Steffani’s ‘Stabat Mater’: Sophistication, Beauty & Originality

A new recording of Steffai's STABAT MATER is a triumph not only for CECILIA BARTOLI and conductor DIEGO FASOLIS but for the entire surrounding cast of stellar vocalists
by David McGee
 

 
 

There Goes the Sun

The 'lost' album from ARTHUR 'BIG BOY' CRUDUP's 1969 Delmark trifecta, SUNNY DAY, may have a placid surface, but things are roiling underneath. The road ain't so sunny.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Engaging the Heart

Ace guitarist AMOS GARRETT gathers his Jazz Trio together for a scintillating outing on JazzBlues in which he channels his inner Maurice Chevalier.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Love or Chicken, It’s Tasty

You might say stellar guitarist-singer-songwriter BILL KIRCHEN lights it up on his new album, Seeds and Steams. Or you might also say SEEDS AND STEMS Bill Kirchen Proper Records “Get outta my way you small town clowns/th...
by David McGee
 

 

 

Then and Now, Now and Then

Something old, something new, something borrowed and a whole lotta blues, boogie and country recommend the autobiographical PIANOGRAPHY from the master of the honky tonk 88s, EARL POOLE BALL.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Angels and Demons

Angels and Demons: TOO SLIM AND THE TAILDRAGGERS are back with vengeance on BLUE HEART. Nothing much is at stake her, other than Slim's soul.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Godfather II, Eric Brace & Peter Cooper & Me

ERIC BRACE & PETER COOPER have come up with a rootsy gem on their third duo effort, THE COMEBACK ALBUM. Stellar in all respects, it's one of 2013's finest long players.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Blues As Biography

It's blues as biography on the JAMES MONTGOMERY BAND's new album, FROM DETROIT...TO THE DELTA, with guests JAMES COTTON, JOHNNY WINTER and others.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Really? ‘The Letter’?

FRANK SOLIVAN & DIRTY KITCHEN reassert themselves as one of bluegrass's finest young bands with their new Compass album, ON THE EDGE
by David McGee
 

 
 

Hope, Redemption and a Sky Big as God

Having conquered his demons, MIKE ZITO explains how it all happened and what brought him back from the abyss on his powerful new album, GONE TO TEXAS
by David McGee
 

 

 

Old-Time Good-Timey, with Hints of Grandeur

Nashville's THE HOWLIN BROTHERS are poised for greater things, if the trio's new Brendan Benson-produced album, HOWL, is any indication. John Hartford, for one, is smiling.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Musical Echoes of Days Long Past

Musical echoes of days long past abound in THE BEAUTIFUL OLD and MIKE SCOTT & FRIENDS' HOME SWEET HOME: CIVIL WAR ERA SONGS. Plus: a James Cagney VIDEO MOMENT OF THE WEEK.
by David McGee