Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke : Tall Tales Review
by Shannon Smith
Mark Pritchard and Thom Yorke’s collaborative album, Tall Tales, arrives as a multi-layered sonic exploration, combining Yorke’s introspective lyricism and distinct vocal timbre with Pritchard’s electronic soundscapes. Known for their critical interrogations of modernity and technology, the pair navigate terrains through a unique auditory lens, merging unsettling textures and ambient beauty in equal measure.
From the outset, “A Fake in a Faker’s World” presents a sophisticated sound reminiscent of Radiohead, with the synthesizers building a claustrophobic atmosphere. [...]
by Shannon Smith
In naming their fifth studio release Lucius, the band (Jess Wolfe, Holly Laessig, Dan Molad, and Peter Lalish), invites us to listen and look inward, at them, and consequently, at ourselves. This self-titled album, released May 2, 2025, emerges like a handwritten letter sealed in wax, unfiltered and vulnerable, its sonic palette washed in sunlight and shadow. Recorded between Altamira Sound and Sounds Like a Fire in Los Angeles, it balances the intimacy of home recording with the glisten of professional touch, mirroring the album’s central theme: to be both raw and refined, honest and shaped.
Like striking a match in the dark, [...]
by Steven Miller
In Granada: Spanish Music for Violin and Piano, violinist Elsa Grether and pianist Ferenc Vizi offer a program of Spanish classical music. The compositions flow from folk roots to modernist aspirations with expressive convergence of heart and mind. What emerges is a curated conversation between eras, styles, and musical worlds. Grether and Vizi understand that this music sings from the soil, dances in salons, and meditates in moonlight.
Andaluza (Seguidida Española) by Joaquín Nin, Grether and Vizi establish their rhythmic sensitivity to the music’s folkloric [...]
by Shannon Smith
Ally Venable has carved a niche in the blues-rock genre with her electrifying guitar skills and commanding vocals. Her previous album, Real Gone, achieved significant acclaim, reaching #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart. With Money & Power, Venable collaborates with producer Tom Hambridge and features artists like Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Shemekia Copeland, aiming to deliver a potent mix of musical prowess and social commentary. The album will be released on April 18, 2025 on Ruf Records.
“Money & Power” stands as a bold anthem of female empowerment. Venable describes it as a [...]
by Shannon Smith
There are songs we play to fill a room. Others feel like they fill us. Gush begins in that second, sacred space as each performance but as presence. Even with only two tracks released, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith has offered a doorway to somewhere creative and engaging.
“Gush” arrives with its building of analog sounds, elements of electronica, and a touch of ethereal. The layers grow, gathering in the hollows of the mind, dance beats leaking over the body, not to announce the need to dance, but to remind us it is truly a necessity. The intertwining textures feel aquatic, like a tide rising from within, full of mystery and [...]
By Shannon Smith
Jessie Murph’s latest single, “Gucci Mane,” released on April 4, 2025, via Columbia Records, represents her continued presence on the scene. At 20 years old, the Alabama native explores a personal theme, reflecting on her upbringing, familial relationships, and the complexities of newfound success. The track notably interpolates Gucci Mane’s 2009 classic “Lemonade,” providing a familiar backdrop for Murph’s engaging singing.
Murph has rapidly emerged as a genre-blending artist, seamlessly integrating elements of country, pop, and hip-hop into her music. Her debut album, That [...]
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 [...]
