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On Second Thought: Brian Eno – Drums Between the Bells (2011)

I initially dismissed this, almost out of hand: There’s a reason people haven’t been rocking Robert Frost all this time. You May Also Like: How Brian Eno Made a Triumphant Return to Rock With ‘Nerve Net’

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Beth Hart + Joe Bonamassa – Don’t Explain (2011)

Making records and constantly touring — under his own name and with Black Country Communion — keeps Joe Bonamassa one of the busiest musicians working today. You May Also Like: No related posts.

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Half Notes: Marc Ribot – The Lost String DVD (2008)

by Mark Saleski Anybody out there who has been paying attention to my writings may have noticed that the name Marc Ribot has appeared almost as many times as Pat Metheny. Though the two guitar players are nothing alike, they do take up a considerable amount of my shelf space.Read More

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Rufus Thomas, ‘Do the Funky Chicken’ (1969; 2011 reissue): One Track Mind

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

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Dave Douglas – Freak In (2003)

by Tom Johnson In many ways, I am still no closer to being able to put words to my feelings for this album. Instead, I find myself forcing words upon it, all of which are rendered meaningless because they really don’t describe this album, only things that have come beforeRead More

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Sparks Fly On E Street: Bruce Springsteen, “Kitty’s Back” (1973)

Now here we have the E Street Band with David Sancious and Vinny Lopez imparting more than a little bit of their jazzier sides. The jazz feel comes partly from Lopez’ loose-but-tight work at the kit and from Sancious’ wicked organ solo. You May Also Like: Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘TheRead More

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Uriah Heep, “Easy Livin'” from Live in Armenia (2011): One Track Mind

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

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Half Notes: Keith Jarrett – My Foolish Heart: Live at Montreux (2007)

by Tom Johnson I think there’s an annual requirement that Keith Jarrett must issue some kind of musical good. Going into this release, there had only been a handful of years in his career that have not resulted in some kind of album under his name — 1969, 1970, 1978,Read More

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Forgotten series: Fritz Hauser – Solo Drumming (1989)

by Mark Saleski For those unfamiliar with Fritz Hauser, he is one of (maybe the … who knows, there’s gotta be more than one though) Switzerland’s best percussionists. You May Also Like: No related posts.

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Stanley Jordan – Friends (2011)

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