Louis Cole Leaves Nothing on the Table
From lush orchestral arrangements to frenetic fusion, Louis Cole’s nothing is arguably his most ambitious and wide-ranging album yet.
jazz pop
Diana Panton Sings Soft and Easy Songs of Love
Jazz singer Diana Panton’s voice suggests the present tenuousness is part of love’s charm. That’s vital to its truth and beauty (“soft winds and roses”).
Susanna Distills Life with ‘Meditations on Love’
Norway’s Susanna aims to distill the world and bring it down to a set of uncomfortable truths on this album. Love will tear us apart again and again.
The Buddy Movie That Is Lake Street Dive
To celebrate two decades of joyful jazz-pop perfection, the members of Lake Street Dive had to find new ways to write and record for new album Good Together.
Baroque Pop Songstress Margo Guryan Immortalized in New Boxed Set
With her keen feel for tone, phrasings, tension, presence, and lyrics that cut, Margo Guryan is synonymous with the most sophisticated 1960s songcraft.
Those Days Are Gone Forever: Steely Dan’s ‘Pretzel Logic’ at 50
Steely Dan’s 50-year-old third album, Pretzel Logic, conceals its dark satirical vision of modern society beneath immaculate studio production.
Pop-Rock Not for the Masses: Nellie McKay’s ‘Get Away From Me’ at 20
Nellie McKay is appealing but with an edge, offering hooks but also barbs, looking back at the past and ahead of her time. She could be a pop star in 2024.
Joni Mitchell’s Archival ‘Volume 3’ Documents Her Most Fertile Period
Joni Mitchell’s Archives Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975) is a towering achievement and the live concert performances are a special treat.
Just Growing Old? Steely Dan’s ‘Countdown to Ecstasy’ at 50
Steely Dan’s Countdown to Ecstasy reveals a progression toward ever more sheen and polish on a smooth shell, the source of the “yacht rock” label that defined them.
That Stank Attitude: Steely Dan’s Final Albums Two Decades Later
The last album by the rock/jazz phenoms Steely Dan was released 20 years ago. This is a look back at why their last two records deserve reconsideration.
Memories of Basia’s ‘The Sweetest Illusion’ 29 Years Later
Basia’s The Sweetest Illusion speaks to my family’s migration from Poland to France, the US, and the UK. Like Basia, I’ve picked up various cultural ephemera along the way.
Office Culture Sparkle on the Grooving, Moody ‘Big Time Things’
Office Culture sing of love, sadness, and city life on Big Time Things, buoyed by a four-piece combination that locks in with a unique brand of art-pop.