Only a band like the Mekons could make something like Ancient and Modern, this whipsawing triumph of country contemplation and righteous, guitar-banging indignation, work so completely. After all, that’s their story. You May Also Like: My Chemical Romance Transcended Modern Rock With ‘Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge’ The Baron FourRead More

There is often a West Coast cool this recording, thanks largely to the smoothly energetic phrasings of vibraphonist Dave Shank. That’s not to say, however, that Soundproof doesn’t have its moments of fiery interplay You May Also Like: Dave Stryker – Eight Track II (2016)

Blues records used to routinely sound like this: Loose and fun, almost anarchic in their pursuit of nothing more than good-time joy and real-time emotion. You May Also Like: How Pee Wee Ellis Finally Stepped Into the Spotlight With ‘Blues Mission’

Occasionally I’ll come across a record that sounds very pleasing to me and then realize that the music falls outside my usual areas of interest. Like, for instance, this new one by Florencia Ruiz that I’ve been listening to a lot in the last few days. You May Also Like:Read More

Alyssa Graham’s “High Time,” this melancholy remake, transforms a familiar Grateful Dead song from 1970 into a scorching tale of hope replaced by regret. You May Also Like: ‘Burning Questions’ Found Graham Parker Still Angry, If No Longer Young

Asked to describe this new album, Canadian guitarist Tim Vaughn said: “It’s like Prince, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix and Radiohead all met Los Lobos at a bar in “From Dusk Til’ Dawn,” and Jack White was playing there with Elvis Costello.” Thing is, as knee-slappingly over-the-top asRead More

L.A. pianist and composer Josh Nelson has been busy making records (while not backing up Natalie Cole) since his 2006 semi-finalist finish in the Thelonious Monk competition. You May Also Like: Matt Nelson, Tim Dahl, Nick Podgurski – GRID (2017)

Listen in as Paul McCartney makes his initial foray into the world of dance with the forthcoming release Ocean’s Kingdom, commissioned for the New York City Ballet and performed by the London Classical Orchestra. You May Also Like: Paul McCartney Found Collaborative, First-Take Genius Again With ‘Electric Arguments’ Paul McCartney’sRead More

Rock fans know him for his work with David Bowie and the Average White Band, jazz fans from moments alongside Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins (they’re on tour now), soul and pop fans from turns with Chaka Khan and Mariah Carey. You May Also Like: ‘All That’s Jazz,’ by SammyRead More

A straight-ahead jazz quartet with instrumentation as atypical as their sensibilities, the Reese Project’s Evening in Vermont is perhaps best summed up in the track “All Wood,” a nifty combination of Miles Davis’ “All Blues” and the Beatles “Norwegian Wood.” That it’s performed on flute (Tom Reese), cello (Laurie HainesRead More