by Nick DeRiso More musical journey than greatest hits, per se, “Let It Roll” is a primer on George Harrison for those who never got past his time with Beatles — and yet a still-intriguing way to reexperience some of his best solo cuts for those who followed along after the Fabs went pphhft. It didn’t have to meet that [...]

Like Paul or Ringo, Roger Hodgson will forever be associated with his former band no matter much good music he’s made since he left the group. Granted, Hodgson never quite generated any more note-perfect pop standards such as “Give A Little Bit” or “The Logical Song” from his Supertramp days, but that’s not to say he’s lost his touch. Rather, [...]

by Pico Philip Bailey should have been a star in his own right. Here’s a guy with a falsetto as divine as Russell Tompkins, Jr.’s, served as co-lead singer of the superstar soul group Earth, Wind and Fire and used star producers to handle his first two solo albums. And yet, all there is to show for it is a [...]

Bruce Springsteen, for all his gifts as a big-picture chronicler and critic of America in the post-industrial age, is more than a stadium rock star. His musically outsized examinations of this country’s promises, and the way they can remain unkept, have certainly made Springsteen millions. But an ability to narrow that focus to the internal struggles that guide us in [...]

by Nick Deriso All hail Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours,” this 1977 paean to Love, American-style — or California-style, anyway. Memorably cinematic, it chronicled with a lush directness (quite literally, it turned out) the way that relationships coalesce then dissolve. Thirty years later, one estimate put total sales at 30 million copies, even as lovers’ quarrels blossomed and died between each of [...]

by Nick DeRiso From the outset, Denise LaSalle has had both hands firmly around the neck of some rascal. Whether belting in the genres of gospel, blues, R&B, even a funky blues-hip hop hybrid, no-goods are put on notice: You don’t mess with Denise. That flat-footed, go-hither stance — call her a modern-day Bessie Smith — is no copped attitude. [...]

NICK DERISO: “Old Lang Syne,” this will never be. It doesn’t have the required sentimentality. No, U2′s “New Year’s Day” is a political song, but a special one in that — like the best political songs — it started out as a love song: I want to be with you, be with you night and day … Then lead singer [...]

Denny Laine — Fab, one time removed? — will forever be the other guy in Wings, the Paul McCartney-led 1970s successor band to the Beatles. Even if that belies Laine’s important earlier contributions to the Moody Blues (“Go Now,” a Wings concert staple), his occasional takeout moment with Paul’s band (in particular on 1978′s London Town), a batch of interesting [...]

by S. Victor I think it was about a year ago since there was last a discussion of 80S funk at our little corner of the blogosphere. But really, you can’t have a conversation about that topic without putting Prince into the equation. This ain’t about the once-nameless Purple One, though (for all things Prince, I’d recommend visiting our friends [...]

by S. Victor Aaron I always thought that the best covers are ones that takes a mediocre original and turns it into a genuinely good song. Such was the case when Atlanta roots rockers The Georgia Satellites took Ringo Starr’s hokey “Don’t Pass Me By” and gave it a swift, hard kick in the ass. For those of you who [...]