review Archive
13 May 2023
Hundred Word Reviews, May 2023 Part 2
Hey hey – it’s time for some more succinct surveys of superb sounds. Hundred-word stylee. Here we go. Ransom and the Subset – Perfect Crimes It’s been nearly a decade […]
12 May 2023
Album Review: Mojoike and Lady Val — Phoenix
Mojoike (or Magic Mojo Ike, as he’s also known) is a towering figure in the Miami blues scene. With his searing, passionate electric guitar work and his expressive voice, Ike […]
11 May 2023
Album Review: Taj Mahal — Savoy
Taj Mahal is music royalty. A prime exponent of both Americana and so-called “world music” long before either of those labels came into widespread use, he’s a bluesman at his […]
08 May 2023
Hundred Word Reviews, May 2023: Vinyl!
Me, I dig vinyl. I’m happy to sidestep arguments concerning sound quality versus their digital counterparts; while CDs and even streaming have their place, I prefer the tactile, participatory experience […]
05 May 2023
Album Review: World Party — Egyptology
World Party’s fourth album was also its best. Karl Wallinger’s skillful distillation of his influences – a dazzling grab-bag that included Sly Stone, Van Morrison and the Beatles as mere […]
30 Apr 2023
Album Review: Stephan Thelen — Fractal Guitar 3
The idea that classical music and popular forms of music can coexist isn’t a new one. The Moody Blues bridged the gap between the two with Days of Future Passed […]
29 Apr 2023
Album Review: Little River Band — Ultimate Hits
Call it soft rock if you like. Label it as yacht rock if you must. Formed in Melbourne waaay back in the mid 1970s, the band enjoyed worldwide success, placing […]
25 Apr 2023
Album Review: Electric Beethoven – Hear No Evil
The musical compositions of Ludwig von Beethoven are among the most durable works in the history of music. Long before the pop music term hook came into use, Beethoven was […]
23 Apr 2023
Album Review: Anchor and Burden – Kosmonautic Pilgrimage
Impressionistic bloops and bleeps. Delightfully jarring stabs of percussion. Wild throbs of thunderous bass guitar. Otherworldly sonic textures courtesy of touch guitar. Those are merely some of the components of […]
21 Apr 2023
Album Review: Walter Bishop Jr. – Bish at the Bank
Baltimore, Maryland had a thriving and lively jazz scene in the mid-to late 1960s and well into the early ‘70s. Proof positive was the success of the Famous Ballroom, a […]