blue cactus choir bluegrass

Bipartisan Consensus

Simple poetry and keen observations mark the elegant songs of Marty Atkinson and Katy Boyd, aka Blue Cactus Choir, whose first album, ...Once In a Bluegrass Moon is our new Album of the Week.
by David McGee
 

 
 
cleotha2

Cleotha Staples, 78, Is Called Home

Remembering CLEOTHA STAPLES, Pops Staples' firstborn child and a vital element in the Staple Singers' success. Afflicted with Alzheimer's, Ms. Staples died in her Chicago home on Feb. 21.
by David McGee
 

 

 
bibb koite brothers 290x1701

Alive, Authentic and Profoundly Human

This week's ALBUM OF THE WEEK is 'Brothers in Bamako,' a ttansAtlantic union of souls between modern day griots Habib Koité, of Mali, and the veteran New York City-born folksinger Eric Bibb. Their song is 'alive, authentic and...
by David McGee
 

 
 
kyle fosburgh travelers

The Curious Looming of Objects Between Earth and Sky

Minnesota six- and 12-string guitarist KYLE FOSBURGH new album, THE TRAVELER'S JOURNEY, 'is calculated to excite the perceptions and keep alive the imagination.' Add to this: powerful, evocative, spiritually resonant. And beaut...
by David McGee
 

 

 
eddie c spider

Eddie C., On the Money & In the Pocket

SPIDER EATING PREACHER is a gem of a Chicago blues album by EDDIE C. CAMPBELL. Hospitalized in Germany after suffering a heart attack and a stroke, Eddie C. needs help to get back to the States. Check out the record, and give g...
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Another Place, Another Time, Right Now

Better known for her role on Showtime's 'Shameless' series, EMMY ROSSUM also is a singer on the rise. On 'SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY,' her album of classic pop standards, arranged to evoke the months of the year, she rises fast.
by David McGee
 

 

 
aaron neville true

Of Doo-Wop and a Full Grown Man

AARON NEVILLE has a unique definition of doo-wop that includes 'Be My Baby' in the genre, and he's done the music of his youth justice on his fine new album, MY TRUE STORY.
by David McGee
 

 
 
bobby sharp2

Bobby Sharp, Heart Unchained

Remembering BOBBY SHARP, who passed away on January 28. Sharp wrote Ray Charles's #1 R&B/#9 pop hit of 1962, the classic 'Unchain My Heart.'
by David McGee
 

 

 
dan toler1

‘What a Hero’: ALS Claims Guitarist ‘Dangerous’ Dan Toler, 64

A versatile, distinctive Southern rock guitarist, Dangerous Dan Toler succumbed to Lou Gehrig's Disease on Feb. 25. 'He really showed people how to live,' said his friend Bonnie Bramlett.
by David McGee