Album Reviews

420 Funk Mob, led by Parliament-Funkadelic’s own Mike “Clip” Payne, is ushering in the next era of Funk with their debut studio album, The Emperor Has No Clones. But while the album is flush with P-Funk veterans, don’t expect a nostalgia trip: it’s a full-fledged funk revolution, a 14-track testament to the power of groove […]

The title of Ethan Samuel Brown’s latest, Small Actors, is not simply a tossed-out album moniker. Rather, it serves as a blueprint of sorts for the characters that take the stage in various acts throughout the 10-track LP. From a narrator who questions their own patriotism in “Am I American?” to a cynical character walking […]

Reed Mathis has built an impressive career and body of work by following his intuition as an instrumentalist and classically trained musician. For over thirty years, this intuition has taken the musical polymath to countless interesting places, from experimental jazz (Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey) to jamgrass (Tea Leaf Green), classical music (Electric Beethoven) to the […]

Given the buzz about the film Complete Unknown and the many younger people turning to Dylan’s music, folk music may become more vital again. As the newbies seek out the likes of Dylan, Joan Baez, and Pete Seeger, they should realize that folk music is still being played, and there is no finer example than […]

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

Founded in Austin, TX almost two decades ago, White Denim has always been a band driven by transformation. Once known for their raucous, genre-blurring live shows and feverishly tight musicianship, the Texas-born group, now led almost entirely by James Petralli, has taken a sharp turn with 12. This album was written and produced by Petralli […]

When an artist from a successful, well-known band records a solo album, the first question is, “Why?”  Most of the time, it turns out to be internal tensions, a desire to do something different creatively, or both. The key to answering the question honestly is remembering that the artist often denies these motivations at the […]

In retrospect, the Grateful Dead’s 1979 recruitment of the late Brent Mydland was the first in a series of purposeful steps the group took to reconfigure its band chemistry in the wake of Keith and Donna Godchaux’ departure. The live albums of the early Eighties, Dead Set, and Reckoning, offer early indications of the varied benefits they derived […]

In 2024, Blue Note celebrated its 85th birthday with a touring quintet of its leading contemporary musicians. At some point during the grueling tour, the members found time to enter a Hollywood studio to capture the magic of their collective sound. Remember that most anniversary celebrations delve into the past in a ‘greatest hits’ or […]

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