There are few reissue labels with Bear Family’s long, consistent history of knowledge, taste and quality, and all three are part of the package for this 2016 Christmas collection. The 30 tracks, totalling more than 70 minutes of music, mostly […]
Portland, Oregon’s Fluff & Gravy Records strides through a handful of years with a celebratory mixtape of sorts showcasing its vast array of sonic bids since 2011. What started as a veritable joke on a demo record has lampooned itself […]
‘Tis the season when all kinds of melodies launched by St. Nicholas impersonators fly through the air, hoping to find a place above your hearth for Christmas. Trouble is, most of ’em need to wind up in the fireplace instead […]
Though Charlie Rich found his greatest fame as a Nashville country crooner for Epic, the soul of his music was born in Memphis. Rich’s smooth countrypolitan ballads topped the charts in the mid-70s, but it was in fact a departure […]
It’s one thing for a songwriter to be fêted with a tribute album at the relatively young at of 42, but to be honored by a who’s who of one’s peers speaks louder than words. And with the likes of […]
“Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” performed here as the gospel of Mavis Staples, might not be the first song you’d associate with Emmylou Harris, but it’s the one that best evokes the celebratory spirit of this event, and the extended […]
The seeds planted by Bill Graham at the original Fillmore in San Francisco bloomed in many other cities, but few flowered as brightly as Detroit’s Grande Ballroom. Inspired by Russ Gibb’s 1967 visit to the Fillmore, the Grande became a […]
Here’s a look at the latest crop of albums I find noteworthy, including several from artists you’ve probably never heard of. Various artists, Highway Prayer, A Tribute to Adam Carroll. Most tribute albums tip a hat to a widely acclaimed […]
In the same way that “A Hard Day’s Night” launched a thousand rock bands, the Jackson Five launched a wave of family and kid bands that rolled on for decades. A few – including the Osmonds, DeFrancos and New Edition […]
Aside from his most ardent admirers, Charlie Rich is mostly known for a pair of crossover hits, the beautiful ballad “Behind Closed Doors” and the chart-topping, Grammy winning “Most Beautiful Girl.” Those were the two songs that brought him to […]
