Music Reviews archive
Listen Grant Green: The 'Holy Barbarian' Of St. Louis Jazz
January 11, 2013 – An album recording of the guitarist from 1959 captures the thrilling sound of Midwestern jazz.
Listen 'Nashville' Soundtrack Stands On Its Own
January 9, 2013 – An album of songs from the show captures the vocal talents of Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere.
Read Leonidas Kavakos: Letting Beethoven Shine
January 8, 2013 – A new recording of Beethoven's violin sonatas keeps the spotlight on the music, not the soloist.
Listen The Unsung Pioneer Of Louisiana Swamp-Pop
January 8, 2013 – In the early 1960s, Joe Barry combined Cajun and country music into a whole new sound.
Read In January's Drought, Three Albums Worth Waiting For
January 3, 2013 – January is a slow month for new albums. Still, we offer an exclusive sampler of unreleased treats.
Listen Homeboy Sandman: A Rapper Leaves Law Behind
December 19, 2012 – The New York MC gave up a promising career path to rap full time.
Listen Tunes To 'Work Hard, Play Hard, Pray Hard' To
December 19, 2012 – Critic Milo Miles says these rare old-timey songs contain "the currents of long-ago lives."
Read When A Thoughtful Cellist Meets An Imaginative Composer
December 18, 2012 – Cellist Steven Isserlis and pianist-composer Thomas Adès shine in a recital of disparate pieces.
Watch The Boogers And Play Date Make Punk Rock For Kids
December 12, 2012 – On their latest albums, each band makes kids' music using the infectious hooks of classic punk rock.
Listen Ke$ha: A 'Warrior' In Search Of Legitimacy
December 12, 2012 – On her new album, the pop star tries to show that she's not just in the business for the money.
Watch Bruno Mars Goes Anyplace And Everyplace On 'Jukebox'
December 11, 2012 – The star traverses the pop landscape, pulling in far-flung influences and making them his own.
Listen Bass Note: Mingus And The Jazz Workshop Concerts
December 11, 2012 – A new, seven-disc Charles Mingus box set chronicles the jazz legend's mid-'60s live performances.
Listen Forgotten Gems From The Dave Brubeck Quartet
December 7, 2012 – Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a few of the more obscure titles from Dave Brubeck's quartet.
Listen Two Malian Guitar Greats, Gone But Still Wailing
December 4, 2012 – Posthumous albums from Zani Diabate and Lobi Traore capture both musicians in their creative prime.
Read Classical Lost And Found: Hubert Parry's Glorious England
December 4, 2012 – A new album of Hubert Parry's neglected works for chorus and orchestra swells with English pride.