folk

Columbia The resurrection of Bob Dylan, which began with 1997’s “Time Out of Mind,” continues with the equally masterful “Modern Times.” In true Dylanesque fashion, the album’s title is a bit ironic; its sonicscape of blues, rockabilly and country waltzes isn’t exactly contemporary, but it is timeless. Sounding raspier than ever, the 65″?year”?old Mr. Zimmerman […]

Decristina Stair If you haven’t heard of Devendra Banhart, maybe you heard of him from that short-haired cutie who played his songs at Borders on your night off. Or if you were disgusted by his performance in Dallas. But this stuff is catching on.   I knew him before that, when the songs were cut […]

American Though Tom Petty’s career with the Heartbreakers is legendary, his best work has arguably come on his solo outings, “Full Moon Fever” and “Wildflowers.” His third solo album, “Highway Companion,” is another finely crafted collection of songs, though it’s noticeably more somber than the former two.   Petty’s been through some rough times in […]

Durtro/Jnana Like Antony Hegarty and his Johnsons, Current 93’s “Black Ships Ate the Sky” comes from a place so dark, it’s hard to imagine the melodious cubism being consistently imagined by the artists (in this case, industrial veteran David Tibet and the many guests introduced here). Here, “Sunset” bows down to cello with chivalric Tibetan […]

Telarc How can I not say nice things about a guy who does a fantastic cover of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It on Home to Me,” without a doubt one of the best songs ever? The answer is, I can’t.   “Brother to the Blues,” guitarist Tab Benoit’s new album, mixes blues, country, rock ‘n’ roll […]