The Constellations :: Southern Gothic

I got myself a case of the 21st Century Psychedelic Funkadelic (slightly overproduced) Down Home Blues. Before much longer, The Constellations will be spreading this gospel like no tomorrow. From the epicenter of Atlanta on out, it will spread like wildfire. I suggest you prepare your emergency kits... Read More

Sade :: Soldier of Love

Sade is back…but not to the future. Soldier of Love, her first album in ten years, might satisfy the fans long awaiting the return of her smooth and sexy signature sound but will not likely blow their minds. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with sticking to the soulful, jazzy, slow jam bal... Read More

Lady Antebellum :: Need You Now

Country songs have been crossing over to the pop charts for decades. I happened across a commercial for a compilation of country music from the 1950s and 1960s and was surprised at the fact that virtually all of them had been Top 40 staples in the pre-Beatles era; what was interesting is that the so... Read More

Various Artists :: Casual Victim Pile 2010

I am going to cop to a fondness for compilations such as CASUAL VICTIM PILE. Collections such as these function as a snapshot of a local music scene --- in this case Austin, Texas and vicinity --- at a certain moment in time. By the time the compilation is issued, some of the bands may have moved on... Read More

Holly Miranda :: The Magicians Private Library

THE MAGICIAN’S PRIVATE LIBRARY is Holly Miranda’s first full length project. Miranda, an ambitious singer/musician/songwriter, puts one in the mind of Tori Amos or Imogen Heap, falling somewhere in between, or, possibly, behind either or both of those artists. The problem here is Miranda’s a... Read More

Gil Scott Heron :: Im New Here

While The Last Poets are regarded as the founders of the rap genre, Gil Scott-Heron is indisputably considered to be the genre’s godfather. It was Scott-Huron that opened radio ears with “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” something that was so angry, so different from what was used on the... Read More

Manic Street Preachers :: Journal For Plague Lovers

I have to admit, (somewhat ashamed of myself), that I approached the Manic Street Preachers’ most recent album with some trepidation. Don’t misunderstand me: I’ve loved them for a bit over ten years, when I first stumbled on the band mentioned in a thriller I was reading. But when ... Read More

Basia Bulat :: Heart of My Own

HEART OF MY OWN, Basia Bulat’s sophomore effort, is an aural triptych borne of cross-country and trans-continental tours conducted in support of OH, MY DARLING, her debut project. The genesis of HEART OF MY OWN began in hotel rooms and highways between destinations; the finished product is blessed... Read More

Fucked Up :: Couple Tracks

Okay, chil’ren, today we’re reviewing a two disc project (does that mean anything anymore? or is it going the way of “side one” and “side two”?) entitled COUPLE TRACKS: Singles 2002-2009 by a band called Fucked Up. Indeed. I’m just glad that I’m not a kid anymore, living in the... Read More