Cyril Neville and King Youngblood Serve Up Inspiring Gumbo
This is a big year for Cyril Neville and King Youngblood, a bonus for music fans who appreciate artists who use their talents to speak out and inspire social change.
Music
Features, reviews, interviews, and lists about music, covering the latest as well historical topics.
Mariachi El Bronx Suit Up Again After a Decade Away
While the idea of hard-core gringo rockers Mariachi El Bronx covering the hyper-emotional Mexican genre might seem like a goof, the musicians dove in and took it seriously.
Tōth Finds the Clarity of His ‘Voice’ Through Constraint
Tōth’s And the Voice Said refines his knack for balancing introspection, pop warmth, and unresolved inner tension.
William Clark Green Sings About Good Ol’ Texas
Watterson Hall offers a glimpse into the mythical Texas that many consider their rightful heritage. William Clark Green personifies a good ol’ boy without stereotypes.
Jackie West Expands the Strengths of Her Brilliant Debut
Jackie West grows from her immensely satisfying debut album into a follow-up that sees her taking chances while writing beautiful, emotionally striking music.
Al Stewart’s “Time Passages” Completes His “Year of the Cat”
Folk-pop-rock singer Al Stewart scored a career-boosting hit with 1976’s “Year of the Cat” and continued the momentum with “Time Passages”.
Lynn Miles on the Discipline of Emotional Balance
For Canadian folk singer-songwriter Lynn Miles, yielding to songwriting is not passivity. It is discipline. Attention. Trust.
Britpop Pioneers Squeeze Bring Out the Fun on ‘Trixies’
Squeeze were always ambitious, although never at the expense of fun. Trixies is imaginative, impressive, and most importantly, fun.
Violinist Meg Okura Creates a Lush Span of Styles
Meg Okura creates a unique musical blend, and her new album with the Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble, Isaiah, is ambitious and lushly accessible.
Musik Music Musique 1979: The Roots of Synth Pop
Based on the best tracks on this new synth pop collection, 1979 was a time that drew equally from traditionalist pop songcraft and new musical technology.
Massive Attack’s ‘Blue Lines’ Changed Everything
Massive Attack provided the first truly viable British response to the then-rising—and stubbornly indigenous—sensibilities of American hip-hop culture.
Converge Retake Their Ground on New Record
If Love Is Not Enough announces anything, it’s a return to the stark architecture and the blunt-force grammar Converge helped codify.