Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the number of albums released globally in 2017 is roughly seven times the amount released in 1960. Which got me thinking, once again, what a horrible state popular music is in these days. Below is a column I wrote on the topic nearly 10 years ago. PART ONE: PRELUDE I used … Read More
From time to time, people still ask me why we don’t give-away CD mixes any more. Mainly because hardly anybody ever listens to CDs any more. Which is why I’m converting my most popular mixes into Click-And-Play streaming files. Below are links to our current online inventory — which will be growing over time, so come back often! AMERICANA Country Blues (Self-explanatory, … Read More
Americana Made Great #3 in the series (CLICK COVER ART TO PLAY. PLAYLIST BELOW.) Playlist JD McPherson CRYING’S JUST A THING YOU DO Phil Cook 1922 Little Feat DOWN ON THE FARM Maria Muldaur THE WORK SONG Phil Cook GONE Rolling Stones SWEET VIRGINIA John Mellencamp SUGAR HILL MOUNTAIN John Mooney CYPRESS GROVE The Steeldrivers … Read More
NOTE: The piece below was originally published just after the remastered album’s release in 2010—when I was still writing an online music column for B-Metro Magazine. Hope you enjoy it. I vividly remember where I was, the first time I heard two albums as a child. In fourth grade, maybe fifth, I was in Hal Smyer’s … Read More
(Photo by The Birmingham News) It’s taken me some time, but I can now honestly say I miss City Stages. Not the City Stages I skipped from 2004 to 2008—and regretted attending in 2009—but the festival which, at its best, was as good a thing as my hometown has ever done for itself. I’m talking about … Read More
(This Week’s B-Metro Column) This column, its 75-song Playlist—and easily 12 hours of listening time over past few weeks—were directly inspired by a brief clip from the new Will Ferrell / Mark Wahlberg buddy-cop movie. The team receives radio orders to Bust A Perp. And not just any Perp. The big one. So for that … Read More
(FROM MY 8.10.10 B-METRO COLUMN) I have a Word file entitled “keepers”—where I’ve ranked my favorite records, by year, dating back to 1980. Aside from being critical to maintaining Geek Cred, it’s a handy reference tool I use before making over-the-top claims like this one: Stephanie Finch’s debut album, Cry Tomorrow, is my favorite pop … Read More
(He’s in the middle, wearing the Parliament T-Shirt) Fletcher signed-up for Rock Band as his elective this Spring—and the band had its public debut in Birmingham’s world-famous Spencer Center last night. Click here for a sonic blast of primal rock at its absolute rawest. (Warning: May be disturbing to pets and small children). http://bit.ly/rokkband
(THIS WEEK’S SOUNDLINKS COLUMN) A NOTE OF INTRODUCTION: I recently discovered, much to my surprise, that not everyone on earth has heard of Wilco, so here’s my two cents’ worth: Not since the Beatles’ mid to late period—from Rubber Soul to The White Album—has any band in pop music successfully jumped across as many genres … Read More
(Ms. Gaga. With And Without Makeup.) I have adored, without shame or apology, some genuinely pathetic popular music in my day. Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Alone Again Naturally”, for instance. Closer to this millennium, I consider Hanson’s “Mmmbop” to be a brilliant piece of pop record-making—even if they did lift the hook, note for note, from the … Read More
