For his latest album, 12, Keller Williams employs a fairly straightforward concept: 12 songs, one from each of his 11 albums and one previously unreleased track. It’s a neat twist on the “greatest hits” concept, a unique approach that should be no surprise to fans of the eccentric musician.
If you thought it extremely unlikely to see Grateful Dead merch being hawked during a public television fundraising campaign, as has happened in recent years, you probably never imagined something called “An Orchestral Tribute to The Music of The Grateful Dead.” But lo and behold here it is, in the form of Dead Symphony.
Although the band’s Latin influences are curiously subdued on the album, The Bedlam in Goliath is a hauntingly rich adventure.
Previously known as the “the best unsigned band in America” by Rolling Stone, The Whigs have found a home with Dave Matthews’ ATO Records. Their ATO debut, Mission Control combines the arena rock accessibility of The Foo Fighters and the beer fueled garage rock of The Replacements.
Clearly, some novelty records are just silly and others are, at least on some level, actually quite serious. Words of Wisdom is certainly of the more serious variety. That's not to say that it isn't light-hearted, just that it has a real purpose.
If U2’s The Joshua Tree did not represent such an artistic pinnacle for the Irish group, this Deluxe 20th Anniversary Edition might seem nothing more than another contrived piece of commercialism for the holidays.
omprised of approximately ninety minutes of rare concert recordings on two CDs, Live at The Avalon Ballroom 1969 is a formidable set of recordings documenting an ever so fleeting phase of Gram Parsons’ career.
While the resumes of some members the Mystix may look impressive (Jerry Lee Lewis, Ben E King, Peter Wolf, even studio work at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals), don't be fooled. This is a group of session players, not a real band. They do play well together as session players often do, but there is little originality or real heart in the music.
ith its sharp replication of the original New Riders’ cover art an accurate reflection of the music itself recorded at Mexicali Blues Café (except for the often abrupt track changes), this modern-day version of the band proves itself to be not just an extension of the (seemingly) bottomless roots of The Grateful Dead, but a worthwhile endeavor its own terms.
A superficial reaction to Paris Luna's City Lights might be to dismiss it as light folk rock. While it does have a few nods to bands best left forgotten like America, there is more behind it.
