Rufus Thomas, R&B scamp and known ass-shaker about town, was the ripe old age of 53 when this single was released. He hadn’t lost one bit of arm-flapping gusto. Yet, “Do The Funky Chicken” still came out of nowhere. Thomas’s label, Memphis-based Stax, had recently severed ties with Atlantic Records,Read More

Credit Uriah Heep as the co-inventors of hard rock, along with Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. It doesn’t mean they couldn’t craft a crunchy little hit single, too. You May Also Like: On Paul McCartney’s ‘Egypt Station,’ Uriah Heep’s ‘Living the Dream’ + other new releases Doobie BrothersRead More

A sharper direction on this new release, not to mention an all-star backing cast, helps Stanley Jordon overcome many of the stereotypes that have dogged him since rising to fame in the early 1980s. Back then, Jordan was riding a wave of attention over his use of a eye-poppingly fastRead More

In a few short years after these sides were put to tape, Buck Owens would be hailed as the architect of the Bakersfield sound, notching memorable hits for Capitol including “Tiger by the Tail” and “Act Naturally.” He was, really, still gathering his tools, and picking out building materials. Yet,Read More

The lyrics have changed over these many years, but the mythical journey of Stagger Lee — “that bad man, oh, cru-el Stagolee” who shot a card-playing companion over a five-dollar Stetson hat — remains this talismanic tale. You May Also Like: Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ – Tajmo (2017)

Some songs are so personal, so specific, that you wonder if anyone else could ever do them justice. Rufus Wainwright’s “Dinner at Eight,” originally about a confrontation with his often-absent father, was one of them. Until now You May Also Like: Billy Porter, “For What It’s Worth” (2020): One TrackRead More

Tony Levin, bassist with Peter Gabriel and King Crimson, joins us to discuss five key tracks from his remarkable career.

The latest incarnation for bassist Tony Levin, best known for his work with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel, is as part of a fearless new trio album with guitarist David Torn and Yes drummer Alan White. Part prog, part free-form improvisational music, part noise rock, Levin Torn White brings inRead More

As much as I wanted to argue with the smaller ambitions of Ramsey Lewis’ Taking Another Look,’ in the end, it was simply too ingratiating.

Only a band like the Mekons could make something like Ancient and Modern, this whipsawing triumph of country contemplation and righteous, guitar-banging indignation, work so completely. After all, that’s their story. You May Also Like: My Chemical Romance Transcended Modern Rock With ‘Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge’ The Baron FourRead More