Various Artists – The Road To Jajouka (Howe)
Some 42 years ago, Rolling Stone Brian Jones shared his discovery of Morocco’s Master Musicians of Jajouka via an album of field recordings featuring their extraordinary sounds. Now, a current … Read more
Album Reviews
Ed Roland & The Sweet Tea Project – Devils ‘n Darlins (429…
The debut album from Collective Soul vocalist Ed Roland’s southern-tinged, gospel/folk amalgam, the Sweet Tea Project, dives headfirst into a brave new world of countrified hootin’ and twangin’. Owing no … Read more
Sonny & The Sunsets – Antenna To The Afterworld (Polyvinyl)
A songwriter, playwright and writer of short stories, Sonny Smith is not your typical bandleader, and Antenna to the Afterworld is not your typical new wave synth/post punk record. Actually, … Read more
Wild Child – The Runaround (The Noise Company)
Wild Child could have been another saccharine pop band. The boy/girl vocals, the bouncy ukulele, the group-sung hooks of nonsense syllables and the swells of strings could have added up … Read more
Richard Buckner – Surrounded (Merge)
Richard Buckner seems to have experienced a lonely career path thus far. Despite the undeniable beauty inherent in his music, his dimly lit albums are often cast in melancholy and … Read more
Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers – Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers (Little…
The dynamic and versatile singer-songwriter Nicki Bluhm is about to take the leap from a mostly regional Bay Area act to a major draw on the jam band and roots … Read more
John Paul Keith – Memphis Circa 3 AM (Fat Possum)
A name like John Paul Keith might suggest a mash-up between the Beatles and the Stones, courtesy of someone who perhaps chose to name himself after their principals. The fact … Read more
Studebaker John’s Maxwell Street Kings – Kingsville Jukin’ (Delmark Records)
Many blues artists are taking their music in a more contemporary-friendly direction, nearly devoid of the scholarly dedication to their deepest heritage seen in past decades. On the other hand, … Read more
The Rolling Stones – Charlie Is My Darling – Ireland 1965 (ABKCO)
In 1965, young filmmaker Peter Whitehead, along with music entrepreneur and then-manager Andrew Loog Oldham, set out to chronicle the Rolling Stones on tour. Handheld, black-and-white cinematography (later made fashionable … Read more
The ABC&D Of Boogie Woogie – Live In Paris (Eagle)
Recorded live at a chic club in Paris, this tour de force of four world-class players takes off with “Bonsoir Boogie!” and rips through 14 mostly original tracks of the … Read more
