Album Reviews
Album Reviews | Incubus – 8 (2017)
It has taken me quite a while to commit to putting my thoughts about Incubus‘ latest full-length release in some kind of written form. This strikes me as odd, since the band’s eighth LP &#...
Album Reviews | Richard Ashcroft – These People (2016)
A welcome return from the British abyss, These People finds Richard Ashcroft in the best form he has been in for quite some time, and while the album may not win over any new converts -- it evokes the...
Album Reviews | 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 since the band’s international stardo...
Album Reviews | 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 industry of old, were home to big releases b...
Album Reviews | 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 genre’s contemporary artists have...
Album Reviews | 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 start. And it’s not because this is an...
Album Reviews | 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 his own right. In other words, the albu...
Album Reviews | 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 duo’s native UK and they do seem ...
Album Reviews | 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 feelings were mixed. I had given Henley’...
Album Reviews | 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 pretty great Wakin On a Pretty Daze — w...
Album Reviews | 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. Adams is famously prolific, having reco...
Album Reviews | 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 vocalist, in case you’re wondering ̵...
Album Reviews | 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. He wasn’t as natural at performing ...
Album Reviews | Carly Rae Jepsen – E·MO·TION (2015)
I was aware of the smash success of Carly Rae Jepsen‘s “Call Me Maybe,” which conquered the international pop music world back in 2012, but I paid no attention to it (or her debut al...
Album Reviews | Dr. Dre – Compton (2015)
Bob Dylan‘s influence on popular music is said to be incalculable — in fact, much of what I just wrote comprises the first line of his AllMusic biography. I would argue the same is true of...