Music Reviews archive
Listen Aimee Mann: The 'Charmer' And The Disciplined Id
September 24, 2012 – Ken Tucker says Mann's latest album is a song cycle about getting rid of a cynical frame of mind.
Listen Vince Guaraldi Didn't Just Play For 'Peanuts'
September 21, 2012 – Guaraldi had range, as well as an instrumental hit right when jazz was vanishing from AM radio.
Listen Dwight Yoakam: Weary And Wary On '3 Pears'
September 19, 2012 – The singer-songwriter doesn't fit the country mold, but he carves out his own sound on 3 Pears.
Read Trifonov's Triumph: Tchaikovsky, Twice Over
September 18, 2012 – A blazingly talented young Russian pianist records the concerto that's become his calling card.
Watch Two Attempts To Turn Summer Platinum Into Fall Gold
September 18, 2012 – Carly Rae Jepsen and Kanye West release albums that double down on their summer success.
Listen Brad Mehldau: (Unlikely) Songs By Other People
September 18, 2012 – The jazz trio covers classic rock, folk and pop tunes on its latest album, Where Do You Start.
Watch Haunted Harmonies On The xx's 'Coexist'
September 14, 2012 – On the follow-up to its moody debut, the Mercury Prize-winning British band magnifies its grooves.
Listen ZZ Top: Taking The Blues Back To The Future
September 13, 2012 – After years dabbling in different genres, the band returns to a classic sound on La Futura.
Listen Bob Dylan's Baffling And Sometimes Beautiful 'Tempest'
September 11, 2012 – Ken Tucker says that some of Tempest's songs are as precisely crafted as any Dylan has written.
Listen The Forgotten Story Of Memphis' American Studios
September 10, 2012 – Famous recording studios like Sun and Stax dot Memphis. But another studio also produced hits.
Listen Cat Power Rips It Up, Starts Again
September 6, 2012 – On Sun, her first album of new songs since 2006, Chan Marshall leaves behind her sad, sparse sound.
Watch Harmony, Teenagers And 'The Complete Story Of Doo-Wop'
September 6, 2012 – Street Corner Symphonies is a 15-volume year-by-year survey of doo-wop by scholar Bill Dahl.
Listen When Ian Hunter Is 'President'
September 4, 2012 – Ken Tucker says Hunter reaches back into rock's past while linking it firmly to the present.
Read Classical Lost And Found: Symphonic Sensations From Saint-Saens
September 4, 2012 – A new album, captures old chestnuts and new surprises in spectacular sound.
Listen Miguel Zenon And Laurent Coq Play 'Hopscotch'
September 3, 2012 – Kevin Whitehead says Rayuela is breezy, romantic and occasionally reminiscent of a disturbing dream.