Music Reviews

Music & Culture

Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins Revisits Past Performances With 'Holding The Stage'

2:22pm April 28, 2016

by Kevin Whitehead

The 85-year-old saxophonist's new album features live recordings made between 1979 and 2012. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead calls Holding The Stage a "mixed bag" with a few "real gems."

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Music & Culture

Music Review: 'A Sailor's Guide To Earth,' Sturgill Simpson

4:38pm April 27, 2016

by Will Hermes

Will Hermes reviews the most heartening record he's heard this year. It's A Sailor's Guide to Earth by Sturgill Simpson.

The latest release of James Brown's music, Get Down with James Brown: Live at the Apollo Vol 4, was recorded in 1972 — and finally released this year.

Music & Culture

'James Brown: Live At The Apollo Vol. 4' Is A Marvelous And Mysterious Time Capsule

6:28pm April 26, 2016

by Oliver Wang

The 1972 concerts at The Apollo were recorded but, inexplicably, never released — until now. They show a side of Brown content to turn the show over to his collaborators.

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Music & Culture

Sturgill Simpson Moves Into Uncharted Waters In 'A Sailor's Guide to Earth'

1:30pm April 26, 2016

by Ken Tucker

Rock critic Ken Tucker says Simpson deepens his range and reconnects country to R&B on his new record, a concept album about becoming a father.

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Beyoncé's new visual album, Lemonade, is out now.

Music & Culture

Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' Is Defiant In The Midst Of Upheaval

8:04am April 25, 2016

by Kiana Fitzgerald

The story she's telling this time, that of a woman wronged, is universal, but the way she's delivered it is a crystal-clear representation of the black female experience.

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Music & Culture

Henry Threadgill Doubles Up On 'Old Locks And Irregular Verbs'

1:26pm April 20, 2016

by Kevin Whitehead

The Pulitzer Prize-winning composer doesn't play on his new jazz album, but critic Kevin Whitehead says Old Locks and Irregular Verbs is nevertheless a perfect introduction to Threadgill's voice.

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Peter Wolf's 'Cure for Loneliness'? Music With An Undercurrent Of Melancholy

3:20pm April 18, 2016

by Ken Tucker

The former lead singer for the J. Geils Band has been making albums on his own since the mid-1980s. Reviewer Ken Tucker says his latest is one of the most varied collections Wolf has ever recorded.

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Leapling's Suspended Animation is out June 10 on Exploding In Sound Records.

Music & Culture

Songs We Love: Leapling, 'Hey Sister'

3:35pm April 12, 2016

by Mike Katzif

While the title of the Brooklyn trio's album Suspended Animation implies emotional stasis, it's actually the result of transition and change.

Music & Culture

Guitar Prodigy Julian Lage Finds His Sweet Spot With 'Arclight'

1:20pm April 11, 2016

by Kevin Whitehead

Lage mixes jazz, blues and swing on his new trio album with Scott Colley and Kenny Wollesen. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says that Lage really hits his stride in Arclight.

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Music & Culture

Alt.Latino Gets Experimental

12:27pm April 10, 2016

Felix Contreras and Jasmine Garsd, the hosts of NPR's Alt.Latino podcast, share three new songs from incredible female artists, ranging from groovy to sultry, to experimental.

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