Favorite Book | Ta-Nehisi Coates – Between the World and Me (2015)
The three topics you are not supposed to discuss when engaging in small talk are politics, religion, and sex. I find it strange that race is not considered a fo...[Read More]
Favorite Movie | Apocalypse Now (1979)
Over the years many, including the late Roger Ebert, have labeled Apocalypse Now as the greatest of all war films, and among the greatest works of cinema. In th...[Read More]
Album Review | Richard Ashcroft – These People (2016)
I am a total sucker for Britpop, a style of alternative rock that enjoyed enormous popularity in 1990s England. I grew up during that decade, and my memories of...[Read More]
Favorite Book | Fareed Zakaria – In Defense of a Liberal Education (2015)
I regularly watch Fareed Zakaria‘s weekly current/foreign affairs program Fareed Zakaria GPS every Sunday morning on CNN, and I always find him (and the g...[Read More]
Album Review | Coldplay – A Head Full of Dreams (2015)
Chris Martin‘s divorce — er, “conscious uncoupling” — with Gwyneth Paltrow appears to have made Coldplay more productive. Ever sin...[Read More]
Album Review | Adele – 25 (2015)
For years in the music industry, artists either were stars or were just making a living in search of stardom. (Or failing entirely.) Tuesdays, in the music indu...[Read More]
Album Review | Eric Church – Mr. Misunderstood (2015)
The chances of me eventually becoming a country music expert are certainly slim to none, but I am enjoying becoming acquainted with some of the best of what the...[Read More]
Album Review | Johnny Marr – Adrenalin Baby: Johnny Marr Live (2015)
I haven’t reviewed any live albums since I began reviewing albums in 2013, so I figured Adrenalin Baby: Johnny Marr Live is as good a place as any to star...[Read More]
Album Review | Avicii – Stories (2015)
I’m afraid Avicii‘s game has slipped a bit. His first album, 2013‘s True, was a refreshing take on EDM, revealing Avicii as a pop craftsman in...[Read More]
Album Review | Disclosure – Caracal (2015)
While it wouldn’t quite be accurate to say Disclosure hit the big time in 2013 with their debut album Settle, the record did go platinum in the electronic...[Read More]
Album Review | Don Henley – Cass County (2015)
When I first heard that Don Henley was taking another stab at a solo album with Cass County, his first in 15 years and his first country album overall, my feeli...[Read More]
Album Review | Kurt Vile – b’lieve i’m goin down… (2015)
Kurt Vile is truly one of my favorite discoveries of the past few years. I first uncovered the lo-fi rocker when I mined 2013 year-end lists and found his prett...[Read More]
Album Review | Ryan Adams – 1989 (2015)
When I first heard of Ryan Adams‘ preposterous song-for-song cover album of Taylor Swift’s 2014 bestseller 1989, I thought it was some kind of joke....[Read More]
Album Review | Chris Cornell – Higher Truth (2015)
Despite the fact that Chris Cornell is my favorite male vocalist of all time — the Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan is my favorite female vocali...[Read More]
Album Review | The Weeknd – Beauty Behind the Madness (2015)
Honestly, I wasn’t even that familiar with The Weeknd until his performance at the 2016 Grammys, which was pretty good — even without Lauryn Hill. H...[Read More]