Sparklehorse - Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot
Unheralded, this disc made its way to my stereo by coincidence and has held it captive for a week now. From the first strains of "Homecoming Queen" it is apparent there is something different about this band. What begins as a gently picked acoustic song becomes creepier with
Neal Casal - Fade Away Diamond Time
I can't help but think that Neal Casal is one of those guys who spent most of his youth pretty much to himself, holed up in his bedroom in the lush green environs of rural west New Jersey (far removed from the industrial wasteland a short drive east
The Mavericks - Music for All Occasions
Following the commercial success of their 1994 release, "What A Crying Shame", the Mavericks embarked on a tour which seemingly touched every corner of the country. It was during those live shows where drummer Paul Deakin's steady thrashing and Nick Kane's blistering guitar solos
Maria McKee - Life is Sweet
Armed with one of the best voices in music, Maria McKee's career has been a confounding and confusing series of starts and stops, beginning with her impressive debut with her old band Lone Justice and ending, during the last few years, with big hits overseas but little impact
John Hiatt - Walk On
After finishing the '80s on the top of his game as one of the best singer-songwriters in captivity, John Hiatt has spent much of this decade playing the court jester on adult contemporary stations, a sort of comic-relief sideshow to slip in between the unremitting earnestness of
The John Doe Thing - Kissingsohard
On his first solo album, Meet John Doe, the vocals were pushed forward as far as possible, establishing Doe as a frontman in the wake of the temporary demise of X. Combined with unimaginative roots-pop arrangements the results were somewhat less than spectacular. Not surprisingly the album was quickly