Music
Sonny Landreth, From the Reach (Landfall)
Steak is good, and bleu cheese, mushrooms and sautéed onions are all good on a steak, but you don’t want them all on it at once. Stack enough stuff on […]
Jamal Batiste, The Unorthodox Drummer: The First Assemblage (Jam-All Productions)
There’s a lot to admire about The Unorthodox Drummer: the First Assemblage, starting with Jamal Batiste’s nerve and ambition. The album presents Batiste as a hip-hop impresario, which makes sense. […]
Amy Trail, Lushious Life (Independent)
On her second independent release, Amy Trail locates herself fruitfully in a piano-driven singer-songwriter mode circa the mid-1970s. Elegantly simple melodies and effortless lyrics recall Carole King and her peers […]
Mitch Woods featuring the Lazy Jumpers, Jukebox Drive (El Toro)
Mitch Woods’ Big Easy Boogie was a well-meant tribute to New Orleans, and it probably got a better reception in other cities than it did here. Lines and tropes that […]
New York Dolls, Live at the Fillmore East (Sony/BMG)
I didn’t see the New York Dolls the first time around, but it’s hard to imagine that David Johansen ever looked more degenerate than he has looked during the Dolls […]
Harold Battiste
Harold Battiste is concerned about the future, and particularly what will survive. The saxophone player has spent a lifetime in music and has been a talent scout, an arranger, a […]
Ronnie Hawkins, Mojo Man/Arkansas Rockpile (Collector’s Choice)
The albums included on this two-for-one reissue of Ronnie Hawkins’ albums from the 1960s were recorded with members of the Band, and there’s a lot to love here. For fans […]
Carl LeBlanc, Seventh Ward Griot (Preservation Hall)
These new releases from Preservation Hall share the same appeal: They reflect real people being real. The Lastie Family Gospel is the sound of vocalist Bettie Ann Lastie, organist Reverend […]
The Last Straws, Time Marches On: Fifty Years Going and Blowing (Independent DVD)
This self-made documentary on the traditional jazz band the Last Straws has much of the same charm as a Peggy Scott Laborde-produced documentary on WYES. The camera pans lovingly across […]
Chris Thomas King, Live on Beale Street (21st Century Blues)
Most of this short live album from 1997 presents Chris Thomas King on his most solid ground. He’s a funky blues guitar hero for most of Live on Beale Street, […]
