Music
Gravity A, Naissance (Independent)
Instead of jazz/jam/funk, this is jazz/jam/rock, which means that when it doesn’t lean toward fusion, it veers toward art rock. Gravity A distinguishes itself with an appealingly spacious sound that […]
Esquizito, Vol. 4: Come Rain, Come Shine (Maison Musique)
There’s a lot to like on Esquizito’s new album, starting with its democratic feel. The jazz vocalist shares the spotlight willingly, and sax player Khari Allen Lee and pedal […]
Mary Gauthier, Between Daylight and Dark (Lost Highway)
On Easter, Patti Smith says, “Those who have suffered understand suffering and therefore extend their hand.” Thibodeaux native Mary Gauthier’s art bring this thought to mind; on 2005’s Mercy […]
Bruce Springsteen, Magic (Columbia)
I worry that I’ve become a reformed smoker where Bruce Springsteen is concerned. There was a time before Born in the U.S.A. when I loved Springsteen, but as time […]
James Andrews and the Crescent City Allstars, People Get Ready Now (Independent)
At OffBeat’s 2006 Best of the Beat show—the first after Katrina—James Andrews brought what seemed like most of the Treme onstage with him at the House of Blues. It […]
With Strings Attached
Saturday, November 3, Terence Blanchard will perform his new album A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina) with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. The album started as the soundtrack […]
John Fogerty, Revival (Fantasy)
On Centerfield, John Fogerty wrote about baseball’s place in Americana; on Revival, he writes about his own. The album is getting a lot of love for a return to […]
Taken by Trees, Open Field (Rough Trade)
Victoria Bergsman’s voice will be familiar, even if her or her current band’s name isn’t. As a member of the Concretes, her “You Can’t Hurry Love” was featured on an […]
Merle Haggard, The Bluegrass Sessions (McCoury)
The acoustic lineup with a mandolin, banjo and fiddle seem to mark this as bluegrass enough to give the album its title, but The Bluegrass Sessions are really simply […]
Invisible Cowboy, Wranglers Everywhere! (Nocturnal)
Pat Catania of Hammond’s Invisible Cowboy has always made songs seem effortless. The band has quietly been around for more than a decade making country rock influenced more by […]
