Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
To say that psych-pop group Orange Bicycle never established a trademark style would be an understatement.
Read More »Music Reviews: ‘The Complete Trip’ Collects Psychedelia from England’s Orange Bicycle, plus David Huckfelt
Rock
Music Reviews: Fabulous Thunderbirds, plus Lester Young and Anthologies of Rockabilly and Appalachian Music
Not everything on these Fabulous Thunderbirds albums is fabulous, but Vaughan and Kim Wilson can be formidable singers and players, and, particularly on the early LPs, they and their bandmates delivered more than a few high-octane winners.
Read More »Charlie Doherty’s Top 20 Albums of 2025 (Brandi Carlile, Wet Leg, The Freight, Bruce Springsteen & More)
Long live rock and roll.
Read More »Music Reviews: An Anthology of Beatles Covers, Ward Hayden Interprets Springsteen, and a Record about Records
Among the many winners on this roller-coaster ride are soulful renditions of “Let It Be” by Aretha Franklin and “Hey, Jude” by Wilson Pickett, the latter with guitar by Duane Allman, and George Benson’s jazzified “You Never Give Me Your Money.”
Read More »Music & Video Reviews: Rolling Stones’ ‘Black and Blue’ Box Set, plus Robert Gordon with Link Wray, and Melissa Carper’s Christmas Album
Melissa Carper's 'A Very Carper Christmas' is the best Christmas album of 2025, and one of the very best so far in this century.
Read More »Music Reviews: Boxing Up the Bangles, plus ‘Rock the Plaza’ and Kim Wilson’s ‘Slow Burn’
It's about time we had a box set from the Bangles, whose well-hooked, harmony-laden tunes provided some of the brightest moments on Top 40 radio in the 1980s.
Read More »Music Reviews: Bob Dylan’s ‘Through the Open Window: Bootleg Series, Vol. 18,’ plus Dion, ‘The Rock ’n’ Roll Philosopher’
Like the rest of the Bootleg anthologies, this one isn’t intended to be anything like a best-of collection. Instead, it aims to dig beneath the surface and hold a magnifying glass to Dylan’s creative process.
Read More »Music Reviews: The Beatles’ ‘Anthology Collection,’ plus Concert Albums from Warren Zevon and Roland Kirk
If you’re a Beatles fan (and who isn’t?) and don’t already own the first three compendiums, the Anthology Collection should prove irresistible.
Read More »Music Reviews: Split Enz’s ‘ENZyclopedia,’ plus ‘Instrumental Hits of the Rock ’n’ Roll Era’ and Newly Restored Frank Sinatra Concerts
"Nowadays, I can hear beauty in the flaws,” writes Tim Finn.
Read More »Music Reviews: Jimi Hendrix’s ‘The Axis: Bold as Love Sessions,’ plus Bobby Charles, Dr. John, and Nina Simone
The Jimi Hendrix Experience's sophomore LP is loaded with high points and represents an important chapter in Hendrix’s musical history.
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