William Parker: The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield
Sean MurphyA Match Made in Heaven Turns Into a Near Miss This review should be prefaced by a simple acknowledgment: William Parker has few peers in contemporary music. For the better…
Little Anthony’s Falsetto: The Gift That Keeps Giving
Goosebumps, bliss and gratitude. That is all I can (or want to) say regarding the instant classic performance of the recently-inducted Little Anthony (and his "new" Imperials) from last year's…
Gregory Isaacs, Cool Ruler R.I.P.
A fond adieu to one of reggae music's silken voices. Certainly not as known or celebrated as many of his peers, Isaacs has always been a reggae-lover's reggae icon. Those…
Rush: 2112 & Moving Pictures (Classic Albums Series)
The Album Rush Was Meant To Make (Both of Them) It’s difficult to imagine how music might have sounded in the ‘70s and, by extension, today, if Rush had not…
He knows changes aren’t permanent, but change is…
Catch the mystery, catch the drift. Is this guy the Energizer Bunny or what? Holy shit but the licks keep coming. I had the extreme pleasure of reviewing the new…
The Tomorrow Show: John, Paul, Tom and Ringo (Revisited)
Before Conan O’Brien in the ‘90s and David Letterman in the ‘80s, there was another—even ‘whiter’—dude who regularly hosted many of the hippest artists and promoted some of the best…
Love Is Old, Love Is New: Another Appreciation of ‘Abbey Road’
I don't even have a question, but here is the answer: Whenever I listen to Abbey Road, I find myself feeling grateful that the collective world of musicians did…
Lighting The Night: For Herbie, My Brother and Someone You Love
First of all, just stop and listen to this: Maybe you're hearing that for the first time and thinking, like I did about a decade or so when I…
Steel (Guitar) This Album
I've long maintained that the judicious use of steel guitar is always one of the ultimate secret weapons of any musical act. I've just never said it out loud. Well,…
It’s Official: The Budos Is Upon Us
First off, can we get an Amen for Daptone Records? You know a label has arrived when you go from being pleasantly surprised at the consistent quality of each new…