Wherein Murph Lights Out for the Horizon, Yet Again
MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHEY, collaborating with son RYAN MURPHEY, rises to every challenge he sets for himself on ROAD BEYOND THE VIEW, a standout among many in his extensive catalogue.
Reviews
You Can’t Do That? You Can Do That.
Jazz improvisation meets Lennon-McCartney in tasty fashion on LOREN DANIELS's TICKET TO RIDE.
Always More Love to Be Had
The TWANGTOWN PARAMOURS are back with their third album, DOUBLE DOWN ON A BAD THING, with well-wrought songs, sparkling musicianship, affecting vocals and a deeper exploration of the nuances of relationships. It ain't over 'til it's over.
In Heavy Rotation: Roots & Blues
Rounding up a quartet of must-hear recent releases: NORMAN BLAKE, Day by Day; MARK O'CONNOR, Markology II; MIKE ZITO, Resurrection; and TIFFANY POLLACK, Bayou Liberty.
Love Is a Many-Splintered Thing
Herein a dozen smokey, sensuous and often ambivalent discourses on love and passion delivered with the breathy tenderness and sublime understatement of someone defining love not as a many-splendored thing, but rather as a many-splintered thing. Melody Gardot returns.
In Heavy Rotation: Blues
A potpourri of recent blues albums worthy of attention. Behold the diversity and soulfuness of what's being wrought by MIKE ZITO, BOB CORRITORE AND FRIENDS, MARIA MULDAUR and SUE FOLEY.
The Mad Scientist Deep in Experimentation
'Good, not great,' says our DHRISTOPHER WALSH in in his deep dive into Sir Paul McCartney's McCARTNEY III, adding: '...it shows an artist still reaching, ideas still flowing.'
To Shine Is Why You Came
VALERIE JUNE seems to have stepped out of some sort of enchanted forest, spreading powerfully delivered but gentle-spirited songs that are so filled with whimsy and wonder they seem to be borne more of pixie dust than musical notes. Review by BILLY ALTMAN.
Worthy of It All
Twelve Grammy Awards and 23 GMA Awards into her towering career, CECE WINANS returns with her first non-holiday release in four years, and she does so in grand style on BELIEVE IT ALL. Gospel editor BOB MAROVICH calls it the best album he's heard in…
A Quiet Storm of Guitar Mastery
Guitarists LARRY NEWCOMB, with his son JAKE on bass, and DAVE STRYKER lead their combos on scintillating jazz-oriented journeys on their new albums, whereas on his reissued masterpiece, CAMINANDO, guitarist JUAN CARLOS QUINTERO brings us back to a powerful cross-cultural musical moment from 1997.