Paint It, Blue: Songs of the
Rolling Stones -Various Artists
Pop/rock review by David Pulizzi
It must be a pleasure for the Rolling Stones to sit back on the tour jet
with "Paint It, Blue" on the headphones, listening in wonder as their old
heroes chase their coattails for a change
(12/10/97)
Hans Pfitzner's "Palestrina" - Performed by The Royal Opera
Classical, review by Douglas McLennan
The late composer Hans Pfitzner has always served as the ideal relief
pitcher for summer music festivals, but his music was the main attraction
at this year's Lincoln Center Festival, where the Royal Opera performed
the much-hyped "Palestrina."
(07/30/97)
Pardon My French - Fuck
Pop/Rock, review by Sam Hurwitt
Though the name may suggest a garage punk group, this San Francisco combo
is a more slow and languorous Fuck than one might expect. "Pardon My
French" is music for sleepyheads, soporific and yet far from boring.
(07/15/97)
Pavarotti and Friends for War Child - Various Artists
Classical, review by Paul Festa
Pavarotti crushes Clapton, battles Minnelli to draw (12/02/96)
The Pawn Shop Years - Buick MacKane
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Buick Mackane's "Pawn Shop Years": A virtuoso performance disguised
as mondo-trasho slop by under-the-hill veteran Alejandro Escovedo. (2/28/96)
Peace Beyond Passion - Me'Shell Ndegeocello
Hip-hop/R&B, review by Michael Ross
Me'Shell Ndegeocello's "Peace Beyond Passion" gives society's hot buttons a polished push. (7/22/96)
Perfect From Now On - Built To Spill
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Rosenthal
They're "Perfect From Now On": Built to Spill's guitar-rock masterpiece (01/30/97)
Perfect Night- Lou Reed
Pop/Rock, review by David Bowman
It's too late for Lou Reed to go Martha Stewart on us now. Although we
welcome a temporary "Perfect Night" -- 15 songs perfomred live at London's
Royal Albert Hall -- Reed will always be the perfect companion for a
proverbial Dark Night of the Soul. (05/01/98)
The Pet Sound Sessions - The Beach Boys
Pop/Rock review by Mark Athitakis
The reworked music of "Pet Sounds" is so wondrously varied, so thrilling,
so listenenable in and of itself that it's a Beach Boys fanatic's dream
come true
(11/12/97)
Pete - Pete Seeger
Country/folk, review by Sam Hurwitt
Pete Seeger, the folk legend and onetime Red Scare target, sounds great on
his first studio album in 17 years. (5/27/96)
"Phaethon" by Christopher Rouse - Christoph Eschenbach conducting the Houston Symphony
Classical, review by Douglas McLennan
Composer Christopher Rouse has lost a number of friends to death in recent
years, and he has tried to translate his grief into his music -- he
dedicated the second movement of this symphony to the late composer Stephen
Albert, and "Phaethon" to the Challenger astronauts who died. (05/22/97)
Playback Swingers -
Damon and Naomi
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
"It's the turn of the century -- which way you going to go?" Damon and
Naomi ask on "Playback Swingers." Straight to bed for a good, long mope,
the album's nine weary, lazy songs suggest.
(04/13/98)
Please Do Not Disturb (EP) - Juliana Hatfield
Pop/Rock review by Michelle Goldberg
Strange that Hatfield should be complaining about her lack of success after 10 years and eight recordings, while Loeb already has already had a number one single, a Grammy nomination and a Brit award. Isn't it ironic?
(11/18/97)
Police Academy - Strontium 90
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Strontium 90 was, by any sane standards, an unremarkable example of a bad
sort of thing. But in the end -- and buried in every track of "Police
Academy" is a hint of it -- glory would get her hooks into the boys who
would later become known as The Police.
