Recent Articles
 

 

Remembering Mr. Earl: They Often Called Him Speedo…

REMEMBERING EARL 'SPEEDO' CARROLL and MICKEY BAKER--Earl Carroll and Mickey Baker had but one big hit each, but both are major early rock 'n' roll hits. As a singer and showman, Carroll's influence extended into the dawn of sou...
by David McGee
 

 
 

The Elite Half Hundred of 2014 (Part 2)

THE 442s and FARMER JASON bookend Nos. 26-50 of the ELITE HALF HUNDRED OF 2014.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Ascending: Jazz Trios

Two fine albums by two of the finest jazz trios extant, led by DAVE STRYKER and ANDY PRATT.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Funk-tion At the Junction

At age 77, BOBBY RUSH is reinvigorated, as he proves in the potent performances he musters on his latest album, DOWN IN LOUISIANA, found at the junction where funk, soul and blues meet.
by David McGee
 

 

 

2013’s Elite Half-Hundred – Part II

Part II of 50 keepers from the year since passed: Selections include albums by CLAIRE LYNCH, FRANK SOLIVAN & DIRTY KITCHEN, BOBBY RUSH, MARY J. BLIGE, SAMANTHA FISH, et al.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Karl Jenkins: The Path To ‘Peacemakers’

EXCLUSIVE: One of our Album of the Year honorees for his epic choral work The Peacemakers, composer/conductor/multi-instrumentalist Karl Jenkins discusses the making and meaning of the album, and his unusual career path.
by David McGee
 

 

 

The Wind of the Book

Marking her tenth year of blogging, JULES offers informed insights into ANNE HERBAUT's award winning (in the author's native France) WHAT COLOR IS THE WIND?
by David McGee
 

 
 

Paving the Way for Those Who Paved the Way

Twenty-five superb tracks, starting in 1940, of the Mother of Gospel Music SALLIE MARTIN's early recordings, appraised as invaluable by JOURNAL OF GOSPEL MUSIC founder BOB MAROVICH
by David McGee
 

 

 

DETOUR (1945)

'No one who has seen it has easily forgotten it.' So says ROGER EBERT of the film noir classic, DETOUR, a gem from the Poverty Row era, filmed on a miniscule budget in a matter of days, but aging better than many big budget epi...
by David McGee
 

 
 

‘A Perfect Blue-White Diamond, And Just As Rare’

Remembering the silver screen's, and one of the 20th Century's, greatest vocalists, DEANNA DURBIN, 1921-2013, plus a guide to her essential recordings on CD.
by David McGee