Album Reviews

When we last visited guitarist Tom Guarna, he was leading an all-star quintet and paying tribute to Kofi Burbridge in 2020’s Spirit Science but on this outing, his seventh, Reimagine, Guarna opts for a simpler configuration, the classic organ trio format of guitar, B3 organ, and drums. You may have noticed the word ‘classic’ appearing […]

It has been some time since we’ve heard from Youth Lagoon, and time can do a lot to a person. In the case of frontman Trevor Powers, time forced a period of self-analyzation and isolation that reshaped the man we all thought we knew. After a terrifying health crisis that left the songwriter voiceless, he […]

It’s been nine years since we last heard from the former popular DJ and gifted singer-songwriter Laura Cantrell, a leading figure in NYC’s country scene, who has long had one foot in the Big Apple and the other in Nashville. Few other artists could call on such longtime friends as Steve Earle, Buddy Miller, Rosie Flores and Paul Burch, […]

If you watched the HBO Max documentary, Running with Our Eyes Closed, principally about Jason Isbell and his partner Amanda Shires, but also involving the band members of the 400 Unit, you understand the care and thought that goes into his songs which he brings to his band, to let them color in the music […]

Long considered one of the most powerful voices in roots and blues, going back as far as her Mother Earth days in the early seventies in a career that began in 1964, Tracy Nelson harnesses her many relationships and musical preferences into a career-defining album, filled with songs she’s been aching to do for some […]

Generationals is an indie pop band that emerged from New Orleans, Louisiana, captivating audiences with their catchy melodies, vibrant harmonies, and infectious energy. Comprised of Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer, the duo has established a reputation for crafting irresistible pop gems that seamlessly blend elements of indie rock, synth-pop and retro influences. With their distinctive […]

Incredibly, the Zamrock icons WITCH have returned with their first new album in almost 40 years. Aptly titled Zango after a phrase meaning meeting place, the group’s two core remaining members, Emmanuel ‘Jagari’ Chanda and Patrick Mwondela have gotten back to their roots, even recording in the same studio their 1975 album Lazy Bones had […]

A somewhat eccentric exercise in nostalgia,  Bob Dylan’s Shadow Kingdom is certainly unique as an entry in the Nobel Laureate’s discography. But it is deceptively memorable for the very same reasons its appeal may be limited and, as such, it should eventually become the object of rabid devotion, much like 1976’s live record Hard Rain. The title originally […]

There’s little doubt that 1963 was the peak year for the “High Priest of Bebop,” Thelonious Monk, who graced the cover of Time Magazine just a year later.  Think about that. A major jazz musician on the cover of one of the biggest national magazines of the time. That, as much as anything, should put […]

Ten albums and 30 years into their career, Rancid is sticking with a formula they pretty much perfected two albums into it in the 1990s, down to using the same producer from their first great record, 1994’s Let’s Go. Why mess with a good thing? The Northern California ska punks have always had nostalgia for […]

Give Beach Fossils credit, despite longtime comparisons to Wild Nothing, DIIV, and Real Estate, Dustin Payseur has always done a better job navigating the restraints of his sound. Beach Fossil’s debut is bright and lo-fi jangle rock, Clash the Truth brings a slightly harder and wispy, post-punk edge, and the underrated Somersault glistens in the […]

In their first album of new material in five years, Canada’s reining family of alt-country are back with 10 new songs of moody, sweet, sad, and strongly affecting sketches about growing older. Such Ferocious Beauty follows the band’s covers album from last year which saw them adding their distinctive lo-fi Americana sound to songs by […]

Like a lot of people, the guys in Rival Sons had a lot of extra time on their hands during the lockdowns of 2020. For a band that had been touring extensively since releasing Feral Roots in January 2019, the pandemic offered a chance to recharge and of course, ample time to write new songs. […]

A few years ago, Bully was reformatted to act as a solo effort for singer/songwriter Alicia Bognanno. This new approach gifted us with 2020’s stellar SUGAREGG, a 12-track exploration into an artist who has built a discography centered on vulnerability and thrashing arrangements. Being a producer herself, Bognanno wasted no time creating a sound that […]

The most recent posthumous release from Dr. John is a collection of his performances from The Montreux Jazz Festival between 1986 and 2012. The compilation, titled Dr. John: The Montreux Years, does an excellent job of showcasing the many sides of Mac Rebennack, outside of his original “Night Tripper” stage persona, which apparently never played […]

The newest outing from Tommy Stinson arrived organically as he began playing with his friend (and the uncle of his second ex-wife) Chip Robert over a decade ago. The duo hit it off and began writing songs and touring, and when they realized they were onto something, they decided to record and name themselves Cowboys in the Campfire.

Their first studio album since 2018’s Take Good Care finds the New Orleans-based, eight-piece pop-rock outfit, The Revivalists in fine form as their catchy tunes about living in the moment ring out like glossy slices of sunshine.     Working with GRAMMY Award-winning producer Rich Costey (Muse, Foster the People, Death Cab for Cutie) The Revivalists are […]

Eight years since his last studio album, Ben Folds is back with another collection of emotionally-charged piano pop tunes. But like all of his work, going back to the brilliant 1995 Ben Folds Five debut, he coats the tales of heartache and loss with moments of sharp humor, blunting the darker sentiments with levity.   The […]

Legendary saxophonist Clifford Jordan’s Drink Plenty Water is the latest unearthed jazz recording of note. After 49 years on the shelf, the recording was originally done for the Strata-East label in 1974 and now issued on Harvest Strong Records, which reissued his acclaimed 1973 Strata-East Glass Bead Games in 2006. It’s Jordan’s only primary vocal […]

Dave’s Picks Volume 45 is that rarity among the entries in this ongoing Grateful Dead archive series, one in which the quality of the performance is (ultimately) superior to that of the recording. Of secondary but nonetheless crucial note, however, is the fact Paramount Theatre, Portland, Or – 10/1/77 & 10/2/77 reaffirms acclamation for the iconic band’s concerts […]