Music Review: Peggy Lee – Make It With You/Where Did They Go
By the time 1970 rolled around, Peggy Lee had been making records for nearly thirty years, been nominated for an Academy Award, and several Grammy Awards. She took home a Grammy in 1969, for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Female for “Is That All There Is?” Having accomplished so much and with musical tastes changing so […]
The 100 Greatest Live Rock Albums – 100 – 90
As a music fan and collector, I’ve always enjoyed live albums. There’s nothing quite like a musician or a band playing at it’s peak, with the audience responding to the music. There are literally thousands of live recordings out there that would fall under the rock genre. As a result, picking the 100 greatest among […]
Music Review: Curt Smith – Halfway, Pleased
As a major Tears for Fears fan growing up, I was curious what the bands co-founder, Curt Smith’s first solo album in ten years would sound like. Smith freely admits that his new album Halfway, Pleased is semi-autobiographical and explores his relationships with his children, parents and friends. “It’s where I find myself at this […]
Music Review: Paper Rival – Dialog
I knew nothing about Paper Rival until I was sent a copy of their self-titled EP last fall. The Nashville band–vocalist Jacob Rolleston, bassist Cody McCall, guitarist Brent Coleman, drummer Dillon Napier and guitarist Patrick Damphier–immediately impressed me with their lush pop melodies and alternative rock rhythms. The band has said from the start that […]
Music Review: Carole King – Tapestry – Legacy Edition
As a long time music collector, it is always impossible for me to come up with one of those “Twenty-Five Best Albums of All Time,” type lists that magazines, blogs and other media outlets are so fond of creating. While I could never put my favorite albums of all time in any sort of numeric […]
Music Review: Yael Naïm – Yael Naïm
If you’ve seen those new Mac Air commercials you’ve heard the airy tune accompanying the ultra-thin laptops as they take their marketing now for the world. The song, “New Soul is sung by the 29-year-old Yael Naïm. Born in Paris (to Tunisian parents) and raised in Israel, Naïm brings her multilingual background to her music. […]
Music Review: The Helio Sequence – Keep Your Eyes Ahead
After Helio Sequence had toured through the United States and Europe in 2004 with Modest Mouse, Blonde Redhead, Kings of Leon and Secret Machines the duo of Brandon Summers and Benjamin Weikel was at a crossroads. According to Helio Sequence’s record company bio, Brandon’s vocal chords were completely shot. At one point, his doctor ordered […]
Music Review: Mary J. Blige – Growing Pains
From the time of her first album back in 1992, Mary J. Blige digs into the deepest corners of personal emotion on every song. She takes listeners through her struggles with addiction, depression and finding love. Now, happily married and content with her place in life, Blige has a new well of emotions to draw […]
Music DVD Review: Mariah Carey – The Adventures of Mimi
Armed with a five octave voice, Mariah Carey burst on to the music scene in 1990 with her self titled album. At that time, she became the first singer to have her first five singles reach #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts. She continued to record hit after hit, making her the best […]
Music Review: The Pipettes – We Are the Pipettes
Brighton, England’s The Pipettes were formed in 2004, by a local promoter named Monster Bobby who wanted to bring the Phil Spector sound back into the 21st century. By early 2005, Monster Bobby had put together a line up of Becki, Rose and Gwenno to make up the group. With hooks borrowed from ‘60’s girl […]