I’m passionate about music, and this is where I post about it.
A review of UB40’s Twentyfourseven (2008) An elegant, slightly dark and dubby swansong, Twentyfourseven affirms for the last time what a strong and intelligent reggae band UB40 was. Forging its own path on the periphery of reggae, and – at … [read more]
A review of Susheela Raman’s 33 1/3 There’s nothing Susheela Raman can’t sing. I remember thinking this the first time I heard her first record, Salt Rain, in 2001. Raman is a British singer of Indian origin (who grew up … [read more]
A review of Dwight Yoakam’s This Time (1993) Even though I had Hillbilly Deluxe and Cadillacs, Guitars Etc. Etc. on vinyl in the 80s and liked them (really, they provided my first ‘country music’ experiences that weren’t related to the … [read more]
While her last album was unfortunately not very good (a case where reach exceeded grasp), Beyoncé has a lovely voice – and, evidently, genuine admiration for her new president. Singing Etta James’ “At Last,” she opened the first of many … [read more]
Reviews of Joey + Rory’s The Life of a Song and Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson’s Rattlin’ Bones “Turn it up loud so we all can sing along,” sings Joey Martin Feek at the beginning of The Life of a … [read more]
A review of Jill Barber’s Chances (2008) Jill Barber is a Halifax-based… traditional jazz singer? Swing singer? Country singer? Torch singer? Maybe “western swing,” antiquated as it sounds, is a good genre for her. I had previously heard, and loved, … [read more]
A review of Eric Clapton’s 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974) I don’t really remember where I first got this, just that I first heard it when I was a teenager. Prior to this, I had only read about Clapton – the … [read more]
Here are my best CDs of 2008, in no particular order: Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson, Rattlin’ Bones Hayes Carll, Trouble In Mind Sugarland, Love On The Inside TV On The Radio, Dear Science Lambchop, OH (Ohio) Calexico, Carried To … [read more]