new release Archive
08 Nov 2021
Album Review: Wesley Stace — Late Style
For most of his professional career Wesley Stace has worked using the stage name/sobriquet John Wesley Harding. The singer-songwriter’s love (and command) of wordplay is second to none; leave it […]
06 Nov 2021
Album Review: Dave Liebman Expansions — Selflessness
Selflessness isn’t saxophonist Dave Liebman’s first tribute to John Coltrane, but as Lewis Porter’s liner notes explain, it’s the first of those in which he works with his current band […]
02 Nov 2021
Hundred Word Reviews for November 2021: Five New Jazz Releases
It’s been quite awhile since I’ve done a roundup of capsule reviews. It’s time. So here’s my take on five new releases, all in the jazz idiom. Chuck Owen and […]
28 Oct 2021
Starfarer: To the Synthwave ‘Multiverse’ and Beyond
Though he was already well-established as a metal guitarist, when Miguel Iniguez launched Starfarer in 2017, he was a total newcomer to the world of electronic music. Memories of 1980s […]
25 Oct 2021
Bob Mould Wears ‘Blue Hearts’ on His Sleeve
Listening to Bob Mould’s music – his more than a dozen solo albums, his releases leading Sugar in the ’90s, and especially the run of six albums he made with […]
24 Oct 2021
Album Review: Alison Faith Levy — You Are Magic
Disclaimer: My children are in their late 20s and early 30s, so I am by no means the primary target demographic for this release. But I know good music when […]
23 Oct 2021
Album Review: Richie Mayer – The Inn of Temporary Happiness
Richie Mayer is a clearly a student of classic pop. His breezy melodies are irresistible. They sound jut familiar enough to invite comparisons to The Beatles and like-minded artists, but […]
22 Oct 2021
Sugar Candy Mountain Makes a Good ‘Impression’
Hypnotic psychedelia with a deep groove is the musical stock in trade of Oakland’s Sugar Candy Mountain. Led by multi-instrumentalists Will Halsey and Ash Reiter, the group debuted with a […]
21 Oct 2021
Album Review: Seth Lee Jones – Flathead
Seth Lee Jones aims for a live-in-the-studio vibe on Flathead, and the Tulsa guitarist hits the bullseye. Leading a trio that features bassist Bo Hallford and drummer Matt Teegarden, Jones […]
20 Oct 2021
Album Review: Eric Bibb — Dear America
Born, raised and immersed in the musical culture of New York City, these days guitarist-songwriter Eric Bibb is better described as a world citizen. He moved to Europe at the […]