new release Archive
07 Jan 2018
Hundred Word Reviews for January 2018, Part 2
As promised, here are ten more capsule reviews of new music. The Sherlocks – Live for the Moment In an era many define as “post-rock,” it’s refreshing to discover a […]
06 Jan 2018
Hundred Word Reviews for January 2018, Part 1
As we begin another calendar year, now seems like a good time to clear out some of my backlog. All of these albums are new (or at least newish) releases. […]
05 Jan 2018
Album Review: Hope Griffin — And the Lights Will Shine
With 18 live dates scheduled in December 2017, Alaska-born folk singer-songwriter-guitarist Hope Griffin is clearly in demand. Performing in a variety of configurations – solo as well as part of […]
04 Jan 2018
Toubab Krewe’s Second Act
When the band began touring in 2005, Asheville-based Toubab Krewe quickly established itself as a formidable hybrid of African and Western musical traditions. High demand and seemingly boundless energy kept […]
03 Jan 2018
The Freeway Revival: Keys to the Highway
The Freeway Revival starts with a foundation of concise, structured songs; the Asheville group builds upon that with elements of Southern rock, deftly weaving in displays of vocal and instrumental […]
24 Dec 2017
Boxed Set Review: Isaac Hayes — The Spirit of Memphis
Isaac Hayes was the man. Certainly, he developed an outsized public persona, with his bare chest, furry boots, wide-brimmed hat, chains and gold-played Cadillac (though not all at the same […]
16 Dec 2017
Hundred-word Reviews for December 2017: New Music
As the end of 2017 approaches, it’s time to clear out some of the backlog on my review shelf. Here are ten titles, all new music, that I think might […]
10 Dec 2017
Book Reviews for the End of 2017
With so much of 2017 spent writing a book of my own, I’ve found less time than usual to read the works of other authors. Happily, three titles that I […]
09 Dec 2017
Book Review: Richard Lloyd – ‘Everything is Combustible’
Discorporate and We’ll Begin. Everything is Combustible is not your run-of-the-mill rock memoir. But then Richard Lloyd is nobody’s idea of a run-of-the-mill rock musician. As a founding member and […]
04 Dec 2017
Album Review: The Fritz — Natural Mind
The phase-shifted synthesizer pads that introduce “Stuck in Between,” the opening track on The Fritz‘s new album Natural Mind, evokes thoughts of 1970s r&b outfit like the Brothers Johnson. But […]