by Tom Johnson Bob Marley’s son did this one without the Melody Makers to make an album less about being reggae and more about music. Ziggy seems to find some influence in the Dave Matthews Band, as many songs feature passages that could easily have been played by the DMBRead More

by Tom Johnson This trio is basically Bill Frisell’s home away from home, it seems. If he’s not putting out his own solo album, it seems like you can almost count on something from this trio sooner or later, where he indulges his more straight-ahead jazz tendencies. The joy inRead More

by Tom Johnson I really wondered what the move to Capitol Records would do to the Decemberists. Would they turn in something less than stellar, as happened with Death Cab For Cutie on their major label debut, Plans? Or would they stick to their guns and thrive with a biggerRead More

by Tom Johnson I really admire trumpeter Dave Douglas. Not only is he world-renowned as one of jazz’s best, he has taken the high and difficult road by setting out to create his own little sanctuary for musicians, a label in Greenleaf Music where they get treated fairly and whereRead More

by Tom Johnson It was going to be hard for Bird to top his previous album, Andrew Bird And The Mysterious Production Of Eggs, a gorgeous, moody stunner. Equally balanced between upbeat rock numbers and quieter strings-backed pieces, Eggs had something for everyone, with smart, subtly-humorous lyrics strewn throughout toRead More

by Tom Johnson “Mailman” is singer David Yow’s tale of a woman being stalked by some creepy bastard who likes to send her little love notes through the mail. You May Also Like: Indigo Girls, “The Rise of the Black Messiah” from One Lost Day (2015): One Track Mind GlennRead More

by Tom Johnson Ben Folds opened this EP (Speed Graphic refers to the camera seen on the sleeve) with the Cure’s “In Between Days.” While staying true to the Cure’s sound, he managed to inject an extra little dose of his hopeful optimism into the song: It’s just a qualityRead More

by Tom Johnson Just because King Crimson is one of my all-time favorites doesn’t mean that I have to trot out the old standard In the Court of the Crimson King. I don’t particularly care for it, regardless of its standing as a prog-classic. The one that I return to,Read More

by Tom Johnson Poor Trey. Not only did he get wrapped up in dealing with a major label in 2005 with Shine, he also had to deal with the double-whammy of two decidedly non-fan friendly formats that Columbia insisted on releasing the album through, the shoddy DualDisc format and theRead More

It was only a matter of time before Robert Fripp came out of hiding again. Notoriously reclusive, the unusual guitarist seems to disappear just when things seem to get really interesting, such as a few years ago when You May Also Like: No related posts.