Sassy 009 : Dreamer+ Review
By Shannon Smith
On Dreamer+, Sassy 009 confirms what attentive listeners have been sensing for a while now: this is an artist who no longer treats production as a backdrop, but as the primary narrative force. Across twelve tracks, she builds a unified sonic language where beats, synths, vocal processing, and transitions work together as a story of evolving forms. This album develops moments with intent.
What stands out immediately is cohesion. Dreamer+ flows with a confidence that comes from knowing exactly what sonic world it inhabits. Even as guest artists enter the frame, the album never splinters [...]
by Shannon Smith
“Gut Punch” is Nick Jonas’ single that feels like a wake-up call. Right from the start, his 2026 lead single is motivational, not because it comforts you, but because it makes you stop and think. The song asks a bold question for a New Year’s release: Are you really seeing things as they are, or are you hurting yourself with mistaken feelings and assumptions? That moment of useful doubt is where the song really connects.
Lyrically, “Gut Punch” names a familiar but rarely dramatized antagonist: the inner voice that reframes neutral moments into personal failures. Jonas doesn’t dramatize heartbreak or [...]
By Steven Miller
With Triangulation, the Steve Morse Band delivers an album that prioritizes structural compositional intent and agile playing. While Steve Morse’s virtuosity is never in question, what stands out across these nine tracks is how carefully the material is built. Each selection has a groove-first foundation, interesting flow of articulated sections, and solo spaces that feel like an extension of the composition. This is an album that rewards attentive listening, particularly for musicians interested in how form, texture, and interaction shape high-level instrumental rock music.
From [...]
by Steven Miller
Sydney Irving’s Unfashioned Creatures is a songwriter’s album through and through. This collection blends Americana rock, pop-rock punch, and folk-rooted storytelling into a set of tracks that are musically purposeful and catchy. Irving’s greatest strength is her ability to shape each song from the inside out by letting singing, arrangement, and lyrical direction work together to create a clear, satisfying emotional flow. The result is a record that feels tied together by a writer who knows how to build a song that moves.
As an opening statement, “You Can’t Forget About Me” wastes no [...]
by Steven Miller
Brad Mehldau has always walked the borders between musical worlds. On Ride Into the Sun, he threads genres into a single, glowing tapestry. This 16-track cycle arrives as a summation of so many influences that have shaped Mehldau’s pianistic universe. The lyricism of jazz piano, the harmonic intensity of 20th-century classical music, the earthy pulse of 60s folk-rock, the open-hearted warmth of Americana, and his enduring fascination with counterpoint. What makes this album feel different is its sense of architecture. These stylistic excursions are movements in a unified work, each track feeding the next with [...]
by Steven Miller
Chris Potter’s Eagle’s Point is the kind of album that only comes around when the stars align—literally and figuratively. Featuring a modern supergroup of Brad Mehldau on piano, John Patitucci on bass, and Brian Blade on drums, this release on Edition Records marks a triumphant moment in contemporary jazz. Each of these musicians has carved out a legendary career in their own right, but here, they come together as one, creating something that feels rare and special.
This album, composed entirely by Potter for this occasion, is a meeting of jazz giants; it’s a convergence of individual mastery, [...]
by Steven Miller
Since hitting the rock scene in the 80s with the band Guns N’ Roses, Slash’s guitar work has always been synonymous with a particular kind of raw, unfiltered energy—a tone that straddles the line between controlled aggression and melodic eloquence. With Orgy of the Damned, his latest offering, Slash steps away from the high-energy terrain of hard rock and dives headfirst into the rich, muddy waters of the blues. Released on May 17, 2024, under Gibson Records and Sony Music, this album is a collection of classic covers; it’s a homage to the genre that lies at the very foundation of rock ‘n’ [...]
María Dueñas’ debut album, Beethoven and Beyond, is an exhilarating musical exposition, illuminating the intricate weaving of virtuosity and expression that characterizes the young violinist’s style. The album’s tour de force lies in its exploration of cadenzas. This musical endeavor amplifies the dynamic interplay between the perennial works of legendary composers and Dueñas’s nuanced, innovative interpretations.
Kicking off the album with Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, Dueñas unveils the musical palette she will [...]
Bonnie Raitt is back with her latest album, Just Like That…, her first album in over six years. The Rock And Roll Hall of Famer continues to draw on all the influences that have shaped her legendary career while simultaneously creating something that articulates the circumstances and challenges of these unprecedented times. Just Like That… was recorded in Sausalito, California, with an all-star band that included two longtime members of Raitt’s band, bassist James “Hutch” Hutchinson and drummer Ricky Fataar, as well as two new musicians, Canadian Glenn Patscha on keyboards and backing vocals and Nashville guitarist Kenny Greenberg. Her longtime [...]
