by Tom Johnson The second installment in Stevens’ planned 50-piece “states” series took aim at Illinois. As a follow-up to 2004’s stunning Seven Swans, it struggles a bit, but is a rewarding and entertaining listen. Stevens’ music is pretty much entirely acoustic — banjos, guitars, piano. Those who want anotherRead More

I love to read negative reviews of albums put out by aging rock stars. They’re predictable in a comforting sort of way. A big chunk of them say that the artist hasn’t been any good since the “blah blah” release. You May Also Like: How Neil Young’s Complex, Hypnotic ‘Greendale’Read More

I wanted to love this. I originally heard the “pre-release” mp3s that slipped out, and I was enthused at what appeared to be a return to the “classic” Radiohead sound of OK Computer and The Bends. You May Also Like: Radiohead Saw the Future With ‘OK Computer,’ Then Became ItRead More

We had the “official” start of summer a little over a week ago, by I’ve always felt that the 4th of July weekend was when summer stepped into its full bloom. You May Also Like: Lisa Germano’s ‘Happiness’ Broke Out of the John Mellencamp Roots Rut John Mellencamp’s ‘Freedom’s Road’Read More

If you ever get a chance to see the movie “Dazed And Confused,” you’ll be treated to a pretty accurate depiction of a typical weekend in late 1970’s America. The bad hair, the hiphuggers, the muscle cars, the 8-tracks. You May Also Like: ZZ Top’s “El Diablo,” “Thunderbird,” “Rough Boy”Read More

Yes’ 2011 comeback album ‘Fly From Here’ is, in many ways, better than it has any right to be.

by Tom Johnson When Tool’s Lateralus came out a few years back, there was much talk about how intense it was going to be, how it was going to be all about building tension and sudden release. I ran out and scarfed up a copy You May Also Like: HowRead More

Of the two recently released AC/DC DVDs, Live at River Plate is by far the least interesting to me. I’m much more intrigued by the long-awaited DVD/Blu-Ray release of Let There Be Rock, featuring original singer Bon Scott. But this is the one Sony has presented me with, so hereRead More

Rick Derringer’s gloriously greasy slide guitar assured that “Show Biz Kids” would stand as one of Steely Dan’s better deep cuts.

by Tom Johnson Nick Cave seemed to have found his lighter side on this double-release (packaged in the same box), shunning a bit of the dark murder themes he’s been known for. In fact, this is a downright uplifting album, a complete anamoly in his catalog, full of gospel choirsRead More