(09/10/97)
Pop - U2
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
U2's "Pop" gives the nod to electronica and captures the end-of-the
millenium moment.(3/13/97)
Portishead - Portishead
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Whereas Portishead's fabulous debut "Dummy" hinted at something frightful
and dissolute, the self-titled follow-up could be the soundtrack to a
horror movie, with unfortunately few sublime moments to be found. (10/08/97)
"Portrait of a Lady" Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Score by Wojciech Kilar
Soundtracks, review by Paul Festa
Soundtrack to Campion's "Portrait of a Lady:" Bring many onions (12/17/96)
Preemptive Strike - DJ Shadow
Pop/rock, review by Natasha Stovall
Fusing hip-hop break beats with forays into soul, funk, jazz, new age,
classical and real-life-whatnot, DJ Shadow takes us down long, winding
rivers of sound on "Preemptive Strike."
(02/04/98)
Providing the Atmosphere - Cloudberry Jam
Pop/Rock, review by Alex Abramovich
Now that the new Swedish record company North of No South, or NoNS, is
bracing itself for an all-out assault on our shores, it's a good time to
ask why Sweden has long been such an anomaly in the global music market
(01/07/98)
In From the Storm/Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix tributes
Pop/Rock, review by Bill Kisliuk
Two new tribute albums aim to channel Jimi Hendrix. (1/27/96)
Pup Tent - Luna
Pop/Rock, Interview by Cynthia Joyce
Pop rocks: Members of New York's Luna poke their heads out of "Pup Tent."
(08/21/97)
Quartet - Bill Frisell
Jazz/R&B, review by James Marcus
Bill Frisell's grainy, elegant jazz emanates straight from the national unconscious. (5/20/96)
Quartets for Four Solo Voices - Franz Schubert
Classical, review by Michael Ullman
The vocal quartet was one of the most popular musical genres in Schubert's
Germany, and no one but Schubert could have written the gracefully flowing
melodies so beautifully rendered here by the New York Vocal Arts Ensemble. (04/30/97)
Quartet - Pat Metheny Group
Jazz/R&B, review by Gary Kamiya
A dazzlingly eclectic CD by guitar master Pat Metheny (11/27/96)
Que Viva Mingus -
Mingus Big Band
Pop/rock, review by Michael J. Agovino
Mingus Big Band's latest offering, "Que Viva Mingus," is a collection of master
Mingus' Latin compositions
(04/02/98)
Rambler 65 - Ben Vaughn
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Heim
Using his Rambler as a recording studio, Vaughn gets his engine-revving act
into gear. (3/03/97)
Rapunzel - Lou Harrison
Classical, review by Brett Campbell
Composer Lou Harrison said he chose the text of poet William Morris'
reinterpretation of "Rapunzel" in part as a vehicle to help him work
through his own emotional upheavals. And this music, with its simple yet
powerful lyricism, reflects his attempt to soothe inner demons.
(05/15/97)
Rare on Air - Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Douglas Wolk
Live Cowboy Junkies and Guided by Voices (3/17/97)
Raw Deluxe - Jungle Brothers
Rap/Hip-hop, review by Terri Sutton
As usual, the New York rappers The Jungle Brothers -- who introduced Tribe
Called Quest and inspired De La Soul -- can't help but come up with catchy
refrains and slamming beats on "Raw Deluxe." (06/04/97)
Ray of Light - Madonna
Pop/rock, review by Gina Arnold
Madonna, despite all her innovations and subversions and gender
groundbreaking, is nothing more than a slightly rattled femme fatale, the
kind of woman who dresses too young for her age.
(03/06/98)
Razorblade Suitcase - Bush
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
Pothead poetry for teen seductions (11/19/96)
Ready... Set... Shango! - The Charlie Hunter Quartet
Jazz/R&B, review by Milo Miles
Charlie Hunter brings jazz guitar into the '90s, without apology. (6/24/96)
"The Real Mr. Heartache: The Little Darlin' Years" - Johnny Paycheck
Country, review by Milo Miles
The best of Johnny Paycheck: White trash alcoholic mayhem (1/7/97)
Rebel Music - Fela Kuti
Pop/Rock, review by Milo Miles
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti of Nigeria, usually called just Fela, was the
first African rock star and still the grandest. He died on August 3 at age
58 of AIDS, after a long career battling giant enemies he made look small.
