Eric Bibb has an elegant, earthy feel for blues, folk and gospel — it is so innate that every song he tracks nowadays is a seamless blend of these genres. “Diamond Days” is Bibb’s unique musical alchemy and quite possibly his most perfect expression of what he’s about as a musician. These dozen original […]
Keaggy is an acclaimed guitarist (the late Chet Atkins was a fan) who usually lets his fingers do the talking. But his singer/songwriter persona takes center stage on this highly personal acoustic effort. When it comes to vocal delivery, Keaggy falls more in the stylist category, but what he lacks in range, he more than […]
The soundtrack to the Disney Channel’s latest musical gets repetitive, what with all the frenetically paced pop-hop tunes about giving it all you’ve got. Then again, it is a movie about Double Dutch. Actress Keke Palmer (”Akeelah and the Bee”), who co-stars in the movie, doesn’t wow with her vocals, and neither does designated […]
The lead single from “West,” Lucinda Williams’ first studio album in four years, is a lonely slow dance mourning the loss of a loved one who suddenly disappeared without saying goodbye. Gently touching on country, blues and gospel, the rootsy Louisiana singer/songwriter sings with her trademark wounded vocals, accompanied by spare, tremolo-washed guitar leads that […]
Pearl Jam has always taken its covers seriously, be they Victoria Williams’ “Crazy Mary” or Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.” But it has ratcheted up its interpretive skills for this version of “Love Reign O’er Me” by frontman Eddie Vedder’s beloved Who. Vedder’s screams are positively goose-bump-inducing in what is among his most […]
John Mayer hopes to remind us that before the Grammy Award-winning signature “Daughters” somewhat emasculated his reputation, the singer/songwriter/guitarist was a truly introspective artist. “Gravity,” the second single from gold album “Continuum,” is an easygoing, bluesy number, convincingly conjuring the spirit of his idol Buddy Guy. While it is perhaps less radio-friendly than previous hit […]
The umpteenth release from Nickelback’s four-times platinum “All the Right Reasons” is no less potent than previous single “Far Away” or its predecessors. Chad Kroeger and team have hit-making down to a science — not to dismiss the art behind same — though, granted, there is certainly a formula behind their output. In any case, […]
This optimistic rocker is less melodramatic than starry-eyed pop hit “Chasing Cars,” which jumped out of “Grey’s Anatomy” and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, offering a catchy love letter to a girl who is “Cinematic razor sharp/A welcome arrow through my heart.” Intoxicated by just two chords, nice-guy frontman Gary Lightbody […]
This latest single from Blaine Larsen’s “Rockin’ You Tonight” set, is an immensely likable uptempo number steeped in fiddle and steel guitar, and teeming with personality. The lyric paints a picture of a devoted married man, uninterested in any extracurricular barroom action. In the midst of his single buddies’ bragging and good-natured ribbing, he’s a […]
Amid so many hits at various formats during the past two decades, Simply Red returns with an original song that exudes the intimate warmth that has always defined lead Mick Hucknall and maintains his relevancy on adult contemporary radio. “So Not Over You” is among the most innately organic releases of his career, instantly familiar […]
While one-time Columbia Records singer/songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk grazed top 40 as an artist earlier this decade, she has gained greatest acclaim in the United States as a hitmaker for Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne and Gwen Stefani. Latest release “Ghost Stories” gives it another go in her own right, packed with vocal passion, smart lyrics and […]
While monstrous TVs and silly products may have garnered a ton of attention at CES. USA TODAY’s Mike Snider returned from Las Vegas with word on couple of slick products you might not have heard about:
A lot of music lovers have stashes of vinyl LPs that may be forgotten in the iPod era. Now Ion […]
Coco Montoya is one of the reasons people mistakenly think blues is easy music to play. His fierce attack is so expert yet sounds so effortless that it makes you believe anyone armed with 12 bars and six strings can pull it off. That’s hardly the case, of course, and the Albert Collins drummer-turned-guitarist’s […]
Finally, a blog-approved disc you can have a nice dinnertime chat with your dad about. This comeback from the ’70s popsters comes with much-hyped indie authority via featurings by Ryan Adams and Jim James of My Morning Jacket. But the bigger story is that their gossamer hooks and autopilot harmonies sound nearly as fresh […]
