Add it all up and you have a CD with many high points, more good songs than most CDs by much more famous artists, and a gorgeous sound.

The Bush Administration's enormous unpopularity overseas leads me to worry that the rest of the world will infer from this result something dark about the American people.

This creaky solo effort from the Incredible String Band‘s longtime banjo player only hints at the accomplishments of the British folk revival. The songs are mostly forgettable and the singing is, well, not good. It’s true that great singing was never ISB’s strong point, but the band projected an everyperson …

This concert DVD will be a real treat for fans of Procol Harum and classic rock in general. It presents the band in all its glory, playing the final show of a world tour that ended in December 2003 at the beautiful and majestic Union Chapel in Islington, London. The …

Singer-songwriters Meg Braun and Ari Scott shared a set at Cafe 111 in Brooklyn last night as part of promoter Dan Herman’s Radio Crystal Blue showcase. The two have very differerent voices, but blended surprisingly well when they accompanied each other. Highlights of the set were Braun’s “Ohio Wind,” a …

For a bunch of nerdy-looking guys who appear as if they haven’t seen the sun in years, Galactic sure do make a joyful noise. Galactic plays highly danceable instrumental funk, but unlike some jam bands they don’t allow their songs to overstay their welcomes. They mix up their grooves and …

Punk, even the sophisticated variety to which this aspires, needs attitude.

Johnny Hi-Fi and his fine band cranked out a tight set of melodic rock that brought to mind a slightly less crunchy, more lyrical Weezer.

I get some pretty weird CDs to review, but Vashti Bunyan’s story and music seem almost not of this earth. After connecting with Rolling Stones manager and legendary producer Andrew Loog Oldham, Vashti was given a Jagger-Richard song to record and flash-hyped as “the new Marianne Faithfull” in 1965. When …

Soul music is alive and well. No "neo-" prefix is needed.