Album Reviews

Lucette

Some of us out there may recall having to lift the needle, many times at the risk of scratching the hell out of your 89-cent 45, or worse your $3.98 … Read more

The Rolling Stones

Honk is yet another of those “Best of” releases from one of the world’s most loved outfits. While many will already have much of the material included here in other … Read more

The Shootouts

You won’t find gunfighter ballads on the debut album of this Western swing and honky tonk quintet, despite that there’s a nostalgic Red Ryder-style illustration of two cowboy gunslingers about to … Read more

Rod Melancon

Rod Melancon’s first album, the striking Southern Gothic, was presumably so named because of its largely dark content. Turns out, it’s Melancon himself who’s the Southern Goth, because his second … Read more

Jared Deck

The first two cuts on Bully Pulpit, rife with Deck’s gravelly shouted lines and a rocking gospel choir (both sounding ripped straight from a Southern Baptist or Pentecostal church) won’t … Read more

The B.B King Blues Band

The stars of this luminary-filled date are not the obvious guests but the ten-piece BB King Blues Band, the unit that was behind the master for over 35 years. Especially … Read more

Kerry Kearney

I initially was interested in hearing this, solely because this group hails from Long Island, NY, my music training grounds, which is far from being the blues capital of the … Read more

Bob Corritore & Friends

Harmonica ace Bob Corritore knows how to throw a party. The owner of Phoenix’s renowned Rhythm Room and affable sideman, leader, and collaborator enlists the support of a staggering 39 … Read more

Johnny Shines

Anything new from the late, truly great Johnny Shines is nothing short of pure gold. Shines remains one of the greatest US bluesmen to have graced the planet, a man … Read more

Tylor & The Train Robbers

Storming out of Boise, Idaho, the Americana band Tylor & The Train Robbers take us back to those early Western days as they celebrate the history of the infamous Black … Read more