Music Reviews

Kanye West at his album listening party at Milk Studios last week in New York City.

Music & Culture

Kanye's 'Yeezus' Packs A Bite

6:18pm June 18, 2013

by Oliver Wang

After months of speculation, West's latest album reveals itself as a trim, 10-song, 40-minute effort that's heavy on electronic and industrial influences. It's also another piece of the puzzle to one of pop music's most compelling — and frustrating — figures.

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Miami-born CÃ©cile McLorin Salvant learned about improvisation and sang with her first band after moving to France in 2007.

Cécile McLorin Salvant: Making Old Songs New Again

3:46pm June 18, 2013

by Kevin Whitehead

The 23-year-old jazz phenom's debut album showcases her takes on vintage jazz and blues numbers by Bessie Smith, Fats Waller and others. You can trace some of her effects back to jazz greats like Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter and Abbey Lincoln.

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Slaid Cleaves' music is influenced by singer-songwriters such as Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash.

Slaid Cleaves: 'Still Fighting' With Smart Lyrics And Stories

3:34pm June 13, 2013

by Ken Tucker

The singer-songwriter has said, as he was writing his new album Still Fighting the War, that "a theme of perseverance through hard times revealed itself." Rock critic Ken Tucker says the record is no downer, and that Cleaves finds complex sentiments and wittily phrased ideas in many of his new songs.

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Fame Studios And The Road To Nashville Songwriting Glory

9:57am June 13, 2013

by Ed Ward

One of America's great songwriters, Dan Penn has written dozens of soul classics, often with keyboardist Spooner Oldham. For a while, the two were on the staff of Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala. Ace Records has just released an entire CD of Penn's demos.

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The Creole Choir of Cuba's latest album, Santiman, has a satisfying flow from celebration to solemnity.

Music & Culture

The Creole Choir Of Cuba: Reviving Caribbean History In 'Santiman'

8:11am June 11, 2013

by Banning Eyre

The 10-person ensemble is one of the best-known choirs from the island nation. On its newest album, Santiman, the choir sings songs in tribute to its Haitian ancestors from West Africa, who were enslaved in the Caribbean region.

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Paul Spring's first album of family music draws from his own childhood, as well as that of Mark Twain.

Peter Pan And Don Quixote Find The 'Home Of Song'

5:38pm June 10, 2013

by Stefan Shepherd

Paul Spring's first album of family music draws from his own childhood, as well as Mark Twain's.

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Barbara Mason had had one minor hit on Arctic by the time "Yes I'm Ready" came out in March 1965, and hit the Top 10 on both the R&B and pop charts.

Music & Culture

Arctic Records: Drafting A Blueprint For The Philly Sound

2:24pm June 10, 2013

by Ed Ward

Ed Ward takes a look at Philadelphia's long and complex history of black pop music. Specifically, he looks at small labels like Arctic, where several famous artists got their start — and which has just released a set of CDs covering all 60 of its single releases.

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Jason Isbell's latest album, Southeastern, is personal and intimate.

Jason Isbell: Literary, But Keeping An Edge On 'Southeastern'

3:18pm June 06, 2013

by Ken Tucker

Isbell is a singer-songwriter who came to prominence as a member of the Southern rock group Drive-By Truckers. He left that band in 2007, in part because of the substance-abuse problems he describes on his new solo album, Southeastern.

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Tartit performs at the Festival au Desert.

Music & Culture

Festival Au Desert: Music Of Peace Not Silenced By War

9:20am May 31, 2013

by Milo Miles

For a dozen years, a music festival that highlights the music of Africa has been held near Timbuktu, Mali. This year, a nationalist uprising and ongoing battles made the Festival au Desert impossible. A new recording from the most recent event helps fans continue to celebrate the music.

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Vampire Weekend (left to right: Chris Tomson, Chris Baio, Rostam Batmanglij, Ezra Koenig) met while they were all students at Columbia University.

Music & Culture

Vampire Weekend Comes Of Age In 'The City'

11:02pm May 30, 2013

by Ken Tucker

The band just released its third album, Modern Vampires of the City. Chief lyricist and singer Ezra Koenig has described it as the third part of a trilogy about maturing. As part of that process, the album finds sustenance invoking Desmond Dekker and The Rolling Stones.

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