Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

A>S>H>S, an acronym for Audible Stellar Hypnotic Solutions, is the brainchild of Houston percussionist Jason Williams. The music is a fusion of jazz, electronica, fusion, and funk; the ensemble at it’s core is a sextet which includes Williams, Joseph Berryman on tenor sax, Xavier Gonzalez on congas, bassist Scott Nichols, ...

I would say they don’t make records like THE SCENE OF THE CRIME anymore, but they do. Bettye LaVette, a Northern Soul original, has been making them for quite a while. I had a conversation with someone who was talking about how good LaVette sounded despite being so old, and ...

I used to hear Christian Scott perform in New Orleans on a regular basis, at clubs such as The Funky Butt (no longer in business) and Snug Harbor (still kicking), leading his own fine group or backing up guys who were the young lions of the city at that time, ...

Sara Tavares weaves her sound through a tapestry lush with light jazz, funk and Afro-European grooves. Singing in a mix of Portuguese, Cape Verdean Crioulo and English, Tavares voice ranges from a breathy Atlantic breeze to a thin silver line connecting poly-rhythmic beats. Balancê plays like a tropical ode to ...