Reviews
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Sea Stars: The Unknown
Fans of The Swell Season, Mazzy Star, and even Trinity Sessions-era Cowboy Junkies now have a local band to get behind in Sea Stars. The duo, comprised of Katie Gray and Kurt Baumann, have gathered all the ethereal ambiance they can muster into their new, nine-song release, The Unknown. To put it simply: If Ojai…
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AllMusic.com Reviews
The following pages are some of my favorite pieces taken from my days freelancing for AllMusic.com. I wrote almost 200 reviews and bios for them over the course of a few years. These are links to additional posts over at the home site: Toad the Wet Sprocket – Dulcinea Jeb Loy Nichols – Just What…
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Shawn Colvin – Steady On
Sonically, Steady On is a triumph, with its emotional intimacy captured with smooth precision. Vocally, Colvin\’s tender, sometimes whisper-like performances are astonishing and haunting, provocative and seductive all at once.
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Amy Ray – Stag
Amy Ray has a message. She always has. But as half of the Indigo Girls, she was a bit more measured, reserved, and polite, if you will. Still, she wants to be heard and what she has to say on Stag is very much worth listening to.
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Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – Shooting Rubberbands…
As debut albums by young bands go, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars is nearly flawless. With a slight southern twinge in her voice, the 23-year-old Brickell churned out brilliant lyrics and captivating vocal performances, backed by the solid and innovative players that comprised the original New Bos — Kenny Withrow, Brad Houser, John Bush, and…
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David Gray – Sell, Sell, Sell
On Sell, Sell, Sell, David Gray plugs in and cranks it up a notch higher than on his previous release, Flesh. Where once there were sparse arrangements of acoustic guitar and piano, now there are live jangling electrics and drums.
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Jonatha Brooke – Steady Pull
Continuing her standing as an independent artist, Jonatha Brooke kicks off the millennium with Steady Pull, the second release on her own Bad Dog Records. Steady Pull is at once both inspiring and upsetting. The inspiration is easy to glimpse; it\’s a wonderful record, smart and catchy, interesting and fresh. The frustration lies not with…
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Grant-Lee Phillips – Mobilize
Some records defy explanation and rise above any praise or criticism. They exist in a realm of their own creation and definition, undeserving of attempts to categorize or humanize their artistic achievement. Words cannot capture their essence, and probably should not even try. With Mobilize, Grant-Lee Phillips has set forth such a work.
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Kim Richey – Rise
There\’s a lot about Kim Richey\’s Rise that is intriguing. All of it seems to circle around the balancing of playful and contemplative moods. The lyrics, the instrumentation, the arrangements — all are means to that intriguing end.
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Indigo Girls – Rites of Passage
Though not what you\’d call polished or slick, Rites of Passage introduces a sound and structure that are a touch more refined than previous albums by Indigo Girls. Thanks to producer Peter Collins and a slew of amazing guests, including Jackson Browne, David Crosby, the Roches, and Lisa Germano, the added harmonies and diverse instrumentation…