Reviews

Even Van Morrison’s most ardent fans weren’t sure he could write songs like several that appear on his 43rd studio album, Remembering Now. It’s like three plus decades of duets, reissues, skiffle, blues, and otherwise uninspired R&B vanished. That’s not to say there were not a few high points in that series of records. The […]

Among the many big shed tours that take place in any given year, perhaps the most fascinating in recent memory is Sessanta. This outing brings together A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, and Primus – three acts that inspire a certain level of mainstream nostalgia while still dabbling comfortably in the fringe. With such big names – […]

It had been a minute since Ohio folk-rock sensations CAAMP last graced the city of Chicago with a performance (2022, to be exact). Still, that lengthy wait finally came to an end on June 5th as the band returned to the Windy City to kick off the first of two sold-out shows at The Salt […]

In the tribal world of metal music, the Danish rockers of Volbeat have carved out a niche by refusing to conform to any of the metal subgenres. Their idiosyncratic sound draws from rockabilly and other retro rock & roll styles as much as it does from thrash and groove metal.  God of Angels Trust, Volbeat’s […]

Christian Parker and company’s Back At Home is a natural extension of these same musicians’ previous–and equally unaffected–tributes to the Byrds. 2023’s Sweethearts – A Tribute to the Byrds’ ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo, offers their homage to that group’s original landmark fusion of rock and country, while the very next year’s Change Is Now is […]

What happens when two of the most veteran acts in heavy rock music band together for an extensive tour? Though the Melvins and Napalm Death occupy different musical spheres, it somehow makes sense to pair them up for their Savage Imperial Death March tour as two hugely influential acts that have never compromised on their […]

With Still Shakin’, North Mississippi Allstars hearken to their roots in more ways than one. Its title a specific reference to their debut album, 2000’s Shake Hands With Shorty, this third New West Records LP of theirs is also a direct extension of the fundamental concept of the band as a rotating cast of like-minded musicians, at the […]

Since Joanne Shaw Taylor so effectively recaptured her roots in 2022 with Blues From the Heart Live, her studio efforts have been a mixed bag. In her earnest endeavors to expand her style, she issued a pop-oriented, highly polished studio outing titled Nobody’s Fool, thereby setting the stage for the R&B-influenced Heavy Soul, a second outing with producer Kevin Shirley (he also […]

The Los Angeles-based rockers Frankie and the Witch Fingers ratchet up the nervous energy on their newest offering, Trash Classic. The ten spastic tracks shimmy, bang and slam forward as the band embraces new-wave and post-punk influences in a significant way. Recorded in Oakland, at Tiny Telephone Studio, with producer Maryam Qudus (La Luz, Spacemoth), Dylan […]

A new era of Hip-hop is starting to rise from the ashes of the blog era. With Hip-hop’s current stars selling out football stadiums and landing number one hits, a new crop of young lane-pavers is emerging from around the world. These new artists are a far cry from their predecessors; a new level of […]

Over the past two decades, Ontario-based Born Ruffians have been on a constant journey of musical evolution. From indie rock to New Wave to their current incarnation of synth pop, the band manages to show off snatches of just about every musical influence on Beauty’s Pride, their latest LP.   The opening track, “Mean Time” is […]

The Blackbyrds’ City Life doesn’t just groove—it struts. Released in 1975 at the height of funk’s golden era, this album is a shining example of how jazz-trained musicians could infuse soul and R&B with technical flair without sacrificing dance-floor appeal. Produced by their mentor and jazz great Donald Byrd, City Life finds The Blackbyrds fully […]

Back in 2008, Grace Potter took a break from her band, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, to record a solo album with producer T-Bone Burnett, but it never saw the light of day. Potter’s label was unhappy with the softer direction, which they saw as off-brand for the rock star persona they were building off […]

Fifteen years after her last solo record, Amy Millan returns with I Went to Find You, an intimate, carefully layered album shaped by loss, memory, and quiet resilience. Co-written and produced with composer Jay McCarrol, the record trades in the kinds of subtle arrangements and understated emotion that don’t immediately demand attention, but reward close […]

Moon Beams marked an important moment for Bill Evans. Recorded in 1962, it was his first trio album following the sudden death of bassist Scott LaFaro, whose intuitive style had shaped much of Evans’ earlier sound. Rather than returning with something bold or experimental, Evans chose a softer approach—an album built almost entirely around ballads. […]

For his 80th birthday celebration, John Fogerty headed east to the gorgeous Beacon Theater on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, setting up shop for the first of two nights with his Travelin’ Band. On a soaking and bleak Wednesday (May 28th), he celebrated his actual birthday by opening the show with a prepared video […]

Aesop Rock is the type of artist who has held a veteran presence in Hip-hop since his debut record. Over the past few decades, the emcee/producer has crafted a discography that plays like a series of novels, each one capturing a chapter in Rock’s life as he navigates success and modern trappings. His consistently conceptual […]

Listening to current Nashville resident Imogen Clark’s latest, Choking On Fuel, you’d swear she was a native who got her start playing dive bars around town before finally getting booked at The Bluebird Café or The Basement East. Surprisingly, Clark got her start as a teen playing bars in Sydney, Australia, not exactly the most […]

Before each Memorial Day weekend in the Appalachian foothills of western Maryland, a unique phenomenon occurs. Tens of thousands of like-minded bluegrass-obsessed musical adventure seekers migrate to the welcoming confines of the Allegany County Fairgrounds in Cumberland, Maryland, for a four-day experience that stands as the epitome of what a music festival should be: DelFest.  […]

Boston Calling ignited the Harvard Athletic Complex this past Memorial Day Weekend, May 23-25, as always with an eclectic and electrifying lineup. Headliners included country sensation Luke Combs, pop-punk giants Fall Out Boy, and rock stalwarts Dave Matthews Band. This year’s festival promised and delivered a diverse musical journey, featuring punk-pop princess Avril Lavigne and […]