Blogcritics Author: Nancy Dunham

Music Review: Jethro Tull - This Was (Collectors Edition)

Nancy Dunham — Mon, 9 Jun 2008 19:54:31 EDT

A feast of rare musical gems from Grammy-award winning Jethro Tull.
Rejoice, loyal fans of Jethro Tull.A two-disc release of This Was (Collectors Edition) chock full of plenty of rarities, will be released tomorrow. As Tull fans know, This Was is the first album Tull recorded, well before the perfect storm of fans and festivals discovered the British band and launched it into rock stardom and onto a recording...

Music Review: Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell

Nancy Dunham — Tue, 6 May 2008 19:00:13 EDT

Technically, perfect. Emotionally? hmmmm
This is going to be ugly but I’ll just say it: Elephant Shell, the just-released CD by Tokyo Police Club, is boring.To the irate fans that read that line and immediately put fingertips to keyboards to howl about my musical ignorance, I extend my apologies. I realize that Rolling Stone and other music industry giants have anointed the...

Music Review: Michael Jackson - Thriller 25

Nancy Dunham — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:39:06 EST

Despite the scandals, his music's still a Thriller
Drive through the center of Washington, D.C., Baltimore, or other major cities and you'll spot something that you likely haven't seen in a long time -- promotional posters for a Michael Jackson release. Long before Jackson was accused of pedophilia, skin bleaching, multiple plastic surgeries, and countless other crimes and eccentricities he...

Music Review: Mannheim Steamroller - Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Song

Nancy Dunham — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 17:46:20 EST

A bit of cheese but some bright spots too.
How can millions of fans be wrong?In the more than 25 years since Mannheim Steamroller first began to release holiday records, millions have bought its music and called it the classic holiday music of our times. Conceived by Chip Davis, the music is a blend of Renaissance-flavored music with plenty of pop music seasoning. Somehow, that puts this...

Concert Review: Trans-Siberian Orchestra At Verizon Center, Washington, D.C., 12/16/07

Nancy Dunham — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 23:07:59 EST

It's not over until TSO plays!
Call it a feast for the senses, a near-religious experience, or a stunning display of creativity -- those terms all describe holiday shows put on by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.The problem is that none of those descriptions do justice to these three-hour multi-media shows that include some 60+ world-class musicians, dancers and singers, pyrotechnics,...

Music Review: Fountains of Wayne - Traffic and Weather

Nancy Dunham — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:52:25 EST

Has Fountains of Wayne dried up creatively?
Listening to Traffic and Weather, this year’s release by Fountains of Wayne, I wonder if the quartet’s creativity has run dry.Four years in the making, the 14-song CD delivers a great amount of audio fun. In this CD, the group once again takes the ‘70s pop sound that includes steady guitars, easy-to-remember choruses and great...

Music Review: Blackmore's Night - Paris Moon

Nancy Dunham — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:22:11 EST

These rock, folk minstrels celebrate 10 years of their signature sound of Renaissance Rock.
With apologies to those who coined the motto for Sedona, Arizona, those who attend a concert by Blackmore’s Night should plan to “be” not “do.”One listen to the Renaissance Rock of Blackmore’s Night - led by singer Candice Night and her partner, the legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore – and it’s...

Music Review: Band of the Week - Carmen & Camille

Nancy Dunham — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 05:05:38 EST

The duo's genuine sound can move them ahead of the pack.
This will make me sound stodgy, but I do grow weary of the pop divas whose antics are regularly chronicled by Perez Hilton. I’m as much a fan of new artists as anyone but the manufactured, punched-out-of-a-mold pop music that regularly charts, sounds too pre-packaged for my ears. Combine that with the crotch-baring/public fight with...

Interview: Band of the Week - Carmen & Camille

Nancy Dunham — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:25:26 EST

Pop moving to rock equals success.
Carmen and Camille Thomas have made some noise with their debut CD Two and are banking on MTV to give them a bigger push into the big time.Why shouldn’t they? The 22-year old twins have made their career in large part due to television. Their song "I Will Never" played on MTV’s The Hills winning the Vancouver duo plenty of...

Music Review : Band of the Week - The Trucks

Nancy Dunham — Mon, 5 Nov 2007 10:34:49 EST

You'll like it, you'll love it....
When I first heard The Trucks self titled debut CD, I was a bit in awe.You just don’t find bands – especially ones comprised of all women – that combine solid sex appeal and wholesome effervescence which fully engages both men and women without the threatening vibe some groups exude. But Kristin Allen-Zito (vocals/keyboard),...