new release Archive
22 Dec 2023
Album Review: The Adam Deitch Quartet – Roll the Tape
There’s something truly special about soul jazz. The hybrid form came to its peak of prominence in the ‘60s and 1970s, combining the accessible melodic values of gospel, the passion […]
21 Dec 2023
Album Review: The Small Square – Ours & Others
In practice, supergroups tend either to showcase something greater than the sum of their parts, or (more often) they’re uninspired, failing to capture the qualities that brought fame to each […]
19 Dec 2023
Album Review: The Lunar Laugh – In the Black
By this point in our shared musical journey, gentle reader, you’ve likely discerned that the Big Stir label is a trademark of quality. Co-helmed by the passionate, dedicated and hard-working […]
18 Dec 2023
Album Review: Bobby Sutliff – Bob Sings and Plays
If your tastes run toward melodic alternative rock, its slightly earlier incarnation as “college rock” and/or power pop, chances are good that the name Bobby Sutliff rings some welcome bells. […]
16 Dec 2023
Album Review: Gray / Miley: Next World Sound Series Volume One
Produced by David Javelosa, this ambient/new age release features three tracks: two by Jane Grey, and two by Thomas Miley. Grey’s “Project 5” run in excess of 30 minutes and […]
14 Dec 2023
Album Review: Monster Mike Welch – Nothing But Time
Three-time Blues Music Award nominee (and 2019 winner in the Instrumentalist – Guitar category) Monster Mike Welch has been releasing albums under his own name since his 1996 debut, These […]
13 Dec 2023
Album Review: Mick Kolassa – Wooden Music
Memphis-based guitarist “Michissippi Mick” Kolassa calls his brand of music “free range blues.” It’s his way of getting across the idea that he doesn’t confine his style to any one […]
12 Dec 2023
Album Review: John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers – Live in 1967 Volume 3
Though the movement got its start in the 1950s thanks to pioneers Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner – both of whom were greatly influenced by American blues records – the […]
11 Dec 2023
Album Review: The Nick Moss Band — Get Your Back Into It!
Nick Moss has been leading his own bands for years; starting the late ‘90s, he released a string of blues albums with The Flip Tops. By 2010 he billed himself […]
06 Dec 2023
Album Review: Tom Hambridge — Blu Ja Vu
Tom Hambridge has a weighty résumé. A 1983 Berklee graduate, much of the Buffalo native’s work has been behind the scenes. As a composer, he’s provided songs for a wide […]