Album Reviews

This is Ropeadope’s fifth installment of their acclaimed Experiment series. The leader, pianist Greg Spero (Spirit Fingers), very emphatically says that these are not bonus tracks from 2022’s The Chicago Experiment.

Fans of Dr. Dog were deeply saddened in 2021 when the much-loved Philadelphia-based band announced that they would no longer be touring. Though still technically together, Dr. Dog seems to be on hiatus. However, as inevitably happens when a band pauses, side projects form. Co-founder/co-front man Scott McMicken is now releasing a new album under […]

The New Pornographers again weaves its signature blend of melodic power pop, intricate vocal harmonies, and witty lyricism with infectious hooks.

Stars Enough to Guide Me is Jono Manson;s eleventh solo project and his debut for Blue Rose Records – continuing his genre blurring catalog

Andrew Gabbard’s Cedar City Sweetheart. The country/folk-rock leaning effort is a slight departure from the touring guitarist of The Black Keys, but the sounds are sweet and soothing all the same.

When California-based singer/songwriter Nic Russo dips into his alter ego Dick Stusso things get bizarre. On his most recent offering, S.P. the artist delivers Attention Deficit Disorder folk-rock that, like a toddler, the songs enter the room, causing disturbance/joy before quickly departing, farting as they exit.

Darren Jessee may have gotten his start as the drummer for Ben Folds Five and eventually for others like Hiss Golden Messenger and Sharon Von Etten, but it’s been years since he left the kit and walked to center stage to take his place behind the mic first with the band Hotel Lights and eventually […]

We’ve known the impeccable vocalist, composer, and visual artist Cecile McLorin Salvant as an astute musicologist and multi-linguist yet until this release of Mélusine her recorded music and certainly her performances have been highly accessible to English-speaking listeners.

In the 90s, Filter seemed like an unstoppable force. After leaving Nine Inch Nails as a touring guitarist, Filter lead man Richard Patrick formed Filter with guitarist Brian Liesegang. Releasing two platinum selling albums, Short Bus and Title of Record propelled skyward on the backs of the singles “Hey Man Nice Shot” and “Take My […]

Known mainly as the frontman for the rock band NEEDTOBREATHE, with his sophomore solo outing Bear Rinehart (going under the moniker Wilder Woods) digs into much broader musical influences and styles than he’s usually associated with and as a result comes out with a much more satisfying mix of Roots Rock, Soul and Gospel.  FEVER/SKY […]

Working My Way Down was originally intended as a trio project twenty-five years ago between Mike Stinson, Johnny Irion, and the deceased Andy Bulter-Jones that has finally emerged under the collaborative banner of country rockers Stinson and Irion.

Eric Bibb’s Ridin’ continues the themes of social justice and African American history with equal fervor as its predecessor.

The fact that “The American Songster” Dom Flemons, Grammy Award winner, multi-instrumentalist, and musicologist records on Smithsonian Folkways is a statement in itself about his ability to unearth historical cultural gems from the country, western, blues, and folk genres. That’s how he’s made his reputation since leaving the Carolina Chocolate Drops in 2013.  Although he […]

Daddy Long Legs is a band from New York that “formed over a mutual love of wild and unhinged rock n’ roll and rural rhythm and blues music.” That fact is evident on the band’s first couple albums, on which the band marries garage-rock energy to a lowdown and dirty form of blues. The result is […]

With a vintage indie flair, Leon in the Wild brings us an original take on post-punk sensibility with “Quiet Covers Up A Lot.” Layers of chunky guitars and strong melodic vocals reminiscent of early Weezer summertime hits lay over a dynamic rhythm section. Pop-punk may have had its heyday in the early aughts, but with tunes like […]

Hot Between Worlds is a living, breathing organism that crawls out of your headphones with no ill intent, just Tumor’s ever-expanding vocal range and a slew of genre-blending arrangements for your listening pleasure

Marking the first double album from the Unknown Mortal Orchestra, V puts you right next to Ruban Nielson as he pieces together a soundtrack to back this revealing time of his life. In turn, he is providing a soundtrack to the world,

The band sounds freer than ever before, and each idea for the album is executed to its fullest extent which gives way to immaculate soundscapes and hushed melodies that give Fantasy its dreamy nature. 

Julian Lage’s The Layers is a direct companion piece to its 2022 predecessor View With A Room, (right down to its cover art). In fact, the guitarist/composer himself describes the six original pieces as a prequel to last year’s release: recorded during the same sessions

One word kept coming up when going through the forty songs of U2’s mammoth release Songs of Surrender, and that word was: why?