Author Archive
17 Feb 2025
Album Review: Laura Nyro – Hear My Song: The Collection, 1966-1995
If the Mamas and the Papas were combined into one individual, or if Carole King were somehow genetically engineered to have commensurate talents but a different musical perspective, the end […]
16 Feb 2025
Five Classics from Neil Innes
Neil Innes was a superb and witty songwriter. Much of his work came to the public’s attention thanks to his close friendship with the Beatles, but Innes’ work stands on […]
15 Feb 2025
30 Days Out, Feb. 2025 #2: Fireside Collective, Piper & the Hard Times, Asheville Jazz Orchestra, Joe Bonamassa
Americana, blues, jazz and… more blues are among the highlights of Asheville (and Cherokee) live music in the coming thirty days. Off we go! Artist: Fireside Collective Venue: Asheville Music […]
14 Feb 2025
Larkin Poe Go Their Own Way
This feature first appeared in SPIN. The success of Larkin Poe’s 2024 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album could have been a double-edged sword, painting the rootsy duo of […]
13 Feb 2025
Album Review: Ed Rawlings – A Foolish Inconsistency
Way back in 1841, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” The line is from his essay “Self-Reliance,” itself an ironic title, seeing as […]
12 Feb 2025
Dirty Logic: Reelin’ in the Classics
The recent interest in so-called “yacht rock” – brought about thanks to a new HBO documentary on the subject – has brought the names of several bands from the ‘70s […]
11 Feb 2025
Album Review: Ronnie Baker Brooks – Blues in my DNA
Acclaimed blues guitarist and singer Lonnie Brooks had a stellar career, working in Chicago’s West Side and releasing scattered singles throughout the ‘60s. By 1969 he landed an album deal. […]
10 Feb 2025
Five BÖC Classics with Eric Bloom on Lead Vocal
Blue Öyster Cult reigns near the top among bands who helped bring heavy metal into the mainstream. Their approach – rock-solid riffs, intelligent lyrics that combined humor and a touch […]
09 Feb 2025
Music Blurbs, Vol. 8
More of my capsule commentaries. Louder Than Hell Remember the ‘80s? Louder Than Hell certainly does. Drawing from a variety of popular styles – hair metal, power balladry, mainstream rock, […]
08 Feb 2025
Five Rock Classics from ‘The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album’
Christmas is less than 11 months away! So… In November 1964, the Beach Boys released their seventh studio album. Their status as a recording act was then barely past its […]