Jorma Kaukonen has quite possibly never been further removed from his Jefferson Airplane days than he is on “Stars in My Crown.” This new disc is ruled by an acoustic consciousness in the service of mainly spiritual tunes, including a fine rendition of the Rev. Gary Davis’ “There’s a Table Sitting in Heaven” and […]
Ken Andrews is nothing if not consistent. Both his own projects (Failure, ON, Year of the Rabbit) and his work as a producer/mixer boast an immaculate sonic sheen instantly recognizable to those who have been following his career since the early ’90s. His first solo album initially doesn’t sound much different from his other […]
There is a reason tobyMac is one of the Christian industry’s top artists. He continually creates music that is fresh, innovative and absolutely irresistible. He does so once again on “Portable Sounds,” mixing pop, funk, hip-hop and rap into a tasty concoction that is lyrically substantive and musically inventive. Lead single “Made to Love” […]
On his solo debut, Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. doesn’t stray far from his main band’s aesthetic. With help from Sean Lennon, Ben Kweller and Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas, “Yours to Keep” oozes with Strokes-ian urban coolness, though Hammond tones down a bit of the swagger and adds a touch of sweetness. “Cartoon Music […]
This solo acoustic set from January 1971 is the second in a series of long-promised archival releases. While last fall’s “Live at the Fillmore” encapsulated the ragged, jammy glory of Young and Crazy Horse, this collection showcases a singer/songwriter at his creative peak. More than half the material here was unreleased at the time […]
Recorded in the same all-originals sessions as last October’s triumphant “Metheny Mehldau” collaborative debut from guitarist Pat Metheny and pianist Brad Mehldau, “Quartet” picks up where the first disc left off, albeit on a slightly quieter note. While M/M No. 1 focused on the duo chemistry of the co-leaders (only two of 10 tracks […]
This talented Ohio outfit finally broke through to major mainstream success with its last studio album, 2004’s “MMHHMM.” Relient K now delivers on that promise with the most vibrant, inventive album of its career. “I Need You” is a hard-driving number that showcases the energy and passion in frontman Matt Thiessen’s lead vocals. “The […]
Within the carefully crafted fare of his 30 years of recording, there’s always been a bar band kind of sensibility to Eddie Money’s music. “Wanna Go Back,” an all-covers set, returns him to those roots — and even features a black-and-white photo of a 15-year-old Money (then Mahoney) and his teen band, the Grapes […]
Undoubtedly the best track from “Sam’s Town,” the Killers’ sophomore set, “Read My Mind” is a gloriously melodic Duran Duran-meets-Springsteen tale about “breakin’ out of this two-star town.” Fusing new wave with pure Americana, it opens with huge synth washes and builds to a dark, romantic swoon driven by muscular rock guitars, while frontman […]
If such a tactic exists in today’s problematic music biz, Universal is taking the easy way out launching U.K. sensation Amy Winehouse, whose relaxed old-soul vocals — think
Shirley Bassey chilling on a Quaalude — serve as an adventurous-but-fluent fit for lesser-regimented airwaves at home. Here, she’s been incompatibly aligned with Ghostface Killah, who assaults an […]
Indie singer/songwriter Elizabeth Ziman and her band the Catapult serve up a jazzy bluegrass-colored incantation via playful “Momma’s Boy,” in which she coaches, “If you want a girl to be your mother/Go find another one,” alongside an acoustic rat-a-tat beat, retro keyboards and rapid-fire vocal. Triple-A is an ideal launching pad for the song’s rootsy […]
With his loose blond locks and vivid blue eyes, newcomer David Martin is a formidable visual presence. But acoustic piano-driven debut “Something in Your Eyes” holds the melodic moxie to break the singer/songwriter/producer at adult top 40 radio. Along with a sturdy pop hook, midtempo percussive instrumentation kicks in at the second chorus, heightened by […]
Ever since 1978’s “Whenever I Call You Friend,” Kenny Loggins has consistently appeared on one or another Billboard singles chart without a gap of more than two or three years. When you add accomplishments with Loggins & Messina, his hit run extends to 35 years. His latest is a reworking of Anne Murray’s 1973 top […]
