Marillion - Less Is More Eagle Records (12/8/09) Progressive rock Less Is More, the sixteenth album from UK-based prog-rockers Marillion, is a moody, acoustic introspective of tunes taken from past albums dating back to the late '80s. Vocalist Steve Hogarth and company sometimes tour under the mon »»
Jimi Hendrix - Valleys of Neptune Sony Legacy (3/9/10) Classic rock / Blues rock About forty years after his last official release, the estate of Jimi Hendrix brings us his so-called newest studio album. Eddie Kramer is the man behind the mixing board just as he was back in the day, as the enginee »»
Thin Lizzy - Are You Ready? [DVD] Eagle Rock Entertainment (11/10/09) Unrated 112 minutes Another historic concert from the German-based Rockpalast television series, Thin Lizzy's Are you Ready? is a rousing look back at one of the most significant and exciting hard-rock bands to appear out of the »»
Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell: The Original Tour [DVD] Eagle Records / Fontana (11/10/09) Unrated 105 minutes Be it the man or the food—you either like Meat Loaf or you don't. I happen to like both, so stomaching the newly released Bat Out of Hell live DVD was as painless as Sunday dinner at Mom's »»
John Denver - Around the World Live [5-DVD] Eagle Rock Entertainment (10/13/09) Unrated 592 minutes John Denver, a country-folk legend and one of America's favorite sons, was an amazing songwriter, great performer and a very, very generous man—donating much money and time to humanitarian and env »»
Rory Gallagher - Crest of a Wave: The Best of Rory Gallagher Eagle Records (8/25/09) Rock Rory Gallagher is, was and always will be one of the most underrated guitar players and songwriters of his time. Sure, he received an average dose of worldwide attention, including flattering admiration from »»
Dinosaur Jr. - Farm Jagjaguwar (6/23/09) Alternative / Indie rock Over the course of the past two decades, Dinosaur Jr. have broken up twice, and they still manage to put the rock into their reunion albums. Recorded at singer/guitarist J. Mascis' studio in Amherst, Mass., Farm has the band soundin »»
Gary Moore - Essential Montreux [5-CD set] 101 Distribution (6/16/09) Rock / Blues Rock and blues are a perfect combination, and Gary Moore is one of the few guitar players who can put these styles of music together so well. Essential Montreux is a five-disc box set taken from several performance »»
Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Volumes 1 & 2 Concord Records (Remaster: 6/2/09) Blues / R&B / Gospel / Jazz Wait! Don't be scared. I know the title includes the words "Country and Western Music," but this album never two-steps down an old dirt road to Old MacDonald's fa »»
Big Star - #1 Record / Radio City Ardent / Fantasy (Remaster: 6/16/09) Rock / Power pop Hangin' out, down the street / The same ol' thing, we did last week" Recognize these lyrics? If you're a fan of That '70s Show, then they probably ring a bell. Taken from Big Star's "In the Street", the origi »»
B.B. King - Live at Montreux 1993 [DVD] Eagle Rock Entertainment (6/2/09) Unrated 99 minutes I'm not the biggest fan of big-band blues (or tongue-twisters, for that matter), but it's hard not be a fan of B.B. King's unmistakable lead-guitar sound and larger-than-life stage presence. Live at Montr »»
Jeff Buckley - Grace Around the World [CD/DVD] Sony Legacy (6/2/09) Rock / Folk It's been a couple years since I've listened to Jeff Buckley, and after just hearing his voice again, it's amazing how unique and intense it still comes across. Grace Around the World is the name of the new Buckley DVD »»
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz! Interscope (3/31/09) Indie rock / Dance punk Hell Yeahs! That's what you'll be saying as your booty is shaking to "Zero", the opening track, soon to be a classic from New York's power trio, the Yeah Yeah Yeah's. Singer Karen O, with her quirky bangs and even quirkier »»
New York Dolls - 'Cause I Sez So Atco Records (5/5/09) Rock It's been a long journey since 1971, when the New York Dolls were first formed by the original line-up of singer David Johansen, guitarists Johnny Thunders and Rick Rivets (replaced after a couple of months by Sylvain Sylvain), bass guita »»
Prince - LOtUSFLOW3R/MPLSoUND/Elixer [3-CD set] NPG Records (3/24/09) Rock / R&B / Soul / Dance I'm not even going to bother rehashing the quirky and flamboyant details of the personality that makes up Prince; his new release consists of a three-album package, so no time for a Jacko-esque weirdnes »»
