new release Archive
09 Sep 2022
DVD Review: Waiting – The Van Duren Story
In recent years, a remarkably personal style of documentary has come into vogue. Whereas in a traditional documentary, the narrator is both invisible and omniscient, and this new (or newly […]
06 Sep 2022
EP Review: Rue ’66 — Partie de Dames
I’ve written now and then (here and here, for example) about French pop of the 1960s. The so-called yé-yé movement, and the charming if slightly odd insularity that characterized the […]
31 Aug 2022
HU’s Next: The Finest in Mongolian Metal
Touring with familiar names like Five Finger Death Punch and Megadeth is a new and very different band. From landlocked Mongolia comes one of heavy metal’s unlikeliest new groups, The […]
30 Aug 2022
Album Review: The Iveys – Golden Delicious Demos (1966-69)
Badfinger fans (and perhaps a handful of others) know that when that group was signed to The Beatles’ Apple Records, they were still known as the Iveys. Their first single […]
29 Aug 2022
Album Review: Pete Ham – Demos Variety Pack
Anyone with a taste for melodic rock surely appreciates the greatness that was Badfinger. The group led by Welsh-born singer, songwriter and guitarist Pete Ham created a body of work […]
21 Aug 2022
EP Review: Merciful Heavens – For Now
I’ve been reviewing albums for, oh, close to 20 years now. I’m on many music publicists’ mailing and e-mail lists, and I’m grateful for that. Occasionally, though, I receive unsolicited […]
20 Aug 2022
Single Review: Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Travelin’ Band” Live
This one deserves a bit of background. In 1970 Creedence Clearwater Revival was on top of the world, and deservedly so. The quartet from El Cerrito, California had amassed an […]
19 Aug 2022
EP Review: DB Edmunds — Life’s Wild Ride
Standing in contrast to the prevailing alternarock grunge of the 1990s was a comparatively tiny coterie of artists who valued melody along with rock’s power. Bands like Greenberry Woods, Sugar, […]
17 Aug 2022
Album Review: Tamar Berk — The Restless Dreams of Youth
Way back in the heyday of rock and pop, artists who scored a record deal were required to churn out a new collection of songs every few months. That furious […]
14 Aug 2022
Album Review: Shemekia Copeland — Done Come Too Far
Shemekia Copeland is one of the most important voices in music today. Her chosen idiom is the blues, and her powerful, impassioned and commanding vocals are the vehicle for compelling […]