I’ve been wracking my mind trying to think of another married couple that have recorded together with the same sympatico and creativity that I hear when ace Americana guitarist and sideman Buddy Miller records with his songwriter wife Julie Miller. Of course, there was Richard and Linda Thompson, but we all know that didn’t end…
Partly Cloudy is the full-length debut from the enigmatic female dream pop/folk rock artist who is most comfortable sharing her deepest, most intimate thoughts from behind her somewhat mysterious cat face mask. Most of the 13 tracks here are rooted very closely to simple acoustic guitar folk rock, with producer Billy Mohler providing just enough…
Magic Mike or Santa? Honestly, there are times you can’t tell the difference in this sexually promiscuous, irreverent Christmas revue that provides no shortage of fun. It upends everything you thought you knew about the festive season and keeps the laughs coming. A traditional Christmas carol behind curtains gives way to smut and innuendo, which the enthusiastic…
Actor-director Bradley Cooper shows his success in A Star is Born was no fluke with Maestro. This impressionistic portrait of the conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein is technically dazzling, although its oblique approach may distance some viewers. As with A Star is Born, Cooper again pulls triple duty as director, actor (in the titular role…
Acceptance is the theme of the musical Kinky Boots, which is based on the 2005 film of the same name. Charlie Price is a young man destined to take over his family’s Northampton-based shoe manufacturing business – the fourth generation to do so. His father Harold has never thought otherwise. And yet, Charlie doesn’t have a passion for…
Electricolorized, the third installment from the enigmatic instrumental powerhouse Penza Penza, featuring Estonian composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Misha Panfilov, is an earworm-filled journey that defies easy categorization. This album serves as a testament to an artist who effortlessly blends genres, creating a unique and captivating musical experience. Penza Penza now stretches their funky jazz psych…
Mike Adams at His Honest Weight found the titular Adams recording with help from some of his touring band on the 2019 release, There Is No Better Feeling, but for last year’s Graphic Blandishments, the multi-instrumentalist took advantage of his home studio’s multi-track utility to record on his own, layering instruments and vocals to create…
Okay, friends, let’s be honest. There’s no way in hell that this late-in-life album from the Rolling Stones has any right to sound and feel as good as it does. In a few months, it will be the 60th anniversary of the release of their self-titled debut. The band’s last studio recording was 2016’s Blue…
You have to wonder if anyone thought about the possibility that they might be wearing the band name Teenage Fanclub still, over thirty years later, while the principal members were getting close to 60? Whether they were expecting to be a flash in the pan, or were in it for the long haul, long gone…
The Gaslight Anthem, after a nearly decade-long hiatus, returns with their sixth full-length album, History Books. This New Jersey-born band continues to deliver their soulful, life-affirming rock sound, delving into topics ranging from mortality and mental health to the delicate aspects of human relationships. Since the release of the band’s fantastic sophomore album, The ’59…
