by Tom Johnson It’s hard not to wonder how bassist Gerard Smith’s fight with cancer during the recording of Nine Types of Light affected the group. After all, the end result is a decidedly different affair than past TV On The Radio efforts, sounding all the more mature and, admittedly,Read More

My first encounter with the musicianship of fusion guitarist Steve Khan came from Billy Joel’s 1978 album 52nd Street. I still remember a studio picture of Khan in the vinyl record’s sleeve, big black hair, mustache, guitar and all. These days, Khan doesn’t have the big black hair anymore, butRead More

After spending the last couple of weeks with the new records from Whitesnake and King Kobra, it’s only natural that I’d eventually turn to the album where the two factions met, 1989’s self-titled debut from Blue Murder. When John Sykes was ousted from Whitesnake, along with most of the bandRead More

by Tom Johnson My dad introduced me to Robert Cray long ago and, even into a new century, little had changed with Cray: He was still putting out dependable, if unspectacular, albums of his smooth brand of blues — a sound that fills in that overlooked category of music thatRead More

Just as Mike and the Mechanics’ “The Living Years” reminds me of my father, there’s now a song that brings fond thoughts of my dear mother, to whom I dedicate this song. During this time of year, a lot of us reflect a lot on what our mother means toRead More

by Tom Johnson Bassist Tony Levin has made an incredible career for himself backing some of the finest musicians in the world, but his most notable contributions have been with Peter Gabriel and the ’80s and ’90s incarnations of King Crimson. He left, then returned around this time when TreyRead More

I don’t know how many Steely Dan fans are also into country music, but “Brooklyn” showed the two seemingly opposed passions could co-exist quite nicely.

Where’d saxophonist Chris West get this groove? The undulating downtown streets of New Orleans, of course. Sassy and just plain nasty at times, “Where I Got This Groove” is like a sweat-soaked traipse across that city’s legendary Vieux Carre’. They start with drummer Justin Amaral’s slapping second-line groove, then addRead More

Critics hung soft rock around their necks, but Toto was never so easily identifiable.

The lithe, understated pianist Lisa Hilton has led a dozen dates, and Underground is record no. 13. There’s a nocturnal ambience about her brand of jazz, one she seems to play up with past album titles like Cocktails at Eight…, Jazz After Hours, Midnight in Manhattan and After Dark. Moreover,Read More