacy of Smith’s final studio effort—it sharpens it. Previously only available digitally, Figure 8 (Deluxe Edition) marks the first time […]

The fourth studio album from Durand Jones & The Indications is titled Flowers, as the band is blooming with confidence and maturity. The neo-soul group is never in a hurry throughout the record as their smooth get-down jams are custom-made for hot, lazy summer nights. The self-produced album finds the core trio of Durand Jones […]

On a surface level, Cincinnati rockers Smut have nothing but an open road in front of them. The DIY hopefuls were plucked from their local scene and signed to Bayonet Records, who issued the band’s breakthrough 2022 LP, How The Light Felt, introducing the band’s lush pop sensibilities to the world. Their Bayonet debut was, […]