(08/06/97)
Recovering the Satellites - Counting Crows
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Counting Crows play it safe on their long-awaited second album. (10/21/96)
Text-only version. (10/21/96)
"Remembering Bud Powell" - Chick Corea
Jazz/R&B, review by Andrew Gilbert
Chick Corea's tribute to monster pianist Bud Powell (2/18/97)
"Resigned" - Michael Penn
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
For a (more or less) sensitive-guy/singer-songwriter, Michael Penn has an
appealingly untrustworthy side. Combining his self-possessed singing style
with orchestrated pop, he becomes both Romeo in black jeans and
Casanova in a double-breasted suit on "Resigned."
(08/08/97)
Restraining Bolt - Radish
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
Looking at the teen stars of Hanson and Radish as well, as 16-year-old
blues prodigy Jonny Lang, it's clear that the youth of these teen idols is
supposed to grab our attention -- but they'll be damned if they're confined
by it. (06/06/97)
Retreat From the Sun - That Dog
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
Even though you hear lots of girlish innocence
and longing on That Dog's "Retreat from the Sun," the specter of bad-ass
desire is never far behind. (05/28/97)
Retrograde - Friends of Dean Martinez
Pop/Rock, review by Natasha Stovall
If nothing else, the Friends of Dean Martinez are sincere as hell --
lounge lizards without the sneer and drifters without the con, who
thankfully leave irony out of their repertoire on the instrumental
"Retrograde."(07/14/97)
Revenge! - Charles Mingus
Jazz/R&B, review by Michael E. Ross
A rare recording captures Charles Mingus and his group at a pivotal moment — in 1964 Paris, on the eve of saxophonist Eric Dolphy's departure from the band. (7/1/96)
Revival - Gillian Welch
Country/folk, review by Lori Leibovich
Country-folk neo-traditionalist Gillian Welch's dazzling debut. (4/22/96)
Rhythm and Stealth - Leftfield
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Four years ago, Leftfield were contenders in the Fatboy Slim-Chemical Brothers-Prodigy poptronica pantheon. Now they're back, but where's the hype? (09/17/99)
Richard D. James - Aphex Twin
Pop/Rock, review by Hans Eisenbeis
Is it sound or is it music? Aphex Twin's terrific techno-trance tunes. (01/27/97)
Surrender to Jonathan - Jonathan Richman
Pop/Rock, review by Sam Hurwitt
Jonathan Richman, the celebrity no one has heard of, croons sad, sweet, irresistible songs.
Text-only version.. (9/16/96)
Road to Ensenada - Lyle Lovett
Country, review by Sam Hurwitt
With his new "Road to Ensenada," Lyle Lovett, the country singer for people who hate country music, continues to transcend his genre. (6/24/96)
The concert for the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame - Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Lisa Crovo
The concert for the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame showcases rock's wide-ranging family.
Text-only version. (9/2/96)
'Rushmore' Original Soundtrack
- Various Artists
Soundtrack
This is the work of someone who cares about music, who ferreted out
great forgotten songs (half of them by British Invasion bands), rather that
plucking cuts from best-of compilations
(02/02/99)
Soundtrack to "The Saint" - Various Artists
Soundtracks, review by Hans Eisenbeis
Just when you thought you'd heard enough about the next big thing,
Hollywood gets hold of it and swings it by the tail 'til it's dead -- this
time, it's "The Saint's" electronica soundtrack. (06/02/97)
Salaam - Positive Black Soul
Rap/Hip-Hop, review by Milo Miles
The Fugees, Busta Rhymes and Positive Black Soul take black music back from the gangstas. (5/13/96)
SaxEmble - SaxEmble
Jazz/R&B, review by Milo Miles
Sax appeal for the acid-jazzers, neoboppers and moldy figs (12/6/96)
The Score - The Fugees
Rap/Hip-Hop, review by Milo Miles
The Fugees, Busta Rhymes and Positive Black Soul take black music back from the gangstas. (5/13/96)
The Screaming End: The Best of Gene Vincent & his Blue Caps - Gene Vincent
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
More dangerous than Elvis: The king of rockabilly lust. (01/21/97)
Second Sight - Kate St. John
Pop/rock, review by Dawn Eden
Like all great chanteuses, Kate St. John is a master of the torch song, and
on "Second Sight," her voice captures the wistfulness of one who knows her
lover will never return
(02/05/98)
Sentimental Education - Free Kitten
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
With Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth, Julie
Cafritz formerly of Pussy Galore, Mark Ibold from Pavement and Yoshimi
from The Boredoms, you can't help but come out with a few sparks of
brilliance, as the combo Free Kitten does on "Sentimental Education."
