r&b Archive
30 Apr 2015
Album Review: It’s Jamaica Jump Blues Time!
For American readers and listeners, this new compilation from Fantastic Voyage requires a bit of background; when I first laid eyes on it, I had no clue as to either […]
28 Apr 2015
Album Review: The Moody Blues — The Magnificent Moodies (Part 2)
Continued from Part One... The early Moody Blues certainly deserved better success than they found. Their lack of chart action was certainly a factor in Denny Laine‘s departure. But during […]
27 Apr 2015
Album Review: The Moody Blues — The Magnificent Moodies (Part 1)
Not long ago I interviewed Moody Blues founding member/flautist/vocalist Ray Thomas; much of our conversation centered around a new box set documenting the group’s pre-Days of Future Passed material. That […]
06 Mar 2015
Hundred Word Reviews for March 2015, Part 5
For the final entry in this run of hundred-word reviews, I take quick looks at some rare and/or reissued music. I think it’s all worth your time. TV Eyes – […]
23 Feb 2015
Album Review: Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas – Secret Evil
It’s easy – too easy, in fact – to note that on Secret Evil, Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas sound a good bit like Amy Winehouse. Yes, there are similarities […]
11 Feb 2015
The Bobby Lance Story, Part Three
Continued from Part Two… Listening now, “More Than Enough Rain” isn’t even the best track on First Peace. Lance’s soulful vocal work, supported by The Sweet Inspirations, is a highlight […]
10 Feb 2015
The Bobby Lance Story, Part Two
Continued from Part One… The Lance/Robins songwriting team had come to the attention of George Goldner, head of the Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller-founded Red Bird Records. In particular, Goldner recognized Bobby’s […]
09 Feb 2015
The Bobby Lance Story
Late in 2014, I was contacted by the music reissue label Real Gone Music. Label head Gordon Anderson asked me if I’d be interested in writing the liner notes for […]
30 Jan 2015
Hundred-word Reviews: January 2015, Part 5
There’s a never-ending stream of reissued music, too. So it’s time once again for some hundred-worders to work off some of my backlog. As always, these all deserve full reviews, […]
24 Dec 2014
Best of 2014: Concerts
One of the many pleasures associated with living in the small mountain city of Asheville NC is access to great live music. I grew up in the 70s and 80s […]