The mark of any great power pop album is its ability to not only stick in your head after the music has stopped, but its ability to make you want…
CD Reviews
636 Articles
Mojo Flucke
1 Min Read
If I were Allen Toussaint, I’d have taken a decade’s hiatus from making solo records, too. While the great New Orleans pianistÁ¢€”right up there on the city’s piano Mount Rushmore…
Ken Shane
2 Min Read
“There are so many of these indie-rock shows that you go to that are so joyless. I just want people to feel this joy and celebratory nature of rock and…
Dw. Dunphy
1 Min Read
When I first heard that the new Doves album, Kingdom Of Rust, hearkened more toward their first album, Lost Souls (2000), than their most recent, Some Cities, even though that…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
As the frontman for blues rock duo the Black Keys, Dan Auerbach is known for his raw, powerful rock ‘n’ roll songwriting and guitar playing. But on his first solo…
Dw. Dunphy
1 Min Read
I still feel bad about Kelly Clarkson. Weird, no? All I Ever Wanted has been out awhile now, the first single, “My Life Would Suck Without You,” is the big,…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
In “There’s No Secrets this Year,” the first song on Swoon, the Silversun Pickups come out swinging for the fences.Á‚ If the band has been bothered by frequent comparisons to…
Jack Feerick
1 Min Read
Rock ‘n’ roll and Gospel music have a long and contentious history, traditionally operating at odds to one another; and while it’s tempting to view that divide as entirely racial,…
Ken Shane
2 Min Read
The definition of “cool” is a very amorphous thing. Basically, it depends on who’s doing the defining. One thing that a lot of people agree on these days is that…
Dw. Dunphy
1 Min Read
It’s not that I wanted to hate the new QueensrÁƒ¿che album, American Soldier. I never approach a new record with the desire to dislike it, no matter who it is,…
Ken Shane
2 Min Read
Do you like those smooth soul ballads? Maybe you like to kick back with your lady, or man, and chill out with the lights low, and the Delfonics singing softly…
Ken Shane
1 Min Read
The Hazards of Love (Capitol Records), the fifth Decemberists album, is a romantic fairy tale, albeit one with some extremely dark passages, and a very sad ending. Musically, Colin Meloy…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
On her latest release, fiery-haired singer-songwriter Neko Case lightens the tone, musically, while trekking into deeper territory, emotionally. With Middle Cyclone, Case, who’s developed something of a reputation for avoiding…
Rob Smith
1 Min Read
Indigo Girls – Poseidon and the Bitter Bug (2009, Vanguard) Purchase this album (Amazon) To a 19-year-old roiling with existential crises, the Indigo Girls’ major label debut was the perfect…
Dw. Dunphy
2 Min Read
Some things just don’t go quite the way they’re planned. For instance, I was supposed to be over the moon and in love with U2’s latest album, No Line on…
Rob Smith
1 Min Read
Various Artists – The Coolest Songs in the World! Vol. 8 (2009, Wicked Cool) Purchase this album (Amazon) Let us now praise famous do-rag-wearing guitarist/songwriter/deejay/record execs. Now, unless Clive Davis…
Ken Shane
1 Min Read
It certainly wouldn’t be accurate to say that Buddy and Julie Miller have bad luck. After all, each of them has had wonderful career as songwriter and performer. They’ve each…
Ken Shane
1 Min Read
It’s no secret that tribute albums and charity compilations can be hit-or-miss affairs at best. In the case of the latter, all you can really do is be happy that…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Lelia Broussard – Waiting on the 9 (self-released, 2008) purchase this album (Amie Street) I’m pretty sure I have t-shirts that are older than Lelia Broussard, but even at the…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Various Artists – New Arrivals Vol. 3: Artists for Eating Disorders Awareness (2008, MPress) purchase this album (CD Baby) The MPress Records New Arrivals series has been bringing talented singer/songwriters…
Ken Shane
1 Min Read
I’m not much of a believer in band reunions — they seldom result in any output that actually improves the band’s legacy, and often have just the opposite effect. Still,…
Dw. Dunphy
1 Min Read
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel gave the world something that has never been fully recognized, I think. Now, I enjoy folk music and several of its most recognizable proponents, but…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
Too many actors turned “musicians” simply stumble through albums without much creativity or passion, depending on the fame and “talent” society has somewhat widely agreed upon to carry them from…
Ken Shane
2 Min Read
I love soul music in each and every one of its glorious permutations, so it’s been gratifying for me to listen as a new generation of soul masters has taken…
Ken Shane
1 Min Read
Erika Wennerstrom is a genuine force of nature. If you’re hearing her voice for the first time, you quickly realize that it qualifies as a revelation. If you’ve heard her…
Taylor Long
2 Min Read
Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You (2009, Capitol) purchase this album (Amazon) When you weigh Lily Allen‘s artistic output with how much tabloid-style press she gets, it’s safe…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
If, upon hearing the news that Steve Martin has a banjo album, you have an image of Martin in overalls and a straw hat displaying a novice’s banjo-picking skills while…
Ken Shane
2 Min Read
F. Scott Fitzgerald once famously declared that there are no second acts in American lives. It’s a good thing that the Bee Gees aren’t American, then, because they’ve had at…
Dw. Dunphy
2 Min Read
Yes – Symphonic Live (2009, Eagle Records) purchase this album (Amazon) It’s hard for me to judge the music of Yes in any rational way — and even harder when…
Dw. Dunphy
1 Min Read
Frank Sinatra – From the Heart (2009, Legacy) purchase this album (Amazon) Valentine’s Day – depending on your walk of life, it’s either a splendid day of warm, romantic thoughts…