(01/06/98)
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) - Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Classical, review by Paul Fiesta
These performances are technically flawless, lyrical and
full of dramatic tension -- and would have been nearly
revelatory 50 years ago
(03/25/98)
Set the Twilight - Lou Reed
Pop/Rock, review by Sam Hurwitt
Punk forefathers Iggy Pop and Lou Reed show their age. (2/24/96)
September Songs: The Music of Kurt Weill - Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Stephanie Zacharek
Diverse and uncategorizable -- spanning his earliest, edgy collaborations
with Bertolt Brecht and his later Broadway compositions, with their
breathtaking emotional depth -- Weill's work practically invites the brainy
kind of playfulness found here.
(09/15/97)
Share My World - Mary J. Blige
Rap/Hip-Hop, review by Laura Jamison
Mary J. Blige, the mean queen of hip-hop soul, reigns on the smooth "Share
my World," but she seems to have lost heart along with her rough edges.
(05/02/97)
Shelter - Brand New Heavies
Pop/Rock, review by Ezra Gale
Instead of pursuing the "brand
new funk" they so obviously yearn to patent, Brand New Heavies have opted to
take a step back in time and grab for the brass pop-star ring on "Shelter." (05/16/97)
Silent Pool - Marian McPartland with Strings
Classical, review by Andrew Gilbert
Masterpiece by a forever-young pianist (01/09/97)
Sisters of Avalon - Cyndi Lauper
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Once a New York City new-wave goddess who had legions of
pre-teen girls singing along to a song about masturbation, Cyndi Lauper's
no longer enough of a chameleon to pull off an album this eclectic. (04/02/97)
Slow Dirty Tears The Hangovers
Pop/Rock, review by Roni Sarig
Like Dylan's Grammy winner, the Hangover's "Slow Dirty Tears" is an
understated and unexpected gem. (04/27/98)
Smoke Follows Beauty - The Leaving Trains
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
They have no ambition and they'll never amount to squat. (01/28/97)
So Long, So Wrong - Alison Krauss
Country/Folk, review by Keith Moerer
Bluegrass belle Alison Krauss returns to tradition on "So Long, So Wrong,"
a slightly defensive statement of purity that should win back those moldy
figs who've abandoned her. (04/03/97)
So We Go - The Hang Ups
Pop/Rock, review by Terri Sutton
With their graceful,frisky hooks, melancholic choirboy harmonies, and
pensive moods, the Hang Ups show they're proudly twee, cheerfully sensitive
and shamelessly addicted to beauty on "So We Go." (05/09/97)
Songs from 'The Capeman' - Paul Simon
Pop/Rock review by Douglas Wolk
It's great to see a pop musician of Paul Simon's caliber reach for
something more -- and it's even better to see him sometimes grasp it, as he
often does with "The Capeman."
(11/26/97)
Songs in the Key of Springfield - The Simpsons
Soundtracks/Compilations, review by Milo Miles
With its mix of satire, rip-offs and wickedly dark lyrics, "Songs in the
Key of Springfield" fine excuse to immerse yourself in the Simpsons
universe. (03/31/97)
Songs From a Marriage - Amy Rigby
Pop/Rock, review by Joyce Millman
Amy Rigby's superb "Diary of a Mod Housewife" looks at real-life love from the kitchen-sink perspective of great country music. (11/25/96)
All Mod Cons/Sound Affects - The Jam
Pop/Rock, review by Gavin McNett
Two stunning re-issues dust off one of the punk era's most heroic bands.
