7.5
Alt Reviews

The Big Hungry and Charles James and The Rise Reviewed

The Big Hungry – Gravedigger There’s great strength required to look upon the inevitable conclusion of a story. It’s a strength that a lot of people need but don’t possess. Who can they turn to? Family, preachers and philosophers may help. But even if they’d…
8.0
Alt Reviews

Dino Archon and Kenny Sharp Reviewed

Dino Archon – Brother There were murmurs of disconnect and outright hostility and a folk music festival that I visited recently. Tagged “folk,” the event attracted hopeless romantics and older devotees of the mixing of poetry and music. When the performers…
Album Reviews

The Black Keys - "Ohio Players" Review

The Black Keys is one of all the retro-rock bands, the one that’s figured out how to sound distinctive while always quoting other musicians. The duo can do the blues or 70s pop-rock alright. Oftentimes, their new tunes sound just like the samples on an old rap…
7.8
Alt Reviews

Marc Miner and Hamish Anderson Reviewed

Marc Miner – Ol’ Well A guitar is a luxury that the truly great bluesmen, the ones whose heart hangs heavy with melancholy, will take and use, but don’t need. The guitar and all other instruments played by a combo are just devices to get the unconverted to…
8.0
Alt Reviews

Sayed Sabrina and Nellen Dryden Reviewed

Sayed Sabrina – Grande Illusion Pop and rock singers still get invited to late-night chat shows. That’s been happening for decades. But nowadays, most frequently, they’re asked to play silly games with the host. They might be on their heads, arm wrestling…
Album Reviews

Lí-Lí Octave - "Play on Venus" Reviewed

Many people in the world have reasons to sing their own versions of the blues. Some groups have hundreds of years’ worth of reasons to do so. The female perspective has, sadly, rarely been the focus of artists through the ages. What’s worse, pop music has benefited…
8.0
Alt Reviews

Hamish Anderson and Joel Nowakowski Reviewed

Hamish Anderson – Brighter Days Some people live for the thrills, for the surprises and for the things that they never saw coming. These people are confident in the fortitude of their cardiovascular system and get bored really easily. Of course, the folks…
8.0
Alt Reviews

JD Hinton and Doug Walther Reviewed

JD Hinton – Trouble Time Townes van Zandt, the great philosopher of country music, sang about kinds of troubles that, should they ever find you, would break your back and leave you with nothing. That isn’t exactly a cheerful subject, the kind that pop music…