Music Reviews

Sort By:  Post Date TitlePublish Date
Music Reviews
Music: Divas Down - And Up!
 |  Feb 03, 2006

SHAKIRA. The English-language Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 (Epic; Music ••••, Sound ••••) is the sequel to the all-Spanish FijaciÓn Oral, Vol. 1 - but aside from two overlapping songs, it's a different Shakira entirely. The Spanish set was a lush and relatively subdued pop disc; the follow-up is wildly and creatively multicultural.

Continue Reading »
Music Reviews
MUSIC REVIEW: Stevie Wonder
Billy Altman  |  Jan 14, 2006
A Time to Love Motown
Music ••••½Sound •••
It was hard to know just what to expect from Stevie Wonder's A T
Continue Reading »
Music Reviews
MUSIC REVIEW: Jamie Cullum
Billy Altman  |  Jan 14, 2006
Catching Tales Verve Forecast
Music ••• Sound •••
On his breakout major-label debut, Twentysomething, the jazz-based E
Continue Reading »
Music Reviews
Music: Songbirds of a Feather?
Brett Milano  |  Jan 14, 2006
Kate Bush Aerial Columbia
Music ••• Sound ••••
Continue Reading »
Music Reviews
MUSIC REVIEW: Trey Anastasio
Ken Richardson  |  Jan 14, 2006
Shine Columbia
Music •••• Sound •••• DualDisc Extras •••½
A more appropriate cover photo would sh
Continue Reading »
Music Reviews
MUSIC REVIEW: Neil Diamond
Parke Puterbaugh  |  Jan 14, 2006
12 Songs Columbia
Music ••• Sound •••
Neil Diamond's 12 Songs isn't quite the artistic rehabilitation we heard
Continue Reading »
Music Reviews
MUSIC REVIEW: The Magic Numbers
Rob O'Connor  |  Jan 14, 2006
The Magic Numbers Capitol
Music ••• Sound •••
Is it the sound of the Strokes hitting the sandbox or Belle & Sebastian getti
Continue Reading »
Music Reviews
Debussy—Prlude l'aprs-midi d'un faune, Nocturnes, La mer, Berceuse hroque—Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Jrvi (Telarc) [SACD/CD]
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 11, 2006  |  First Published: Jul 11, 2005
A trembling flute figure drifts into the air and hangs there, sensuously falling and rising. It's one of the most celebrated moments in orchestral music, and the free, blissful, agile development that follows does not disappoint. Nor does Telarc's multichannel recording of this sumptuous work.
Continue Reading »
Music Reviews
Bela Fleck—Drive (Mobile Fidelity) [SACD]
Adrienne Maxwell  |  Jan 11, 2006  |  First Published: Jul 11, 2005
I don't know how many banjo players you can name, but I can come up with two: Bela Fleck and Roy Clark (and I had to cheat to get Roy Clark-before a trip to IMDB.com, it was "that guy from Hee-Haw"). Even if you've never heard of Bela Fleck, you've probably heard his music, as he's appeared on a ton of pop and jazz albums. He's won Grammys in the country, jazz, classical, and pop categories, but his roots are pure bluegrass.
Continue Reading »
Music Reviews
Neil Young—Prairie Wind (Reprise) [CD/DVD-Audio]
Steve Guttenberg  |  Dec 16, 2005
I guess I shouldn't have counted him out, but, after Neil Young's last few efforts—Silver & Gold, Are You Passionate?, and Greendale—I was starting to feel like he was in a rut. The recordings had their high points, all right; but, when I'm in the mood for Neil, I'll spin Comes a Time or Sleeps With Angels. Although I've only spent a few weeks with Prairie Wind, I think it'll stand beside Young's earlier triumphs. It's that good.
Continue Reading »
Music Reviews
MUSIC REVIEWS: Liz Phair
Brett Milano  |  Dec 14, 2005
Somebody's Miracle Capitol
Music •• Sound •••
I'll say one thing for Liz Phair's new album: It really makes you app
Continue Reading »
Music Reviews
MUSIC REVIEWS: The Like
Brett Milano  |  Dec 14, 2005
Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? Geffen
Music •••• Sound ••••
If I told you that the Like is an all-female L.A.
Continue Reading »
Music Reviews
MUSIC REVIEWS: Big Star
Brett Milano  |  Dec 14, 2005
Big Star in Space Rykodisc
Music ••• Sound •••
If this disc had been released under leader Alex Chilton's
Continue Reading »
Music Reviews
Boxed to the Nines
Ken Richardson  |  Dec 14, 2005
LEGACY

JOHNNY CASH The Legend: Limited Edition (Columbia/Legacy, 5 CDs and 1 DVD, $330) CHARLIE POOLE "You Ain't Talkin' to Me": Charlie Poole and the Roots of Country Music (Columbia/Legacy, 3 CDs, $40) With tracks from 1954 to 2002, the Cash set comes in a 12 x 16-i

Continue Reading »
Music Reviews
PG or Not PG?
Ken Richardson  |  Dec 14, 2005

It's been nearly two years since the Janet Jackson Offense at the Super Bowl, so the music industry must be chaste by now. Not exactly! Check out THE LOVEMAKERS, who make rock/electronic dance music with "sexually charged fury," says the bio for their CD, Times of Romance.

Continue Reading »

Pages

X