Rewinding 2019 | The Devastating Truth
Some people enjoy a good cry. I am not one of them — hell, I'm depressed enough most of the time as it is. But every year, I get...
Rewinding 2019 | The Greatest Comebacks
Let's face it: Everybody loves a comeback story. And a comeback album. This year, there were plenty of both, from artists of all stripes, styles and genres — including...
Rewinding 2019 | The Coolest Covers
Cover tunes are an essential cornerstone of music. I don't know of a musician or a singer who didn't start off playing other people's songs. And I can't name...
Rewinding 2019 | The Wonderfully Weird
Some people like their music to drive straight down the middle of the road. I can dig that — but I can also get behind something that comes straight...
Rewinding 2019 | The Most Exotic Sounds
As Steven Wright says: 'It's a small world ... but I wouldn't want to paint it.' Fair enough. Though I might reconsider if it allowed me more time to...
Rewinding 2019 | The Scenic Trips
To borrow an old slogan from the anti-drug crowd: A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Perhaps. But if you burned through a few brain cells soaking up...
Rewinding 2019 | The Proudly Loud
You know what they say: If it's too loud, you're too old. But you know what they should say? If it's too loud, you should probably turn it down...
Rewinding 2019 | The Deepest Grooves
Doesn't matter if you're talking about funk, R&B, soul, blues, disco, swing or some weird combination of them all. It boils down to this: A great song is a...
Rewinding 2019 | The Livest Wires
Back when I was reviewing concerts and going to festivals as part of my job, I used to see up to 500 bands a year. These days, I would...
Rewinding 2019 | The CanCon Anthems
As always, our home and native land produced no shortage of great music over the year. And as always, even though I literally got through scores of Canadian albums,...
Rewinding 2019 | The Most Picturesque Soundtracks
I can't remember the last time I was in a movie theatre (or even wanted to be). But that doesn't stop me from checking out their soundtracks. The increasing...
Rewinding 2019 | The Fullest Box Sets
Between the streaming revolution, the resurgence of vinyl and the death of brick-and-mortar record stores, the CD may not be long for this world. But I can guarantee this:...
Rewinding 2019 | The Firmly Rooted Singer-Songwriters
I reviewed enough singer-songwriters this year that I decided to divide them into two groups. If you're looking for the rootsy kind — your folksingers, your acoustic troubadours, your...
Rewinding 2019 | The Rootless Singer-Songwriters
I reviewed enough singer-songwriter albums this year that I decided to divide them into two groups. If you're interested in the poppier kind — your piano balladeers, your heartland-rock...
Rewinding 2019 | The Country Rulers
Years ago, while I was driving down to SXSW, a U.S. border agent told me I had to answer one question before he'd let me into the country: Did...