Ben Harper and Relentless7 - Live from the Montreal International Jazz Festival Virgin Records (3/9/10) Blues-rock This new CD/DVD package from Ben Harper and Relentless7, Live from the Montreal International Jazz Festival, packs quite a punch, as the group of blues-rock jamsters obviously give th »»
UB40 - Food for Thought [DVD] Eagle Rock Entertainment (11/10/09) Unrated 81 minutes UB40 are the undisputed kings of British reggae, and Food for Thought is another installment from the German television series Rockpalast. Filmed in July 1981, the concert takes place at the Sartory-Sale in Cologn »»
Arcangels - Living in a Dream [CD/DVD] Self-released (10/27/09) Blues-rock Austin's notable and outstanding supergroup, Arcangels, reunited recently and opened a U.K. tour for Eric Clapton beginning last May. Since the guys are on the road, it looks like the heavily anticipated, second studio albu »»
Billy Idol - In Super Overdrive Live [DVD] Eagle Records / Fontana (11/17/09) Unrated 70 minutes "I'm on a bus on a psychedelic trip, reading murder books trying to stay hip..." No, that's not my current itinerary; just my favorite line from Billy Idol's "Eyes Without a Face", which appears on hi »»
ZZ Top - Double Down Live: 1980-2008 [2-DVD] Eagle Rock Entertainment (10/20/09) Unrated 154 minutes Finally, a ZZ Top concert DVD that includes both vintage and recent performances! The recently released Double Down Live: 1980-2008 showcases two complete sets of vintage, and modern, howling blues »»
The Mars Volta - Octahedron Warner Bros. (6/23/09) Progressive/Experimental rock "I consider it to be our acoustic album", reveals Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, guitarist for The Mars Volta and producer of their fifth studio album. Vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala adds, "We know how people can be so linear »»
Quincy Jones - The 75th Birthday Celebration: Live at Montreux 2008 [2-DVD] Eagle Rock Entertainment (7/21/09) Unrated 172 minutes Claude Nobs and I have been friends since before electricity. We are truly brothers from another mother—our friendship happened in a nano-second and will last forev »»
Mr. Rock 'n Roll: The Alan Freed Story Judd Nelson, Mädchem Amick, Paula Abdul Vivendi Entertainment (7/7/09; original release: 1999) Unrated 88 minutes This 1999 made-for-TV film chronicles the story of Alan Freed, the deejay responsible for spinning crossover rhythm-and-blues music on a local C »»
The Black Crowes - Warpaint Live [DVD; also available in Blu-Ray] Eagle Rock Entertainment (6/30/09) Unrated 103 minutes Warpaint Live is The Black Crowes' new concert film, which features their latest album, Warpaint, played in its entirety. "Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye" from the record Amorica, a »»
Elvis Costello - Secret, Profane & Sugarcane Hear Music (6/2/09) Bluegrass / Folk-Rock If you're not a fan of old-school bluegrass or country & western music, then Elvis Costello's newest album, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane, probably won't be accepted in your CD collection's neighborhood. Recorded »»
Priscilla Renea - Hello My Apple [EP] Capitol Records (3/31/09) Pop The story goes like this: Navy kid travels around the country from school to school, usually joins the choir and theatre groups, develops her own identity, gets a guitar for Christmas one year and ends up writing fantastic, origin »»
Vanessa Williams - The Real Thing Concord Records (6/2/09) Jazz / Pop This is Vanessa Williams' eighth and latest studio album since 2005's Everlasting Love, as she has been keeping busy with everything from her Emmy-nominated role on Ugly Betty to her Broadway performance of Kiss of the Spider Wo »»
Hedley - Never Too Late Fontana / Universal (5/19/09) Rock / Alternative They are being touted as "Canada's best kept secret," and I know why I've been kept in the dark—rock critics will rip these guys apart like North American timber wolves fighting over the rotting flesh of a common deer. That »»
Just like taking lyrics from a typical blues song, Chicago blues is the neglected bastard child of Chicago FM radio. Why does it get no airplay, you ask? I don't have an answer for that, but I bet it has to do with money (or rather, lack thereof). I was born in the great blues mecca of Chicago and »»
