Album Reviews

Takuya Kuroda

Takuya Kuroda doesn’t seem content to play in just one sandbox. The title, Zigzagger, hints that we’re dealing with an unrelentingly restless spirit here, and his fifth album backs it up … Read more

Si Cranstoun

Classic soul fans are quickly catching on to the sixth CD by British singer/songwriter Si Cranstoun, an Old School where dancing is everyone’s major. Heavily influenced by 1950s and 1960s … Read more

Bruce Springsteen

For his 67th birthday, Bruce drops the audio companion to his upcoming memoir Born To Run. Yes, there are five pre-Columbia, pre-sainthood tracks kicking off what at first appears like … Read more

Spain

Spain’s latest release, Carolina, lingers in gorgeous, wistful melancholy. At times, lead singer/songwriter Josh Haden’s voice is reminiscent of R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe and Gary Louris of the Jayhawks. The cover art features … Read more

James Leg

The blues are often meant to be dirty, but James Leg (better known as John Wesley Myers, of Black Diamond Heavies fame) specializes in a variety dirtier than most. Here’s … Read more

Reckless Kelly

Label them any genre you want – outlaw country, roots rock or red dirt – Reckless Kelly has a formula that works. As a long-time fan of Reckless Kelly, I … Read more

Bob Weir

There is an American tradition of iconic musicians losing their cool. The stylistic cesspool of Bob Dylan’s late game projects obscured the enduring quality of his songcraft just as Miles … Read more

Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials

This Big Sound is the foundation upon which Alligator Records was built. Beginning with the slide guitar boogie of Hound Dog Taylor and the House Rockers and spawned by the … Read more

Anders Osborne

There’s nothing flowery about Anders Osborne’s brand of rock. It’s straight-ahead, guitar-driven blues that stays true to the influences he’s acknowledged since arriving on these shores from his native Sweden … Read more