I was reminded of John Gorka while watching a Judy Garland biography on PBS last week; he wrote a character sketch of the actress on his first album, detailing the movie studio mistreatment that contributed to her tragic struggles. It was a fledgling example of his ability to report the human condition with keen insight […]
Mid-year in Review, Pt. 3: Best of the Rest
Still catching up. Here’s four more releases that captured my attention in 2006. Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint: The River in Reverse If you have the time, click here for a marvelous read. It’s a list of Elvis Costello’s top 500 recommended albums — an extremely diverse list, which illustrates his willingness to embrace virtually […]
Mid-Year in Review, Pt. 2: The Best
First, the best. Next week, the rest. This week, I’m presenting my top nugget from ’06. If you missed this gem when it came out in April, give it a look. Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris: All the Roadrunning When the soaring title song from “All the Roadrunning” was released on a Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler […]
Mid-year in Review, Pt. 1: The Tributes
Hard to believe the year’s half over. I’m gonna beat the Christmas rush and muse about some notable releases from the first half of ’06. This week: the tribute albums. Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman One of the more fascinating releases this year, this tribute pairs Randy Newman’s songs of the South with […]
Party Like It’s 1899
In the 200 years since Irish-Scots settlers crossed the broad Atlantic, their instruments, tunes and stories have dramatically affected the music of the Appalachian region, an antecedent of many of the rootsy styles we lovingly call “Twang.” Irish Folk and traditional Celtic music is a proud living tradition, rich in history, poetic, entertaining, and intensely […]
Album Review: Bruce Springsteen – Hammersmith Odeon London ’75
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Hammersmith Odeon London ’75 Rock / Pop / Soul The legendary, oft-bootlegged Odeon concert was finally “officially” released in DVD form as part of the Born to Run: 30th Anniversary 3-disc box. Though the box also included the long-awaited Born to Run remaster and a DVD about the […]
Album Review: Railroad Earth – “Elko”
Elko Railroad Earth Folk / Bluegrass / Americana / Jamgrass Live albums just suit some artists. Anyone who’s compared Peter Frampton’s studio recordings to Frampton Comes Alive knows this well. Some artists go to great lengths to preserve the live vibe; Joe Jackson recorded his Big World album in a New York club and asked […]
“Fresh” Picks for ’06
“They call me the seeker…” because I search low and high for great music. If your New Year’s resolution is to find that elusive gem — the undiscovered album that you won’t know how you lived without — the Discman’s Top 100 Albums can help. It has plenty of Twang, a little bang, and k.d. […]