Articles by: Nick DeRiso

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Diana Krall – Wallflower (2015)

Diana Krall is better than these arrangements, better than this album, better than she’s too-often presented — even though those records sell the most.

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Staple Singers, “Jesus is All” from Freedom Highway Complete (2015): One Track Mind

‘Freedom Highway Complete’ makes viscerally clear that the Staple Singers, though they’d moved far afield of gospel, could still rattle the back pews.

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Mark Knopfler, “Beryl” from ‘Tracker’ (2015): One Track Mind

“Beryl” reminds us of why Mark Knopfler became famous in the first place – even as it seems to retrace the steps that led him away from that fame.

Journey began unlikely shift to pop stardom with the arrival of Steve Perry: 'I welcomed it'

Journey began unlikely shift to pop stardom with the arrival of Steve Perry: ‘I welcomed it’

‘Infinity,’ released on January 20, 1978, saw Journey add Steve Perry. As ‘Feeling That Way/Anytime’ showed, they’d never be the same again.

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James McMurtry – ‘Complicated Game’ (2015)

‘Complicated Game,’ James McMurtry’s first album in seven years, finds his narrative rigor once again in sharp focus.

Toto - XIV (2015): Something Else! sneak peek

Toto – XIV (2015): Something Else! sneak peek

With ‘XIV,’ Toto has produced a visceral, entirely present return, one that acknowledges their best moments even as it builds upon them.

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Genesis – ‘The Sum of the Parts’ (2015): Movies

Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett blasted the ‘Sum of the Parts’ documentary as incomplete, even biased. He was right.

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John Oates – Another Good Road (2015)

John Oates’ intimate forthcoming live release, ‘Another Good Road,’ gives us new perspective on an exciting period of musical growth.

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Harry Nilsson played a key role on Ringo Starr’s Liverpool 8, 14 years after his death

Harry Nilsson, who died on Jan. 15, 1994, inspired Ringo Starr to one of his best solo moments almost exactly 14 years later.

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Kevin Eubanks + Stanley Jordan, “Lights” from Duets (2015): One Track Mind

That Kevin Eubanks and Stanley Jordan offer fine takes on jazz staples here comes as little surprise. But Ellie Goulding’s “Lights”