I have a process for writing these articles. I collect up albums I think I might want to review and then focus on one or two at a time. First I give the record an initial listen to decide if I want to really write about it. At this stage I typically will make a go/no go decision. I either continue with my evaluation or […]
Ryan Adams is often lumped into the amorphous category of alt-country. That is, in part, because he was previous in bands that were much more obviously “country” and some of his solo output is fits the country, or at least folk country, mold well. His latest album, Chris, makes it pretty clear that Ryan Adams can also be a rock performer. He may be classified […]
I very much love Sarah Shook. Her music is a mix of traditional country, americana, and rock; She is as close to a throwback as exists in modern country music. Her songs are filled with heartache, sadness, and longing but also resilience. Her best work revolves around lost and traumatic love. To listen to Sarah Shook is to dive deep into the morass of the […]
I freely admit that I used Bing’s Translate function for the title. The French I have left from high school is not good enough for me to write a good title in French. I attribute my lack of language skills to one of the failures of American culture – our parochialism. American culture has become so dominant in entertainment that you rarely need to understand […]
Back in July, I wrote about the three song playlist of new material from The Heartless Bastards called Photograph, after the lead off song. At the time, I noted the retro stylings of the songs, especially the late 60s vibe. The album, A Beautiful Life, has since been released and it has followed that vibe throughout the album. This is something of a trend these […]
Last week, August 2, 2021 to be precise, I had the opportunity to see Amethyst Kiah in concert at the Chautauqua Institute. Once of the great things about Chautauqua, is the opportunity to see bands one might not think to go see otherwise. Due to COVID, the crowd was much smaller than it should have been but that added to the intimacy of the show. […]
It’s been a while since we heard from the Heartless Bastards. Their last album was in 2015, which is far enough in the past to assume they were defunct. Then, out of nowhere, in 2020 came a new single “Revolution”. Another one came out in early 2021 and now a brand-new single just this week. The new song “Photograph” came packaged with the other two […]
The beginning of the 1980s was a time when pop and rock music experienced an explosion of diversity. Drawing from the four roots of rock, new wave/punk, disco, and hip hop/rap, the early and mid-80s music lover saw so many new genres and styles of music, that it was tough to keep up with the choices. By the later half of the 1980s, situation had […]