Like the titular automobile, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Sue Foley is dependable, road-tested, and economical. Through sheer tenacity, the Canadian has become an experienced and respected veteran in the limited but fertile genre of female blues-guitar-slinging bandleaders. On her tenth album, Foley finds a cruising lane between her tougher early work and a slicker, more R&B-influenced sound. […]
There is no doubt about Edgar Meyer’s musicianship, creativity or talent. This CD features 14 new works, all by Meyer and all played by him (through the magic of multi-track recording and overdubbing). In addition to his usual double-bass, Meyer plays piano, mandolin, dobro, guitar, and gamba (sometimes bowed, sometimes plucked, at points overdubbed […]
Since her breakout performance on Suba’s landmark Sao Paolo Confessions, singer Cibelle (pronounced see-Bell-ee) has enchanted Brazilian pop aficionados with her lovely musical purr. Here on her second album, the cool lounge production of her debut is pushed into a darker, more experimental realm without losing her music’s sensual beauty. As ambitious as the […]
One of the original global pop divas, Natacha Atlas has long combined Middle Eastern and Western musics. Her sixth solo album is very much a continuation of works past. She continues to maintain links with her old band (Transglobal Underground’s Count Dubulah produces), and she continues to add traditional and modern influences as need […]
Though Dr. John is by no means the first musician from the rock era to take a stab at the classic American songbook, the results have rarely been as satisfying as this. While all of the material was written by, inspired by, or associated with Johnny Mercer, this is very much a Dr. John […]
Nearly 35 years after being tagged for debasing Billie Holiday’s legacy with her slick pop vocals in the biopic Lady Sings the Blues–an approach producer Berry Gordy claims he had her take to make her “more relatable to a general audience”–Diana Ross gets a chance to redeem herself with these jazzier, alternate versions of […]
Pollini’s traversal of Chopin’s 19 Nocturnes (he leaves out the pair of posthumous ones) is one of his finest recordings in years. His long-lined yet detailed performances are comparable to the very different ones that have long stood at the pinnacle of recorded sets. Not as serene as Artur Rubinstein’s, not as philosophical as […]
The Charlatans have remained relevant for 16 years, but it’s tempting to say that the music industry in general still doesn’t know what to do with them. 2004’s “Up at the Lake” was hailed as a triumphant return to form in the band’s native England, but it was never even deemed worthy of a […]
Rockie Lynne has spent years on the road honing his songwriting skills and skirting country music success, and it is finally time for him to step into the spotlight. His self-titled debut already has one hit under its belt (”Lipstick”), and there are surely more waiting in the wings. The album has several straightforward […]
For the most part, MercyMe has built a multiplatinum foundation on compelling power ballads. But on this set, the Texas band rocks out with passion and edgy intensity. It doesn’t stray so far that it would alienate the faithful, but it delivers a powerful collection of pop/rock that should take the band’s career to […]
Jewel’s sixth album is written and sequenced as a chronological exploration of her rags-to-riches journey from a ranch in Alaska to big, bad Los Angeles and back. After the poorly received rhythmic dance of 2003’s “0304,” “Goodbye Alice in Wonderland” returns Jewel to her folk/pop roots, serving up her usual host of poetic metaphors […]
The first five post-Denny Laine albums (Days Of Future Passed, In Search Of The Lost Chord, On The Threshold Of A Dream, To Our Children’s Chidren’s Children and A Question Of Balance) by Birmingham’s most proggy sons get the deluxe SACD treatment, but is the world again ready for the knights in white satin? […]
What made Detroit techno stand out from the acid house vibe of the late 80s was its bleakness; it was beautiful but melancholy - perfect music to listen to on the headphones as you wandered through the post industrial landscape. Jimmy Edgar, a young son of the Motor City, stays true to that vibe […]
Fusing freestyle jazz, African-hued rhythms, and the melancholy strains of her native Gallic music, French songstress Camille belongs to the exotic world of alt-pop. Her creations are keen and quirky, ignoring all the rules about tempi, choruses and middle eights while remaining highly listenable.
Put “Au Port” on a couple of times and it will […]
