Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
A concert pays tribute to Willie Nelson, plus a reissue of Violent Femmes' debut and a new release from the mysterious Catbells.
Read More »Music and Film Reviews: ‘Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90,’ plus Violent Femmes and Catbells
Album Reviews
Music Reviews: The Massive ‘Memphis Blues Box,’ plus Tom Russell and the Ink Spots
Ironically, it took a European record company to compile The Memphis Blues Box, one of the most impressive and essential collections of American music you’ll ever find. Still, I can’t think of a label more suited to the task than Germany’s Bear Family, which is world-famous for its gargantuan and …
Read More »Music Reviews: Pink Floyd’s ‘Atom Heart Mother’ Expanded, plus Sarah McKenzie, Big Country, Uncle Lucius, and a ‘Doo-Wop Christmas Party’
Reviews of an expanded edition of Pink Floyd's 'Atom Heart Mother,' plus Big Country live, a doo-wop Christmas anthology, and more.
Read More »Music Reviews: Bob Marley’s ‘Catch a Fire’ Revisited and a Power Pop Anthology, plus Van Duren and John Vincent III
Reviews of an expanded edition of Bob Marley's 'Catch a Fire,' a power-pop anthology, and more.
Read More »Music Reviews: Frank Zappa’s ‘Over-nite Sensation’ Box Set, the Feelies’ Velvet Underground Tribute, and More New Releases
Reviews of an expanded edition of Frank Zappa's Over-nite Sensation, the Feelies' 'Some Kinda Love,' and more.
Read More »Music Reviews: Bob Dylan’s ‘The Complete Budokan 1978,’ plus Dori Freeman, Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia, Kristen Grainger & True North, and Peter Rosendal
The Complete Budokan 1978 coilects two Bob Dylan concerts. Plus, new CDs from Dori Freeman, Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia, Kristen Grainger & True North, and Peter Rosendal.
Read More »Music Reviews: Jimi Hendrix at the Hollywood Bowl, Plus Little Feat, Jon Dee Graham, the Resonant Rogues, and Danny O’Keefe
Reviews: a previously unissued 1967 Jimi Hendrix concert plus albums from Little Feat, Jon Dee Graham, Resonant Rogues, and Danny O'Keefe.
Read More »Music Reviews: Cranberries, plus Lee Gallagher, the Three O’Clock, Sylvia Tyson, and Emma Wilson
Reviews of an expanded edition of the Cranberries' "To the Faithful Departed," plus CDs from Lee Gallagher, the Three O'Clock, Sylvia Tyson, and Emma Wilson.
Read More »Music Reviews: Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Fyfty,’ plus Leon Rosselson, Half Stack, Robert Finley, and Chest Fever
A box set collects highlights from Lynyrd Skynyrd's career; plus reviews of CDs from Leon Rosselson, Half Stack, Robert Finley, and Chest Fever.
Read More »Music Review: The Crossing – ‘Sumptuous Planet,’ a Secular Mass by David Shapiro
The composer set out to "advance a scientific, atheistic vision of the world" using the musical structure of a Christian Mass and modern choral idioms.
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