new release Archive
13 Aug 2020
Crime and Spy Jazz on Screen: A Conversation with Derrick Bang (Part 1)
One of the many benefits of being a music journalist is that I come into contact with all manner of creative types. So it was that my friend Cheryl Pawelski […]
12 Aug 2020
Album Review: ‘Rolling Stone: Life and Death of Brian Jones’ Soundtrack
There are at least three categories of film soundtrack albums. One is a collection of songs, scores, cues and the like, often by a single composer/artist, music created expressly for […]
11 Aug 2020
Album Review: Various Artists — Saving for a Custom Van
Grammy Award-winner Adam Schlesinger died on April 1 of complications from COVID-19. The singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist gained fame for his work as a member of power pop band Fountains […]
10 Aug 2020
Book Review: Eddie Floyd with Tony Fletcher — Knock! Knock! Knock! on Wood
Eddie Floyd is best known for his 1966 hit single, “Knock on Wood.” Backed by the Stax band Booker T & the MGs, Floyd delivered a powerful, soulful and highly […]
09 Aug 2020
Album Review: Turnstyles – Cut You Off
Members of Jack Oblivian’s band, Seth Moody (guitar) and Graham Winchester (drums) are Turnstyles. From Memphis, this group/duo deals in the rocking yet cheerfully loose vibe that characterizes many of […]
08 Aug 2020
Album Review: Barrett Martin Group — Scattered Diamonds
In spring of last year, I reviewed Songs of the Firebird, a resonant and deeply intriguing album that could be described in part as a jazz album made with non-jazz […]
07 Aug 2020
Why Not Give it a Try: Gordon Lightfoot Goes ‘Solo’ (Part 3 of 3)
Continued from Part Two … Things took off from there. His long string of hits would include many highlights, including “Sundown” and “Carefree Highway,” both from 1974’s Sundown LP, and […]
06 Aug 2020
Why Not Give it a Try: Gordon Lightfoot Goes ‘Solo’ (Part 2 of 3)
Continued from Part One … And he had another fleeting concern. All those years had gone by, and then he returns with a simple, unadorned album? “I didn’t want people […]
05 Aug 2020
Why Not Give it a Try: Gordon Lightfoot Goes ‘Solo’ (Part 1 of 3)
When Gordon Lightfoot soared to the top of the U.S. singles charts with 1970’s “If You Could Read My Mind,” most listeners considered him a new artist. But the Ontario-born […]
04 Aug 2020
Eleanor Underhill’s New and Strange Chemistry (Part 2 of 2)
Continued from Part One … There’s a moody — and sometimes even a little dark and melancholy — vibe to some of the music on Land of the Living. Would […]