Plus: The Undertones' irresistible teenage kicks. (7/29/96)
TNT - Tortoise
Pop/rock, review by Marc Weidenbaum
The divisions between "TNT"'s dozen tracks are about as certain as the
divisions between genres that Tortoise so easily dismisses -- but then, if
it did cohere entirely, it wouldn't be "post-rock."
(03/26/98)
Sound Museum - Towa Tei
Pop/rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
Lately, acid-jazz has gotten a bad rap as the muzak of the techno world,
and with two exceptions, the songs on "Sound Museum" do nothing to
dispel that idea
(03/13/98)
The Sound of Lies - Jayhawks
Pop/Rock, review by Jon Maples
When Jayhawks co-founder Mark Olson took a hike late in 1995, it appeared
that the band was history. But after a year hiatus, the remaining members
pulled together and produced "Sound of Lies," an album that suggests the
band's bold new direction. (06/05/97)
Sounds of the Satellites - Laika
Pop/Rock, review by Josh Klein
A longtime staple of England's trendsetting indie label Too
Pure (who introduced us to PJ Harvey and Stereolab, among others), Laika is
still breaking ground in electronic music with "Sound of the Satellites,"
offering a taste of things to come. (05/23/97)
Soundtrack from "The Big Lebowski" - Various Artists
Soundtrack, review by Keith Moerer
In contrast to the film, where stars pretend to be "characters," "The Big
Lebowski" soundtrack is full of genuine oddballs and geeks.
(03/05/98)
Spice World - Spice Girls
Pop/Rock review by Gina Arnold
Salt-n-Pepa is the more empowered, more thoughtful, and ultimately higher
artistic expression of the Spice Girls pop-like confectionary -- but to
knock either is to be on the wrong side of the argument.
(11/13/97)
Springtime - Freakwater
Pop/Rock, review by Terri Sutton
Born before country went "insurgent", Freakwater has flown the flag of
righteous imagination for going on five albums, and on their latest, they
complicate country music's standard issues from evil to workers' revolt
(01/23/98)
Stakes Is High - De La Soul
Rap/Hip-Hop, review by Zev Borow
De La Soul's new "Stakes Is High" returns to the high cross-over ground of the rap group's breakthrough first album, "Three Feet High and Rising." (7/8/96)
Straightaways - Son Volt
Pop/Rock, review by Jay W. Babcock
Great records come from living life, not from driving by it, and as Son Volt's "Straightaways" suggests, the road and its rigors may be the artistic kiss of death for a band perpetually on tour. (05/12/97)
Strand - The Spinanes
Pop/Rock, review by Cynthia Joyce
"Strand," the new album by the Spinanes, proves that Rebecca Gates is not just another Angry Woman Rocker. (2/24/96)
Lisa Stansfield - Lisa Stansfield
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
On her recent self-titled release, Lisa Stansfield makes mature make-out
music and some of the lushest dance music around.
(08/01/97)
Static and Silence - The Sundays
Pop/Rock, review by David Bowman
Remarkably similar in sound and texture to their previous albums, the
Sundays' new LP "Static & Silence" is as lush and as wistful as a college
freshmen's diary, carefully timed to blare out of dorm rooms all autumn.
(09/22/97)
Stravinsky in Moscow - Igor Stravinsky conducting the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and The USSR Symphony Orchestra
Classical, review by Michael Ullman
Because these rare Russian performances were as much political as musical
events, Stravinsky didn't say a word about the musical experience.
Nonetheless, the concerts were important, if for no other reason than
because after this visit, his music began to be played in his homeland once
again.
