Macy Gray has apparently been listening to rock radio over the decade or so since her breakout R&B-soaked hit “I Try.” Her new album of reinterpretations, simply called Covered, is dotted with songs from the likes of Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Sublime and My Chemical Romance. You May Also Like: DevinRead More

When it comes to music, and art in general, I’m driven by the “butterfly effect” as applied to aesthetics. My main purpose is to introduce people to what I like in the hope that their new found joy will in turn influence others You May Also Like: Forget What YouRead More

This is an album for people who still think Trinity Sessions stands as the Cowboy Junkies’ best recording, but also for those who want to hear how that sound has expanded and matured over the years. You May Also Like: Bobby Avey – Inhuman Wilderness (2016) Location Location Location [MichaelRead More

Chris Earl is actually the face behind this curiously christened vehicle, and for the past 20-odd years he has been depositing one amazing recording after another. Strictly homespun affairs, these projects firmly express the Squires of the Subterrain‘s obsession with vintage music, which ropes in everything from surf rock toRead More

Here’s a brand new disc by Bill Frisell’s fiddle player. The music contained within, is well within Fris’ playing field, but there’s some adventurous circuit bent noises courtesy of Nels Cline with his bag of trick effects. Jim Black and Todd Sickafoose are on board, too, so the entire backingRead More

There are actually two versions of this number from Missouri-based Southern rockers Powder Mill. The first, “The Devil and New Orleans,” an acoustic country number, appeared on the band’s 2008 album New Mountain. You May Also Like: Richard Turgeon, “Powder Keg” (2020): One Track Mind The Blind Boys of Alabama’sRead More

New Standard Quintet lives up to its name, time and again, not by resurrecting age-old tracks but by trying to fashion its own rules for approaching original jazz music. You May Also Like: Laurence Juber – Standard Time (1982; 2018 reissue) Pearcy / Gratzmiller Jazz Quintet – ‘Over the Edge’Read More

The disappointment isn’t so much that Elton John doesn’t make music like he used to. It’s that he almost couldn’t be bothered to try. You May Also Like: Elton John’s Unfairly Criticized ‘Rock of the Westies’ Deserves Another Listen Elton John – ‘Jewel Box’ (2020) Elton John – Greatest HitsRead More

Papa Grows Funk returns with its most collaborative effort yet, as Needle in the Groove boasts a whopping three producers — including Louisiana legend Allen Toussaint — and a set of songs composed together as a group. You May Also Like: John ‘Papa’ Gros – River’s On Fire (2016)

This was a rare thing: an album of guitar music where the guitar isn’t really the point. Put a different way, it’s the ideas that are given the focus, not the chops. You May Also Like: Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog – ‘Connection’ (2023) Bill Frisell – Music IS (2018)