Shout Factory Solomon Burke was country when country wasn’t cool, recording some R&B hits in the Sixties with one foot in Nashville, Tenn. Now he’s gone whole hog, recording an entire album at guitarist Buddy Miller’s home in Music City. Predictably, there are a lot of unnecessary duets on the disc, but none are obnoxious, […]
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Mickey Avalon-Self Titled
MySpace Records Nothing good can come of this MySpace Records, I’m convinced. Although the social Web site has been a boon to several indie bands, the idea of pulling unsigned talent from its cesspool and giving them a major-record deal is a dangerous one, judging solely from the no-talent behind its first single-artist release: Mickey […]
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Stanton Moore-III
Telarc International I can’t say New Orleans drummer Stanton Moore’s music makes me want to jump and scream for joy, but the man certainly lays down some solid grooves. Whether it’s with his other bands “? Galactic or Garage a Trois “? or on a solo effort, Moore is one of a few musicians on […]
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Jay Z-Kingdom Come
Def Jam So much ink has been spilled about Jay-Z’s “comeback” that you’d be forgiven if you spin “Kingdom Come” expecting a blinding light of salvation to explode from your speakers. Breathless music writers nearly lost their collective mind when Jigga announced that his retirement (“casual hiatus” might be more accurate) was over and he […]
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Frank Sinatra-Vegas
Rhino/Reprise Some things just go well together: peanut butter and jelly, spring and baseball, Frank Sinatra and Las Vegas. The Chairman of the Board arguably was never more at home than prowling the stages of Sin City nightclubs, dishing out snappy patter and electric readings of signature tunes like “Fly Me to the Moon” and […]
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Centro matic-Fort Recovery
Misra Records The primary goal for every band is to distinguish a new record from its previous work and all the other acts in its corner of music. It did not bode well for Centro-matic’s “Fort Recovery” that, after several listens, I still had to check my CD player to remind myself who I was […]
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Gwen Stefani-The Sweet Escape
Interscope Surely no one could’ve predicted the force with which ska-pop sprite Gwen Stefani’s 2004’s solo debut, “Love.Angel.Music.Baby.” would hit, loaded as it was with Eighties-shaded tunes, a devastating sense of style and a chart-smashing monster known as “Hollaback Girl.” Two years later, Stefani is already dropping “The Sweet Escape,” her erratic sophomore effort. Whereas […]
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Lady Sovereign-Public Warning
Def Jam Lady Sovereign (Lady Sov if you’re nasty; Louise Harman if you’re her parents) arrives on American shores behind a mountain of hype taller than she is. Pint-sized but big-mouthed, this latest British hip-hop export is the newest face in Jay-Z’s galaxy of petite female stars (oh, whither Rihanna?)’ a foul, verbally agile hybrid […]
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Oasis-Stop the Clocks
Epic If there were ever a better argument for Oasis being a singles band, “Stop the Clocks” pretty definitively would prove that Liam and Noel Gallagher are much more adept at penning three minutes of brilliance than whole albums. “Stop the Clocks” is a band-curated glance backward at what could be charitably described as […]
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The Byrds-There is a Season
Columbia/Legacy If ever a band merited two box sets, it would be The Byrds. In under a decade, the band pioneered what has collectively become known as Americana: folk rock, psychedelia, country rock and, eventually their through influence, alt-country. “There Is a Season” improves on the first box set (now out-of-print) by giving a […]