Music
Gram Parsons, Fallen Angel (Rhino DVD)
Gram Parsons almost single-handedly invented Americana music. He had a missionary’s passion for classic country music, leading the Byrds to record Sweetheart of the Rodeo. There, as a member […]
Various Artists, Eccentric Soul (Numero)
Few albums have funnier liner notes than those for Eccentric Soul: the Big Mack Label. They’re not supposed to be funny, but as they chronicle Ed McCoy’s attempt to […]
Van Hunt, On The Jungle Floor (Capitol)
Hunt’s debut was a smart throwback R&B album with Hunt serving as a spy in the house of lust. On the Jungle Floor could use that kind of focus. […]
A Lounge Act
“I think he’s spraying the place with Lysol,” Dub Brock says. Brock—who performs under the name Bobby Lounge—is standing in the country near McComb, Mississippi outside a house that […]
Looking For The Silver Lining
Dave Pirner still can’t get jeans that fit. As he stands in a crowd at Jazz Fest, a woman walks by and politely lets the singer for Soul Asylum know […]
Johnny Cash, Personal File (Columbia/Legacy)
This two-disc set of solo tracks recorded by Johnny Cash at home in the ’70s, has the feel of a big deal, but it’s most significant as evidence that […]
DJ Logic, Zen of Logic (Ropeadope)
I endorse the notion of turntablist as jazzman, and DJ Logic’s too professional and smart not to make a solid CD. Still, I need more mood, more song structure or […]
Grandaddy, Just Like the Fambly Cat (V2)
There’s nothing not to like about this album, which, like a more electronic Wilco, synthesizes many disparate influences into a series of smart, attractive songs. So why do I […]
Willie Nelson, You Don’t Know Me (Lost Highway)
Cindy Walker penned many of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys’ biggest hits, but with Tommy Duncan good-time vocals singing over Wills’ swing, it’s easy to miss her gift […]
Dave Alvin, West of the West (Yep Roc)
On 2000’s Public Domain, songwriter Dave Alvin covered folk songs that, as the album’s title implied, were in the public domain. Well before Springsteen, he showed how lively classic […]
