I’m sure you’re familiar with that cliché about a voice so beautiful, you wouldn’t mind hearing it sing the phone book. Well, sometimes there’s a whole lot of truth in that concept. When I heard her take on “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” I temporarily forgot who I was.Read More

by Mark Saleski When R.E.M. toured on the Murmur record, they were the darlings of college radio. That’s certainly where I first heard them. “Radio Free Europe” and “Catapult” were getting a lot of airplay, and the band received some enthusiastic press reports You May Also Like: Why R.E.M.’s ‘LiveRead More

by Mark Saleski Elliott Sharp does two things very well: construct very thought-provoking compositions and make scary, scary noise in the realization of those compositions. Larynx is a reissue from 1988. You know, the holiday season is in full swing. Maybe you need some music to block out the stress?Read More

by Mark Saleski Singaporean singer Jacintha (full name Jacintha Abisheganaden) takes on the songbook of the Hollywood of my youth: “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head,” “Que Sera Sera,” “California Dreaming,” “Windmills Of Your Mind.” It’s funny, I hated these songs back in the day. Now? The concertina/acoustic guitar introductionRead More

Welcome to the first edition of Sparks Fly on E Street, in which me & my pencil take a tour of the entire Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band catalog, one song each Monday morning. You May Also Like: Nils Lofgren’s ready for Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band’sRead More

by Tom Johnson The second installment in Stevens’ planned 50-piece “states” series took aim at Illinois. As a follow-up to 2004’s stunning Seven Swans, it struggles a bit, but is a rewarding and entertaining listen. Stevens’ music is pretty much entirely acoustic — banjos, guitars, piano. Those who want anotherRead More

by Mark Saleski If they had a jazz big band playing on that old TV show “Lost In Space,” this would be the one. Take a sort of big band lineup, but then mix in some 1960’s spacey keyboards and some truly wacky vocals. Sun Ra and his Arkestra wereRead More

We had the “official” start of summer a little over a week ago, by I’ve always felt that the 4th of July weekend was when summer stepped into its full bloom. You May Also Like: Lisa Germano’s ‘Happiness’ Broke Out of the John Mellencamp Roots Rut John Mellencamp’s ‘Freedom’s Road’Read More

If you ever get a chance to see the movie “Dazed And Confused,” you’ll be treated to a pretty accurate depiction of a typical weekend in late 1970’s America. The bad hair, the hiphuggers, the muscle cars, the 8-tracks. You May Also Like: ZZ Top’s “El Diablo,” “Thunderbird,” “Rough Boy”Read More

by Mark Saleski Ronnie Earl is one of the most soulful blues guitar players out there. Though he’s played with vocalists (Sugar Ray Norcia being my favorite), he specializes in instrumental recordings like the ones found on Hope Radio, a live recording put together at Wellspring Sound in Acton, Massachussetts.Read More