ALBUM REVIEW: THOSE PRETTY WRONGS, “Zed For Zulu”
Let’s start with an instant disclaimer – I love this band. I’m already a committed fan. So it’s not like any great surprise that I would want to sit down,…
ALBUM REVIEW: V/A, “Soul Explosion”
What was created as a centerpiece of a “movement” was born out of necessity and urgency. Fifty years after its initial appearance, it’s a landmark of greatness, pure and simple.…
ALBUM REVIEW: Southern Avenue, “Keep On”
Memphis’ Southern Avenue has just released their sophomore effort, Keep On and in a word, they do just that – they keep on. Their self-titled debut in 2017 turned a…
ALBUM REVIEW: BIG STAR, “Live On WLIR”
Okay, onto the re-release of Big Star: Live On WLIR (which originally came out in 1992 on Ryko as Big Star Live): first, the “featured image” is with Andy Hummel,…
ALBUM REVIEW: VAN DUREN, “Waiting – The Van Duren Story” (original documentary soundtrack)
In trying to write this “review”, I have to make some immediate disclosures: this will not be easy nor objective. That’s not meant in a negative fashion. You see, I…
CD REVIEWS: ALEX CHILTON, “SONGS FROM ROBIN HOOD LANE” & “FROM MEMPHIS TO NEW ORLEANS”
Here’s the backstory first: February 8 will see Bar/None Records’ release of two thought-provoking looks at an often-overlooked period of rock icon Alex Chilton’s long, curious career. Alex was at…
CD REVIEW: THE REPUTATIONS, “Electric Power”
According to the press release: “Austin-based “power soul” group The Reputations recorded their new album, Electric Power, at the monumental Memphis recording space, Ardent Studios, with musician/producer, Jody Stephens (Big…
Bar/None Records Announces New Alex Chilton Compilations
Hoboken mainstay label Bar/None will be issuing two notable releases this coming February; two collections devoted to the lesser-known works of the late, legendary Alex Chilton. On February 8th, From…
CD REVIEW: PETER HOLSAPPLE VS. ALEX CHILTON, “The Death Of Rock”
First, the official story: in 1978 at Sam Phillips Recording Service in Memphis, Tennessee, Peter Holsapple came to town looking for the essence of Big Star. He hooked up with…
BOXSET PREVIEW: “Stax ’68: A Memphis Story”
It all crescendoed in 1968, a tempest-tossed year when the label redefined its own sound and, in the process, channeled a larger historical zeitgeist. Three earth-shattering events altered the state…