• 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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Dervish – Decade and Midsummer’s Night

Decade and Midsummer's Night

Most bands have a tough time putting out one record a year, but Dervish finds it hard to do just one. Their music is so infectious they can’t help but want to spread…

Darren Jay and the Delta Souls

Darren Jay may not be in Gregg Allman’s class as a singer, but he’s still effective. As a guitar player and arranger, though, he can stand with many, and he leads this big…

Black Joe Lewis

Fuzzy guitars, Stax horn arrangements, and a raw garage sound permeate Black Joe Lewis’ third studio album, serving up a provocative juxtaposition of garage-punk, along with the ’60s R&B and blues that brought…

Mr. Big

Mr. Big has withstood multi-platinum successes, personnel changes, and volatile disputes. Despite the band’s ups and downs, the original line-up remains intact. Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan, Eric Martin, and Pat Torpey stay frosty…

Johnny Nicholas

Moon And The Stars: A Tribute to Moon Mullican

Aubrey “Moon” Mullican (1909-1967) was “King of the Hillbilly Piano Players.” Playing and singing honky-tonk, Western swing, and boogie-woogie in the 1940s and ’50s, he influenced Jerry Lee Lewis and, later, Asleep At…

Kenny Burrell and the Jazz Heritage All-Stars – Live At the Blue Note

It’s almost ridiculous how many great jazz guitar albums this label puts out. And here is more. The Burrell CD features the legend in a live setting with the likes of Sir Roland…

Bradley Walker – Highway of Dreams

Once in a great while an artist’s voice grabs you after just a couple of seconds. Bradley Walker just may have the finest male bluegrass voice, ever. Born with muscular dystrophy and wheelchair-bound…

Sauce Boss – Sky Blues

Sky Blues

Bill Wharton, for those of you not familiar, is the Sauce Boss. He is the Sauce Boss because he cooks for his audience. Not just on guitar… he literally cooks. He prepares food…

The Wrecking Crew (soundtrack)

L.A.’s Red-Light Masters

The Wrecking Crew, the documentary about L.A.’s well-paid but largely anonymous session players ranks with the very best music documentaries. Director Denny Tedesco, son of legendary studio guitarist Tommy Tedesco, did a fantastic…

Donovan – Try For The Sun: The Journey Of Donovan

Donovan Leitch rose from Dylan wannabe to the flower-power embodiment of all things peace and love. He sometimes appeared to be more a hanger-on than his own artist – the wide-eyed clone who…

The Mike Eldred Trio

The Mike Eldred Trio’s latest was recorded at Memphis’ hallowed Sun Studios, but the deep blues are straight outta the Delta. Eldred needs little introduction here. The former Fender Custom Shop manager, he’s…

The Routes

In This Perfect Hell

Think old-school Zombies crossed with new-thing Arctic Monkeys: the result may just be the Routes. The guitar-bass-drum trio is part classic Brit invasion rockers with period-perfect gear, part hypnotic proto psychedelia – yet…

Planet X – Quantum

The genetically superior team of drummer Virgil Donati and keyboardist Derek Sherinian return to continue the next chapter in their metal-fusion saga. It’s been five Earth years since the release of Moon Babies,…

Rock Candy Funk Party

Funk means many things to many people, and while religious funkaholics place Sly and the Family Stone, the Ohio Players, and Parliament Funkadelic high on the alter, heretics differ. Rock Candy Funk Party’s…

Robbie Robertson

429 Records

It’s been more than a decade since Robbie Robertson has issued a solo record, and closer to two since he offered a pop/rock disc. How to Become Clairvoyant is unique in the Robertson…

Monster Mike Welch – Ax To Grind…

As a parent of a 15-year-old boy, I would hope that “Monster” Mike’s music packs a message that belies his 17 years. Perhaps he has a ghost writer lurking nearby with 40 years…

JD McPherson

On A Roll

JD McPherson was a middle-school teacher in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, with a rock and roll band on the side. Then he lost his job and decided to make a record. He cut Signs…

Donald Fagen – Morph the Cat

Donald Fagen – Morph the Cat Of all the records associated with Steely Dan, Walter Becker, and Donald Fagen, this may be the best since “the comeback.” And that’s something coming from someone…

Sean Weaver

Weaver’s album of solo guitar features instrumental treatments that range from “La Alborada (Little Music Box),” a heart-tugging classical piece by Francisco Tarrega, to Rodgers and Hart’s “Little Girl Blue,” to a beautiful…

Kim Wilson – Lookin’ For Trouble

Lookin' For Trouble

What can you add to the legacy of one of the greatest harmonica players of all time? Perhaps a second legacy of developing a generation of great unknown guitarists within the confines of…

The Marshall Tucker Band

Now and then, you hear young country and rock folks talk about the Marshall Tucker Band and how they influenced their music. And, of course, who hasn’t covered “Can’t You See”? What’s often…

J.J. Cale – The Very Best of J.J. Cale

Most folks probably know J.J. Cale best by the covers recorded of his songs, from Eric Clapton’s versions of Cale’s “Cocaine” and “After Midnight” to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Call Me the Breeze.” That’s a…

Foghat

Sonic Mojo

 Few things in life are guaranteed – but one is that drummer Roger Earl will keep Foghat truckin’. For 50-plus years, he’s been weathering lineup changes and members passing, bringing its people-pleasing blues-rock…

Tremonti

Creed and Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti is at it again, this time enlisting the help of guitarist Eric “Erock” Friedman, drummer Garrett Whitlock, and bassist Wolfgang Van Halen. Following up his first…

John Prine: The Tree of Forgiveness

When John Prine walks out on stage these days, he’s often greeted with a long, thunderous standing ovation in recognition of his songwriting craft. Not even Mr. Dylan gets that. Prine has released…

Spanic Boys – Sunshine

Celebrating their 20th anniversary as a band (and 38th as father and son), the Spanic Boys serve up a dozen originals on Sunshine, their eighth album, on their own Cinaps label, with plenty…

Pete Levin

Self-distributed

The past few Pete Levin albums have featured his fine organ playing, great songs, and lots of room for whatever guitarist was working with him. Jump! is no different, with Dave Stryker on…

  • Yes

    Yes

    Close to the Edge: Super Deluxe Edition

Chris Whitley and Jeff Lang – Dislocation Blues

Chris Whitley and Jeff Lang – Dislocation Blues Chris Whitley died from lung cancer in November, 2005. In his last years, he recorded more exceptional music than many musicians do in a lifetime.…

Lucinda Williams

Exile On A Gravel Road

There’s that old saw about a good double album being a better single album if it wasn’t for an artist’s hubris. But Lucinda Williams’ first doubleheader doesn’t fit that bill. If anything, it’s…

Brian Setzer

Sparking Another Rockabilly Riot

Three decades, umpteen records, and several stellar bands into his career, and Brian Setzer still makes rockabilly sound fresh and exciting. This album has much of the verve of his debut, 1981’s Stray…


Greg Olliver

Johnny's Blues

Wes Montgomery/Wynton Kelly Trio

Maximum Swing: The Unissued 1965 Half Note Recordings