Qobuz new release review (April 2023) It’s a bit of a bold move to suggest that the breadth, depth, and length of “Black roots music” could be captured in the running time of two discs, but Birthright makes a valiant effort that is as focused on listenability as it is…

Orlando Weekly (Feb 20, 2023) As Emmylou Harris was introducing “Gulf Coast Highway” about midway through her Sunday night set at the gorgeous Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center in the heart of the Villages, she took a moment to both acknowledge the song’s author — the great Nanci Griffith…

Qobuz magazine “Panorama” feature (April 2023) When Ryuichi Sakamoto started his first college term at Tokyo University of the Arts in 1970, he had a background in classical piano performance with a special affinity for daring-for-their-time composers like Debussy and John Cage. He likely envisioned a career path that involved…

Qobuz new release review (January 2023) When King Tuff (né Kyle Thomas) released The Other back in 2018, the self-produced, somewhat laconic album seemed like an understandable reaction to the intensity of the previous decade of his career. He had quickly rocketed from scruffy, micro-label garage-rocker to a radio-friendly unit-shifter…

Qobuz new release review (January 2023) Now in his ninth decade on Earth, John Cale has always been a collaborator. From his earliest and most experimental days working alongside La Monte Young and the complementary-but-challenging creative relationship he had with Lou Reed, on through his post-Velvets work with everyone from…

Qobuz new release review (December 2022) Very few musicians have had careers as diverse and exploratory as Ryuichi Sakamoto. From his early days of pioneering synth-pop with Yellow Magic Orchestra through a solo career that has encompassed contemporary classical, new wave, avant-garde electronics, movie scores, dance pop, and even bossa…

Qobuz archival release review (November 2022) Much in the same way that Conversation Piece and The Width of a Circle expanded (or exhausted, depending on your perspective) the eras of the David Bowie albums they were “complementing” (Space Oddity and The Man Who Sold the World, respectively), Divine Symmetry is…

Qobuz reissue review (November 2022) If, in 1999, The Soft Bulletin found the Flaming Lips decisively moving away from their previous identity as acid-damaged rockers and segueing into a more genteel sort of psychedelia, 2002’s Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots was where the band fully set their controls for the…

Qobuz reissue review (November 2022) The twin polarities upon which Use Your Illusion has always derived its unique energy from are its absolute bigness and its unparallelled sense of vindictive martyrdom. This deluxe set — which doubles the length of the combined two original albums by including two full live…