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...
Rewinding 2019 | The Coolest Jazz
Jazz is another one of those genres that I wish I had more time for. Thankfully, I found enough of it to listen to these albums in 2019:
TINNITIST'S PICK
The...
Rewinding 2019 | The Blues Masters
Years ago, I asked Johnny Winter what he would say to a person who thought all blues music sounded the same. "Listen to better blues," was his response. Well,...
Rewinding 2019 | The Electronic Elite
Honestly, I have no idea if the machines will save us all one day or kill us all. On the plus side, while we wait to find out, they're...
Rewinding 2019 | The Tightest Rap Releases
Let's be honest: I am way too old and way too lame to be the target demographic for most of today's rap. As a result, I don't end up...
Rewinding 2019 | Roots Releases With A Twist
I don't know about you, but I generally prefer my roots music with a little kick to it. So instead of a bunch of Americana, bluegrass and folk, my...
Rewinding 2019 | The Primo Punk Releases
One man's punk is another man's rock. And one man's rock is another man's pop. So some of these albums could probably fit into multiple categories. But they all...
Rewinding 2019 | The Indie Albums That Rocked My World
I listen to a lot of indie-rock. And I do mean a lot: The first version of the list below had something north of 100 entries. I cut it...
Rewinding 2019 | The Indie Albums That Went Pop
Sometimes indie is a state of being. Sometimes indie is a state of mind. And don't get me started on the definition of pop. Either way, these are the...
Rewinding 2019 | The Rock Stars
Every year, another bunch of hipster-doofus youngsters try to rile up the old farts by smugly proclaiming that rock is dead. To which I say: OK, millennial. Instead of...
Rewinding 2019 | The Poppermost Toppermost
Women generally rule the pop scene. But this year, they didn't just dominate the charts and airwaves — they also produced some of the most exciting new sounds of...
Rewinding 2019 | My Favourite Albums
I have reviewed more than 20,000 albums over the decades. And several hundred more in the past 12 months alone. But at the end of the day — and...
Back Stories | My Album Reviews From Dec. 24, 1999
Two decades ago, new albums from Nas, Raekwon, Mike Ness and others were spinning away in my portable CD player. Here’s what I had to say about them back...
Back Stories | My Album Reviews From Dec. 17, 1999
Two decades ago, new albums from Notorious B.I.G., Le Tigre, Rheostatics, Dillinger Escape Plan and others were spinning away in my portable CD player. Here’s what I had to...
Surprise! The Hold Steady Just Released Two New Live Albums
Don't say The Hold Steady never did anything for you. Just in time for the holidays, singer-guitarist Craig Finn and the indie-rock vets have released two new live albums,...
