Articles by: Nick DeRiso

Vinyl

Danko Jones – Fire Music (2015)

There’s often been a touch of punk attitude in Danko Jones’ music, but ‘Fire Music’ seems to focus more intently on that part of their musical DNA.

Frank Sinatra + Count Basie, "The Best is Yet To Come" from Ultimate Sinatra (2015)

Frank Sinatra + Count Basie, “The Best is Yet To Come” from Ultimate Sinatra (2015)

A highlight of ‘Ultimate Sinatra,’ everything is in place on Frank Sinatra’s Count Basie collaboration “Best is Yet to Come.” And then it surprises you.

Vinyl

The Word [Robert Randolph, John Medeski + North Mississippi All-Stars], “When I See the Blood” from Soul Food (2015)

Robert Randolph helps set a new standard for improv gospel-jazz country blues supergroups. Because, yeah, they’re the only one.

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Gavin Harrison – Cheating the Polygraph (2015)

Gavin Harrison’s ‘Cheating the Polygraph’ references Porcupine Tree and big band, but quickly moves well beyond those well-worn tropes.

David Bowie's Let's Dance illustrated the durability of Chic's hitmaking sound

David Bowie’s Let’s Dance illustrated the durability of Chic’s hitmaking sound

Credit David Bowie for understanding how to cast his latest iteration. But also Chic for having the goods to make that nascent vision a reality.

Vinyl

The Moody Blues’ John Lodge, “10,000 Light Years Ago” (2015): One Track Mind

John Lodge displays a welcome willingness to build a bridge to the future from a well-known foundation of the Moody Blues’ past.

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Fleetwood Mac’s overlong Say You Will sorely missed Christine McVie

Christine McVie’s absence from ‘Say You Will,’ released this week in 2003, left Fleetwood Mac critically unbalanced. They could have used an editor, too.

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Sonny Landreth, “Bound by the Blues” (2015): One Track Mind

Sonny Landreth reminds us just how important the blues is, as both foundation and (maybe most importantly) as launching pad.

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Indigo Girls, “Happy in the Sorrow Key” from One Lost Day (2015): One Track Mind

Crunchy where they might have been folky before, the Indigo Girls’ punchy “Happy in the Sorrow Key” simply pulls no punches.

Vinyl

Graham Parker and the Rumour, “Railroad Spikes” from Mystery Glue (2015)

Graham Parker and the Rumour returned after three decades as if nothing had changed. Everything had changed, of course. Well, except for these guys.