“Night of the Furies” finds Merge’s the Rosebuds headed in a new direction, one that eschews traditional indie rock for ’80s-era keyboards and bass-heavy dance pop. The vengeful, mythological creatures the album’s title references enhance the dark, eerie undertone of the arrangements, which play well against the catchy melodies and hook-friendly choruses of husband/wife […]
Koko Taylor’s latest release is destined to be remembered as one of the top blues albums of 2007, and, no doubt, as one of the best projects in her illustrious discography. “Old School” reaffirms Taylor’s status as the queen of Chicago blues. The disc delivers a dozen killer tunes, including five Taylor originals, and […]
Melissa Etheridge’s performance of Academy Award-winning “I Need to Wake Up” from equally Oscar-adorned documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” lent the cachet of 25.5 million pairs of captivated eyes. With such exposure, how could you not make a bid for radio play? Amid mountain-climbing power chords and an inspirational chorus calling for change (”I am throwing […]
Brit Billie Myers commanded the worldwide top 20 in 1997 with ethereal “Kiss the Rain,” which also triumphed on dancefloors in remix form. She returns, come-hither as ever, with seductive dance track “It’s Just Sex,” a rollicking uptempo romp whose delicious verses gambol across a melodic carnival imprint topped only by a chorus so intuitive […]
During the last decade, boundaries between country and rock have blurred, so it’s no surprise that veteran rockers are trying to connect with country. The Van Zant brothers took time off from gigs fronting 38 Special and Lynyrd Skynyrd to record a well-received country album, while Bon Jovi hit No. 1 with Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles […]
This stately ballad is the second single from “These Days,” Vince Gill’s four-disc, 43-song platinum collection. Previous single “The Reason Why” earned Gill a Grammy Award for best male country vocal, his 18th such honor. Needless to say, the gifted singer/songwriter/musician hasn’t lost his creative spark. The poignant “What You Give Away” is a challenge […]
Grammy Award-winning 2005 best new artist Maroon5 makes good on the promise of its potential by making a mighty return with daring, playful dance jam “Makes Me Wonder,” which takes on top 40’s resistance to straight-ahead uptempo pop. To say this song is hook-laden is like suggesting that Angelina Jolie has a mild maternal instinct […]
This record began as an experiment with noise on a laptop in a bus on tour somewhere. That sound led to a daydream about the end of the world. That daydream stuck with me and over time revealed itself to be much more. I believe sometimes you have a choice in what inspiration you […]
Oasis, the Killers, and Kaiser Chiefs are to cover songs from the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band to mark the 40th anniversary of the classic album’s release.
The original album was released on June 1, 1967, and to mark the event the big names will all be covering tracks from the record for […]
Largely composed of Krauss’ impressive contributions to various projects outside her work with her band Union Station, this overdue 16-song collection also includes five new offerings. Krauss’ recent collaboration with John Waite on a remake of his 1984 hit, “Missing You,” is here, but they also pair on “Lay Down Beside Me,” a tender […]
Following the release of her much-lauded 2005 debut, Carlile toured incessantly, wowing crowds with her raw, emotive vocals and powerful songs. Distilling the live energy of these shows, her sophomore set adds bigger guitars and more spot-on vocal harmonies, sung by “the Twins,” guitarist Tim and bassist Phil Hanseroth. Standouts like “My Song” or […]
While making bigger stars out of artists like Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake (not to mention Aaliyah, Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, etc.), Timbaland has also become a star in his own right. But thankfully, the Virginia beatsmith isn’t looking to be taken seriously as an artist with his debut opus, “Shock Value.” Just consider it […]
The Fountains’ 2003 album “Welcome Interstate Managers” may have helped them, somewhat belatedly, acquire a mainstream audience but, bar getting Rachel Hunter to star in the “Stacy’s Mom” video, it was actually pretty much business as usual. So it’s no surprise to find the inspired songwriting partnership of Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood approach […]
Conspicuously absent as a leader since serving as Miles Davis’ fusion-oriented musical director in the ’80s, Robert Irving III returns in dramatic fashion on “New Momentum,” the premiere release for indie Sonic Portraits. The disc is largely an acoustic piano trio date highlighted by Irving originals and two nods to his mentor’s ’60s repertoire: […]