(08/20/97)
Suburbia OST - Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Michelle Goldberg
"Suburbia" soundtrack - Music to hate life to. (2/7/97)
The Sugar Hill Records Story - Various Artists
Pop/Rock, review by Mark Athitakis
Grandmaster Flash, the Sugarhill Gang and other classic rap (3/14/97)
Surrender to the Night - Trans Am
Pop/Rock, review by Robert Levine
Beyond Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Trans Am heads prog rock's second wave. (01/23/97)
Sweet Sixteen - Royal Trux
Pop/Rock, review by Charles Taylor
The Royal scam: '70s boogie from post-punk pranksters (2/19/96)
Telegram - Björk
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
Björk remix: Studio wizards turn sexy Nordic pixie into robot (01/13/97)
Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition -Jon Nakamatsu, Gold Medalist
Classical review by Douglas McLennan
Imagine the shock in classical music circles last summer when the last
contestant left onstage at the Cliburn Competition was a young American who
had never been to music school -- at last, here's a performer who
understands music of our time from his heart rather than his head
(11/10/97)
This Is Hardcore -
Pulp
Rock/Pop, review by Michelle Goldberg
Forget Chumbawamba -- with "This Is Hardcore," Pulp once again prove
themselves the kings of prole pop.
(04/15/98)
Through the Trees - Handsome Family
Pop/Rock, review by Randall Roberts
The third record by the husband-and-wife duo of Brett and Rennie Sparks,
a.k.a. The Handsome Family, "Through the Trees" is emotionally wrecked
music for nature lovers.
(03/04/98)
Time Out Of Mind - Bob Dylan
Pop/Rock, review by David Bowman
It's now been seven long, lackluster years since Bob Dylan's "Oh Mercy" --
can producer Daniel Lanois fire up the Bard a second time? Amateur
Dylanologist David Bowman takes on the long-awaited "Time Out of Mind."
(09/19/97)
Times Like This - Slim Dunlap
Pop/Rock, review by Keith Moerer
Ex-Replacements guitarist's minor-league masterpiece. (12/11/96)
Tone Soul Evolution- Apples in Stereo
Pop/Rock review by Andrew Hultkrans
Apples frontman Robert Schneider, a four-track whiz kid with a line in
homebrew pop that draws on the Beatles, Kinks, Byrds, and most prominently,
Pet Sounds/Smile-era Beach Boys, doesn't sing about anything in particular
on "Tone Soul Evolution," but who cares? With melodies this memorable,
lyrics are pure frosting.(11/03/97)
Too Far To Care - Old 97's
Pop/Rock, review by Roni Sarig
Sure they've got the Texas pedigree, the Western shuffle beat, and the blue
yodels to qualify them for coverage in the No Depression zine, but based on
their major label debut "Too Far To Care," the Old 97's is pop, not
alt-country.
(08/18/97)
To the Faithful Departed - The Cranberries
Pop, review by Charles Taylor
On "To the Faithful Departed," the Cranberries' craftsmanship gets buried beneath a wave of socially conscious gruel. (5/6/96)
Trampoline -
The Mavericks
Country, review by John Milward
It's not too tough to stand out in the conformist culture of country music,
but the Mavericks tread a radically conservative line that offers a new
twist to the word "rebellious."
(04/14/98)
Transaction de Novo - Bedhead
Pop/rock, review by Mark Athitakis
In a rock world that's built for speed, Bedhead are -- surprisingly,
elegantly -- the ones who are moving faster and seeing farther
(02/18/98)
Traveling Without Moving - Jamiroquai
Pop/Rock, review by Aidin Viziri
Jamiroquai: Play that funky music, New Age British white boy. (01/17/97)
Triumph of the Weird - They Might Be Giants
Pop/Rock, review by Sam Hurwitt
More songs about Nixon and girlfriends from alt-rock's original free spirits, They Might Be Giants.
Text-only version. (9/23/96)
Trio II
- Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt
Country/Folk
There's a great album to be made by three of pop and country's purest
female vocalists, but this effort is ultimately a letdown
(02/02/99)
Tubthumpers -Chumbawamba
Pop/Rock review by Gina Arnold
If they could just learn a little restraint, Chumbawamba could be one of
the better lesson-bands of the decade
(12/01/97)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ALSO
_
A-E
_|_
F-J
_|_
K-O
_|_
U-Z