review Archive
02 May 2014
Album Review: Marshall Holland and the Etceteras
The name of this act – Marshall Holland and the Etceteras is a rock-pop red herring: every sound you’ll hear on this delightful record was produced by Holland himself. The […]
30 Apr 2014
Album Review: Narada Michael Walden – Thunder
Polymath Narada Michael Walden is a giant in many fields: a monster drummer in the fusion, progressive, jazz and funk fields, he’s also a highly accomplished songwriter who’s penned hits […]
29 Apr 2014
Album Review: David Ruffin – My Whole World Ended / Feelin’ Good
Sure, everybody knows The Temptations, and their many hits, including “My Girl,” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” both featuring lead vocals of David Ruffin. But fewer – especially those […]
28 Apr 2014
Album Review: Blood Sweat & Tears – The Complete Columbia Singles
For some years there, BS&T was a true hitmaking juggernaut. And a lot of their music was – for whatever reason – the kind of thing that your parents might […]
25 Apr 2014
Album Review: Jimbo Mathus — Dark Night of the Soul
I can make no legitimate claim to an ability to define Americana. Like the former chief justice said about another art form, I know it when I, um, hear it. […]
24 Apr 2014
Album Review: Lalo Schifrin — ‘Bullitt’ Soundtrack
Here’s a look at another Record Store Day release, available on limited-edition 200-gram vinyl. If, like me, you grew up in the late 60s and early 70s, this music will […]
09 Apr 2014
Book Review: The Evolution of Mann
Lately I’ve been mulling the age-old question: what makes a bandwagon-jumper? Pop music’s history is filled with examples of bands and solo artists who have adopted stylistic u-turns in a […]
08 Apr 2014
Album Review: Magic Sam — Live at the Avant Garde
Soulful blues guitarist Magic Sam (Sam Maghett) was only documented on album-length studio recordings twice in his short career. West Side Soul in 1967 and the following year’s Black Magic […]
07 Apr 2014
Album Review: Tower of Power — Hipper Than Hip
For quite a number of years – primarily the mid 90s to around 2006 – I was immersed in a consuming hobby of sorts: I collected and traded bootlegs […]
04 Apr 2014
Festival Review: Big Ears 2014, Day 3 (Part Two)
The final set of performances we took in at Big Ears 2014 were all centered around the work of minimalist composer Steve Reich. It was all deeply thrilling, visceral, emotional […]