Blogcritics Category: Review

Music Review: Buddy Guy - Skin Deep

Donald Gibson — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:04 EDT

The legendary bluesman demonstrates how it�s done.
It’s a classic case of a teacher showing up his students. In Shine A Light, Mick Jagger invites Buddy Guy to “help us out” on the Muddy Waters cut, “Champagne And Reefer.” As he waits for his cue, Guy leers at the band with this mischievous grin – this knowing look – as if to say, ”Let me demonstrate...

Theater Review (NYC): The Artistical Process of Mark and Andy by Jeff Sproul

Ethan Stanislawski — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:31:25 EDT

This play does a truly commendable job of making something out of nothing.
Anton Ego, the food critic from the movie Ratatouille, rightly pointed out that not everyone can be a great artist. If every potential artist who dreamed the dream could be a success, art itself would cease to be interesting. But where does that leave the lower tier of artists, those who dream the dream but simply aren’t capable of achieving...

Wine Review: Neumayer Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Marisa DVari — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:24:28 EDT

Think all Sauvignon Blanc wines are from New Zealand? Think again.
"Austria!" a friend exclaims, nearly chocking on his sip of Sauvignon Blanc. "They make Sauvignon Blanc in Austria?!"People have been making wine from the Sauvignon Blanc grape in regions around the world for hundreds of years. For most of us Americans, Sauvignon Blanc is a wine to break out during summertime picnics (or order with shellfish at our...

Graphic Novel Review: The Book Of Leviathan by Peter Blegvad

Richard Marcus — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:31:01 EDT

Absurd, strange, and even a little twisted certainly, but always thoughtful and never simple.
I've always thought comics never get the recognition they deserve. They are either looked down on as being less than the plain written word, as if the inclusion of pictures somehow reduces their value, or they are elevated beyond their worth by those too embarrassed to admit that they enjoy them just for the pleasure they bring. The next time I...

Music Review: Radiohead - The Best Of Radiohead (2 CD Special Edition/Single DVD Edition)

Glen Boyd — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:55:48 EDT

Far from being a label blowoff, the double CD and single DVD editions of The Best Of Radiohead are worthy additions to any fans collection.
I have to admit that I was a rather late arrival to the Radiohead party -- having not fully embraced them until they released their semi-electronica trilogy (minus one), in the form of the albums Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001). Don't ask me why, but it wasn't until the release of those two albums that I really first started to...

Quickies: Three From ESP-Disk Records

Pico — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:34:20 EDT

ESP-Disk hauls out three vintage documents of extreme whack jazz from its vaults.
In 1966, attorney Bernard Stollman founded the ESP-Disk label in New York City. Less than three years later, with orders dried up from established record labels bootlegging their better-selling records, the label was driven out of business.This is a familiar story followed in some variation by thousands of start-up record labels over many years,...

Music Review: Joseph Arthur - Vagabond Skies EP

Tan The Man — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:24:55 EDT

With "Vagabond Skies," Joseph Arthur is now three-quarters done with his summerlong EP series.
Joseph Arthur is now three-quarters of the way through his summers-long experimental promotional blitz for his soon-to-be-released full-length album Temporary People (previously titled All You Need Is Nothing). Almost every artist creates a surplus of material that is later whittled down for the final release. For most this aspect of the musical...

Music Review: Gerald Albright - Sax For Stax

Big Geez — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:19:12 EDT

The legendary Memphis record company lives again -- sort of.
Have you ever wondered whether an interesting nickname helps kick up a musician's career? Or to ask the question in a different way, does a guy with extraordinary talent but an ordinary-sounding name sometimes find himself flying a little below the radar? Case in point (always wanted to say that) is saxophonist Gerald Albright, who can blow...

Music Review: David Bowie - Live In Santa Monica '72

Eric Whelchel — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:12:13 EDT

David Bowie's much-praised 1972 Santa Monica show receives another release.
Part of the problem with legendary shows that eventually find their way to official release is the occasional letdown factor. Originally acquired via unofficial channels, such shows are spoken about in mystical terms by an artist’s hardcore and most demented fans until the show itself becomes far more than just another live performance in the...

Software Review: Adobe Director 11 from Adobe Systems

T. Michael Testi — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:26:51 EDT

Director 11 is a highly needed update.
Adobe Director 11 is a media generation product that allows users to build applications using a movie metaphor where the user is the director of the movie. It is a popular choice for creating CD-ROMs and stand-alone kiosks, and it supports both 2D and 3D media. Using Adobe Director 11 along with the Adobe Shockwave Player, you can create and...