Exploring the themes of unity, inclusiveness, and social justice from a spiritual perspective, Eric Bibb delivers a double-disc masterpiece in Global Griot, an album ideally suited to the temper of progressive times, or “challenging times,” ...

Before he became a multiple Tony Award winning Broadway songwriting great for his contributions to shows such as Sweet Charity, On the Twentieth Century, Barnum, and Little Me (book by Neil Simon), Cy Coleman was ...

On the morning of August 16, I was awakened to news of Aretha Franklin’s passing as announced on New York City’s classical station, WQXR, followed by the sound of Aretha rolling out her stunning rendition ...

Even Linda Ronstadt fans dating back to the Stone Poneys could not have seen Heart Like a Wheel coming. The X factor in this 1974 multi-Grammy-nominated effort was Peter Asher, herein announcing himself a producer-arranger ...

Very much a meditative, singer-songwriter affair, Thank You for Listening finds Chris Thile offering bromides to a society roiled by political, social media, and cultural upheavals in 2017. Playing almost all the stringed instruments himself—with ...

Let me take you back to New York City, mid-1975, and the release of Tom Waits’s live album, Nighthawks at The Diner. To support the new LP, Tom came to New York for a week ...

Late-career albums by rock ’n’ roll’s pioneers have been spotty at best—consider the embarrassments of Bo Diddley and Carl Perkins—but two of the orn’riest of the lot, Jerry Lee Lewis and now Chuck Berry, have ...

On his fourth solo album banjo virtuoso and Punch Brother deluxe Noam Pikelny makes one key departure: he sings, which turns out to be one of this project’s pleasant surprises. Sparkling sonics highlight the technical ...

Ever wonder what Beatles tunes might sound like in the hands of Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli, and the fabled Quintette du Hot Club de France? Witness then this Hot Club of San Francisco gypsy-jazz homage ...

By 1961 Ray Charles had already changed the face of pop music by transforming Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia on My Mind” into a soul ballad and Percy Mayfield’s “Hit the Road, Jack” into a gospel rave-up. ...

The second-born of three talented Roche sisters that have been with us in various combinations ever since siblings Maggie and Terre made their debut in 1975 on the Paul Simon-produced LP Seductive Reasoning, Terre is ...

Nanci Griffith was once married to singer- songwriter Eric Taylor and likens him to William Faulkner; Joan Baez speaks of him in hushed tones; a bedazzled Lyle Lovett produced some demos for him. Now Peter ...

On his reflective, relaxed, rewarding new album with pianist Bill Charlap and his reliable rhythm section of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, Tony Bennett, like Ol’ Man River, just keeps rolling along, deeply ...

Though not touted as a concept album, bluegrass singer-songwriter Donna Ulisse’s latest gem, Hard Cry Moon, could pass for one. Start with the hard-charging album opener, “Black Train,” fiddle- and banjo-fired with a red-hot mandolin ...

It takes Melody Gardot almost a minute and a half to appear on “Don’t Misunderstand,” the introduction to her provocative new album. Upon arrival, her voice ascends from a low moan amidst jabs of strings, ...