This week’s reviews of 2019 albums covers indie releases. Indie is a nebulous word – technically it means releases from an independent label. But it’s come to define a specific approach as well – often music with shades of artiness…
Patti Smith was one of the first punk artists to make a record. 1975’s Horses, produced by John Cale, was a confronting album. Musically it drew from 1960s garage-rock, while lyrically it was provocative. Smith was clearly influential on an…
Congratulations to Max at who achieved last week’s only perfect score in the duo quiz. This week you need to answer some trivia questions. As you fill them in, you complete a word find. This makes it easier to…
So I don’t clog up your Wordpress feeds, I’ve combined 2019 album reviews for three US artists into one post. They all mine different genres, but they’ve all achieved significant commercial success this year, reaching #1, #2, and #3 on…
Sir Elton John is one of pop’s biggest hit machines, churning out top forty singles through the 1970s, 1980s, and much of the 1990s. He set Bernie Taupin’s lyrics to music, using his piano skills and agile voice to transcend…
English folkie Richard Dawson is onto his sixth album and pushing forty, but he’s certainly not a household name. Instead, he’s beloved by music critics but too much of an acquired taste for most. His folkish guitar playing is rough…
It looks like John from won last week’s challenge, scoring 20/20 with 2:37 remaining. Congratulations to John and all the other full marks. This week you need to link the top 5 hits to the duo. I scored…
Chicago born poet and singer-songwriter Jamila Woods dedicated her second album to twelve of her heroes. Each of the tracks is named for one of Woods’ role models, and are intended as self-portraits of these ground-breaking creative forces. Legacy! Legacy!…
A guest article by Scott Floman I love lists, in fact it’s right there in the title of the book I’ve written (and continue to periodically update) about music: The Story Of Rock and Soul Music: Album Reviews and Lists.…
Born in a nomad camp, Niger’s Mdou Moctar first came to prominence after the release of his debut album, 2008’s Anar. Its songs were hugely popular throughout the Sahel region of Africa, traded on cell-phones. Thanks to the compilation Music…
