r&b Archive
25 Feb 2023
Album Review: Ruthie Foster – Healing Time
It’s the rare artist capable of creating a body of work that transcends genre. True, Ruthie Foster has been recipient of many, many awards in the blues idiom. Foster has […]
15 Dec 2022
30 Days Out, Dec. 2022 #2: Russ Wilson, Datrian Johnson, Asheville Jazz Orchestra, Moon Hooch
The end of the year and the cold of winter represent something of a return to form for Asheville; most of the tourists are gone, and locally-based artists who tour […]
07 Jun 2022
Randall Bramblett: Lucky That Way
The music business has a built-in tendency to categorize artists: they’re a rocker, a country act, a jazz cat, a rapper or something else. And in those relatively rare instances […]
28 May 2022
EP Review: Diplomats of Solid Sound – The Live EP
This nine-person ensemble released a fine album, A Higher Place, in 2019. That was my first exposure to the Iowa group, but I soon discovered that they have been together […]
13 Feb 2022
Album Review: Ben Levin — Still Here
Postwar jump blues, swing and proto-rock ‘n’ roll is the order of the day on pianist Ben Levin’s latest release, Still Here. Informed by the rollicking New Orleans piano stylings […]
06 Dec 2021
Album Review: Tito Jackson — Under Your Spell
If you’re any of the offspring of Joe Jackson of Gary, Indiana, your surname carries with it a great deal of baggage. The stunningly talented Jackson 5 (later The Jacksons) […]
15 Nov 2021
30 Days Out, November 2021 #2: John “Papa” Gros, Mike Zito, Hiss Golden Messenger, Steve Gunn, Jeff Parker
The new normal, yeah. Heck, even I am going to shows again. But I wear a mask, I’m vaccinated, and I’m getting the booster soon. Because let’s display at least […]
30 Oct 2021
There is the Love: NC Music Hall of Fame 2021
North Carolina has a rich and varied musical heritage. As a means of honoring that state’s contributions to music, the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame was established in 1994. […]
28 Aug 2021
Album Review: Etta James — The Montreux Years
Announced in March 2021, an archive of historically significant musical recordings is now beginning to be shared with the wider listening audience. Run by Claude Nobs, the highly regarded Montreux […]
27 Apr 2021
Album Review: Jimmie Vaughan – The Pleasure’s All Mine
Among the wider population, Jimmie Vaughan is known as the older brother of Stevie Ray Vaughan, as the founding guitarist in the Fabulous Thunderbirds and for his work with that […]