Product Reviews

From the moment laser hits plastic on Turbine's second disc, Reward, the listener is barraged with frenetic tempos, breakneck instrumental breakdowns, and smartly layered vocal harmonies.

A graceful record, and a credit to the durability of Fela Kuti’s seminal genre.

Laura Reed & Deep Pocket’s soul:music is so recognizable and so effortless that it’s hard to imagine it’s the Asheville, North Carolina group’s debut album.

Children’s music isn’t just about children anymore.

The Ragbirds hail from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and while the Irish Hills might not be too far away, there's no pigeonholing this group. On their second album, Wanderlove, the quartet takes listeners on a lengthy trip around the country and the world, from their own backyard to the Appalachian hills and across oceans and deserts far beyond. The talented bunch, including Randall Moore and Tim Dziekan on all grades of crucial percussion, is seemingly driven by Erin Zindle's multi-instrumentalism and songwriting. The improbably named guitarist Matthew Melody also chips in with stellar backing vocals, lending real drama to the proceedings when necessary.

A few short taps on the gate and they're off - and the rodeo clowns better get the heck out of the way, this bronc is WILD! Occasionally I miss my former occupation as a rock critic, and the other day was one of those days. Other days I don't miss it, as I would definitely be even broker than normal, with a beer belly two sizes too big and prolly a couple DUI's by now if my enthusiasm for drug rock hadn't led all the way to being a stone stupid junkie eventually.

Jeff Bujak is gradually and carefully creating his own musical world. It's clear from the first track of his new CD, Building: An Arsenal, that there are countless ideas just zinging around in this guy's head. Here I was thinking that his last opus - 2006's Peaces of Man and Machine - was about as ambitious a solo album as I'd heard. He's bested himself with this new album, a result of the apparent war going on between his inner human and machine.

First some personal background - My first Grateful Dead Show was in July of '72, my first Zen Tricksters Show was, as far as I can recollect, in early 1991. My last Dead Show was in 1990, the Zen Trickster run continues unabated. Over the years I developed a friendship with The Tricksters and was their CD archivist for 8 years starting in 1998. The band would give me the DAT's and I'd decide what would be archived. To this day the band considers me to be their toughest critic. I experienced my share of off nights with the Good Old Grateful Dead and I call them as I hear them. My perspective is from the audience's side of the stage, with this as background let me share my thoughts/feelings on the new Donna Jean & the Tricksters release.

Asheville has a glorious 9-piece afrobeat ensemble and this is their incredible debut. Led by Ivory Coast's Kevin Meyame, the dancer, djembe player and percussionist also sings in French, English and his native language of Baoul.

Hailing from the growing central North Carolina town of Burlington, Anonymous is a young band that has encapsulated the first part of their evolution in their second album, Meet Anonymous.