• Smith/Kotzen

    Music

    Smith/Kotzen

    Black Light/White Noise

    This is the third album from rock veterans Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) and Richie Kotzen (The Winery Dogs). The busy axeslingers – especially Kotzen, who is always involved in solo and band projects – released their full-length debut and an EP in 2021. Smith-Kotzen has happily blossomed into a going concern. What’s interesting about Smith/Kotzen’s

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Don Diego

The Guitar Album, Volume #1

The title might sound generic, but even a cursory perusing of the repertoire and execution explains why it’s so fitting. Eclecticism can be dangerous, but Italy’s Diego Geraci has the versatility to pull…

Thin Lizzy

Ume

These two Thin Lizzy albums were originally released in 1976 and set the stage for the band’s astonishing run of hardrock masterpieces through the rest of the decade. Jailbreak contained Lizzy’s mega-hit “The…

BR5-49

Honky Tonkin’

In the mid ’80s, bands like Jason and the Scorchers, Webb Wilder and (originally) the Beatnecks, and – well, not many others – chose Nashville to make their mark on roots rock. And…

Nokie Edwards – Carvin’ It Out

I shouldn’t have to introduce you to Nokie. He was a member of the Ventures and is well-known in guitar circles. Knowing that and nothing else about him will leave you very surprised…

Norman Blake – Old Ties

Old Ties

Rounder’s Heritage series specializes in new anthologies of previously released work – the musical equivalent of old wine in new bottles. Norman Blake’s Old Ties features selections that span from 1971 to 1990.…

Britt Gully

Blue Yodelin' All Over Again

No less than the Smithsonian Institution has applauded Britt Gully for his interpretations of Jimmie Rodgers’ pioneering country music. So when Gully gets a chance to borrow the Singing Brakeman’s original Martin to…

Webb Wilder, Marshall Crenshaw, Mike Flanigin

Alt-Roots-Pop- Power-Rock

Terms like “alt,” “Americana,” and “roots-rock” – coined by critics to departmentalize rock and roll into unnecessary boxes – have become so overused as to be meaningless. Can you imagine those same critics…

Storyville – A Piece of Your Soul

A Piece of Your Soul

Storyville is an Austin, Texas, supergroup made up of SRV’s old Double Trouble pals Chris Layton (drums) and Tommy Shannon (bass), along with guitarslingers David Grissom and David Holt. The band is fronted…

Santana IV

Describing Carlos Santana’s guitar playing, Greg Rolie, the Santana band’s original keyboardist, declares, “It’s real music; it’s not just a bunch of notes put together.” Truer words were never spoken. They’re just part…

Doc Watson

Doc In NYC

Doc Watson appeared twice at Manhattan’s Bottom Line in 2002, in March and August. With him were guitarists Jack Lawrence, who replaced Watson’s son Merle when he retired from the road in 1983…

Josh Smith

Bird Of Passage

Between playing guitar on the road and producing blues artists with Joe Bonamassa, Josh Smith found time to get in the studio for himself. Bird Of Passage is Smith’s dream of composing for,…

Johnny Winter – Deluxe Edition

When you think about it, Johnny Winter has had quite a career. And here, from Alligator Records, just to let you know it continues strong, is a set of cuts from his stint…

Roy Orbison

Roy Orbison’s Monument Records labelmate Tony Joe White says Orbison gave his all at every live performance; nothing on this disc will disprove that claim. Yes, there are a couple of small hitches…

Ralph Stanley, II – This One is II

The expression “born into the business” applies to Ralph Stanley II. The son of Ralph Stanley and a nephew of Carter Stanley, “Two” as he’s often called when in his father’s presence, is…

The Jayhawks

Power Pop With Twang And Thunder

Those with only a casual ear to the pavement will likely file the Jayhawks under murky signifiers such as “Americana” and “Alt Country.” While those tags were once perfectly apt, the truth is…

Judas Priest

After a supposed farewell tour a few years back, Judas Priest has replaced longtime guitarist K.K. Downing with young guitarman Richie Faulkner and developed a completely re-energized sound. As a result, Redeemer Of…

Kelly Mulhollan

Divine Inspiration

Arkansas farmer Ed Stilley was plowing his fields in 1979 when he was struck down by a heart attack; lying in the dirt, he had a vision that God wanted him to build…

John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers

The first volume of this set featured never-before-heard London performances, captured by Dutch fan Tom Huissen, who toted a monaural reel-to-reel recorder to various clubs. It offered new insights into the post-Clapton Bluesbreakers…

Various Artists

Pure Country

Amidst the torrent of modern-country anthems praising pickup trucks, beer, bros, and sweet things in tight jeans gushing out of Nashville these days, there’s an undercurrent of stellar music that’s also making waves.…

The Meters – Trick Bag

Sundazed has done it again. This particular release is only one in a large series of CDs released by this fine band. And they did a great job with them all. Original liner…

The Grascals – Keep On Walkin’

From the kick-off of the opening song, “Feeling Blue,” the Grascals demonstrate that traditional bluegrass doesn’t have to sound old-fashioned. Even on moderate-tempo songs they maintain a driving rhythm that would make any…

Rob Blaine

The liner notes for this are on-target when they say Rob Blaine yanks “big chunks” of music from his guitar. But that’s not the whole story. Yes, he can channel Freddie King, Jimi…

The Grascals

Cracker Barrell Records

The Grascals understand that making music professionally is a business, and strategic partnerships are part of being successful. On The Grascals + Friends they partner with some of the biggest names in country…

Eliza Gilkyson

Songs from the River Wind

In contrast to her last few, politically-focused albums, Eliza Gilkyson considers this a “love letter to the Old West.” Revisiting her folk roots through originals, covers, and traditional favorites fits her lineage well…

Jake Shimabukuro – Hula Girls

Hula Girls

Just as he did with his incredible solo version of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” on his 2006 CD, Gently Weeps, this 31-year-old ukulele maestro reinvents his instrument just as he reinvents…

Check This Action: Animals Let Loose

As a kid, I dug The Beatles, Stones, Yardbirds, Kinks, Manfred Mann, and pretty much the whole British Invasion. But, The Animals were special. Listen to the Fab Four’s “I Want To Hold…

Ernie Hawkins – Mean Little Poodle

Mean Little Poodle

Man, I love Ernie Hawkins. This is the third disc I’ve heard by him, and each one impresses more and more. There are very few individuals who play this stuff and make it…

  • Yes

    Yes

    Close to the Edge: Super Deluxe Edition

Deborah Coleman – Livin’ On Love

Groovy is the word for Deborah Coleman. She’s got the hip sensibility of Joan Armatrading blended with the blues groove of B.B. King. The result is music that moves you. When Coleman released…

U2 – How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

U2 has hit another home run. Try and think of another major rock and roll band this far into it and still making consistently good albums. Hell, at this point in their career,…

Kentucky Headhunters – Soul

Yes, it’s true, this one came out some time ago, but it has occupied space on my listening stack for a long time. The Headhunters have been “popular” for more than 15 years,…


Mick Mars

The Other Side Of Mars

Adrian Quesada

Boleros Psicodélicos

Mudhoney

Plastic Eternity

Dick 50 – Late Show

Self-distributed