review Archive
13 Jan 2020
Don’t Ever Change: The Beatles’ ‘Live at the BBC’ at 25
The Beatles’ final album, Let it Be, was released in May 1970. With the exception of the 1977 LP The Beatles Live at the Hollywood Bowl and two same-named but […]
12 Jan 2020
Book Review: Rip it Up: The Specialty Records Story
BMG Publishing launched a series of books, the RPM Series, a few years ago. Superficially similar in scope to the 33-1/3 series, these volumes are designed to chronicle the history […]
11 Jan 2020
Album Review: Empire Strikes Brass — Brassterpiece Theatre
Some creative projects are the result of a carefully thought-out plan. Others happen through a special combination of good fortune and the participants’ openness to whatever develops. The latter is […]
09 Jan 2020
Album Review: Cary Grace – ‘Lady of Turquoise’
Cary Grace has carved out a fascinating niche in the world of music. Though she got her start in the Nashville singer-songwriter community (she even had Vince Gill play on […]
30 Dec 2019
Deliciousness: Frank Zappa’s ‘Hot Rats’ at 50
By the time of the release of Hot Rats, his second solo album, Frank Zappa was well established as an important force in pushing the boundaries of pop music. Not […]
28 Dec 2019
Album Review: Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters — Christmas on a Greyhound Bus
When an artist releases an album (or EP) of holiday music, it need not be designed to fulfill an obligation to a label. It also needn’t be a placeholder while […]
23 Dec 2019
Musoscribe’s Best of 2019: Reissue/archival Releases
2019 was another great year for reissue and archival releases. A few stood out as especially noteworthy; those are listed and briefly described) below. More details (my reviews, interviews … […]
22 Dec 2019
Boxed Set Review: Land of 1000 Dances
Though there were certainly earlier examples, the era of the lavish boxed set began a few decades back; it more or less coincided with the CD era. And it persisted […]
20 Dec 2019
Album Review: The Black Tones — Cobain & Cornbread
Ice-T (among many others) has long made the point that African Americans’ role in the creation of rock ‘n’ roll doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. While I agree, I […]
19 Dec 2019
Album Review: Curt Boettcher & Friends — Looking for the Sun
Those who take the trouble to dig deep into pop culture know that there exist around the margins an untold number of worthy artists who never got their due. Said […]