Blogcritics Section: Music

Music Review: Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison: Legacy Edition (2CD+DVD)

El Bicho — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:40:54 EST

At Folsom Prison: Legacy Edition is a must-have if you dont own it, and a valuable upgrade if you do.
As legend has it, while stationed in West Germany as he served in the United States Air Force, Johnny Cash saw the movie Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison and was inspired to the write his classic 1955 hit “Folsom Prison Blues.” What’s not as well known about the story is that Cash liberally took from Gordon Jenkins’...

Comedy Review: Robin Williams - Weapons of Self Destruction tour

Michael Prince — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:56:33 EST

Robin Williams delivers an amazing night full of belly laughs and enjoyment in his current tour.
They say things get better with age and having had the pleasure to attend the Ottawa, Canada portion of Robin Williams current tour – Weapons of Self Destruction I know that statement is true.I have been a long time Robin Williams fan and have CD’s (and DVD’s) of every major tour he has done, some of them are upgrades from VHS...

Music Review: Rise Against - Appeal To Reason

Forrest Kobayashi — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:45:50 EST

Forrest Kobayashi reviews "Appeal To Reason," Rise Against's latest studio album.
Rise Against, one of America’s most popular hardcore bands, has released one of the best albums of 2008 with Appeal To Reason. The album is the group’s third major studio release, following up on their 2006 hit album, The Sufferer & the Witness.The band has one of the most distinct sounds from the punk-rock genre, combining musical...

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Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:45:50 EST

Music Review: Thunder - Bang!

Stuart A Hamilton — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:38:23 EST

British blues rockers back with a bang!
I'm so old that I recall not just Thunder precursors Terraplane, but Terraplane precursors Nuthin' Fancy. Fortunately, unlike me, Thunder mainstays Danny Bowes and Luke Morley just seem to get better and better with the passing of time.Readers outside the UK might not realise the place that Thunder hold in the hearts of British rock fans,...

We Still Heart Ryan Adams

Jessica and Kady Bell — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:33:51 EST

The following is a combination of new and old words written for Ryan Adams and his fans (H-heads)...
Halloweenheads (H-heads), or Ryan Adams’ and the Cardinals devotees, are always eagerly awaiting the, oh, say, about five albums Adams delivers a year (because he and his Cardinals are just that damn talented). Of course this number is exaggerated, at least in the case of the ‘08, but believe us, if you have ever read his now disabled...

Music DVD/CD Review: Various Arists - Delmark: 55 Years Of Jazz & Delmark: 55 Years Of Blues

Richard Marcus — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:11:45 EST

A unique perspective of the evolution of jazz and blues over the last fifty-five years.
When Bob Koester started selling old jazz and blues recordings scrounged from second-hand stores out of a box in his college dormitory back in the early 1950s I doubt he would have believed it you if you told him that years later he would not only still be selling records, but would also be the owner of one of the oldest independent record labels...

Music Review: Arkan - Hilal

Jeff Perkins — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:28:26 EST

Death metal meets traditional Arabic music.
Like a cat, my curiosity was well and truly aroused. This is a band that combines death metal with Arabic sounds, scales, and influences. It has been done before - Orphaned Land is a notable example - but Arkan seem to take it a step or two beyond.Death metal storms into Morocco; crushing riffs meet traditional instruments like the mandola. The...

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Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:28:26 EST

Vinyl Tap: Dave Edmunds - Repeat When Necessary

Gordon Hauptfleisch — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:13:27 EST

Betcha can't play just once...
I get a new turntable and dust off some old records. Vinyl Tap #59:A truer title was never spoken, or at least a more anticipatory one has never been dreamed up. Put Dave Edmund’s 1979 LP Repeat When Necessary on the turntable, and you’ll find that 34 minutes and 11 tracks will require vast expansion and considerable recaps, do-overs,...

Music Review: Repo! The Genetic Opera - Original Motion Picture Soudtrack

Chris Beaumont — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:06:41 EST

Need an organ? It can be provided. At a price.
The first time I saw heard about Repo! The Genetic Opera I knew I had to look at it a little closer. Seriously, with a title like that, who wouldn't be interested? Apparently there were at least a few who did not think anyone would be interested, but more on that later. As I did a quick perusal of the title, I found a clip of the stage show on...

Music Review: Al Green - Lay It Down

Pico — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:59:07 EST

It's not a classic Al Green Hi Records album, but it sure sounds a lot like one.
This past May, soul giant Al Green released his third album on the Blue Note label, Lay It Down. While the prior two albums recreated some of the magic from his glory days in the seventies, this one tinkers with the formula a bit. First, longtime producer and song collaborator Willie Mitchell was replaced with hip-hoppers James Poyser and Ahmir...