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Bill Withers: +'Justments (Capsule Reviews)

The oeuvre of any good songwriter should improve with age. Non-causal listeners of Bill Withers can attest to the overall durability of +‘Justments (1974), the last album Withers recorded for Sussex before signing with Columbia. Reel Music’s re-release ...

From CHRISTIAN JOHN WIKANE, PopMatters,  11 Mar 2010

Related Topics: Bill Withers,  Sony

Labelle: Nightbirds / Phoenix / Chameleon (Feature)

Forget for a moment that Labelle’s epitaph in the collective un-conscious of mass culture is a salacious proposition sung in French. For all its funkiness and scintillating histrionics, “Lady Marmalade” is but a tiny sliver of the story and, in the ...

From CHRISTIAN JOHN WIKANE, PopMatters,  26 Feb 2010

Related Topics: Patti LaBelle,  Lee Daniels,  Janis Joplin

Nona Hendryx - "The Ballad of Rush Limbaugh" (video) (Mixed Media)

Nona Hendryx illustrates just how much mightier the word is than the sword in “The Ballad of Rush Limbaugh”, her response to the right-wing pundit’s remarks in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti. “I’ve been so pissed off with Rush Limbaugh (for a long ...

From CHRISTIAN JOHN WIKANE, PopMatters,  22 Feb 2010

Related Topics: Rush Limbaugh,  David Letterman,  American Red Cross

Jomama Jones: 9.Feb.2010 - New York (Notes from the Road)

“They say don’t call it a comeback, but I say….call it one!” - Jomama Jones. CD release concerts are always auspicious occasions. However, a CD release concert doubling as an artist’s homecoming carries extra weight.  Such was the premise when Jomama ...

From CHRISTIAN JOHN WIKANE, PopMatters,  18 Feb 2010

Jomama Jones: 8.Feb.2010 - New York City (Notes from the Road)

“They say don’t call it a comeback, but I say….call it one!” - Jomama Jones. CD release concerts are always auspicious occasions. However, a CD release concert doubling as an artist’s homecoming carries extra weight.  Such was the premise when Jomama ...

From CHRISTIAN JOHN WIKANE, PopMatters,  18 Feb 2010

Res Rocks: Res on Res (Sound Affects)

“When is your next album coming out?” Ever since How I Do (2001) introduced Res to music audiences craving a progressive blend of rock, pop, and soul, the Philly-based rocker has regularly fielded that question. Finally, she has a definite answer: “Now. ...

From CHRISTIAN JOHN WIKANE, PopMatters,  16 Feb 2010

Related Topics: Marvin Gaye,  Talib Kweli

Sade: Soldier of Love (Reviews)

It begins with a mournful guitar melody. The notes float over strings and waves of ambient tones. A high-pitched keyboard whistle is delicately brushed into the soundscape. The bass dips and locks into a deep, slowly undulating rhythm. Then, that ...

From CHRISTIAN JOHN WIKANE, PopMatters,  10 Feb 2010

Sade: Soldier of Love (Review)

It begins with a mournful guitar melody. The notes float over strings and waves of ambient tones. A high-pitched keyboard whistle is delicately brushed into the soundscape. The bass dips and locks into a deep, slowly undulating rhythm. Then, that ...

From CHRISTIAN JOHN WIKANE, PopMatters,  10 Feb 2010

Roberta Kelly: Zodiac Lady (Capsule Reviews)

Roberta Kelly’s Zodiac Lady is something of a buried treasure, if you like your treasures dripping with Cuban-cum-disco rhythms and album-length metaphors about astrology and romance. Translation: Its appeal is limited to those who prefer their disco ...

From CHRISTIAN JOHN WIKANE, PopMatters,  5 Feb 2010

Martha Davis: 20 Questions (Sound Affects)

Martha Davis does Julia Child? Well, why not? Such whimsy is central to Red Frog Presents 16 Songs for Parents and Children, the latest solo project by Martha Davis. With a cast of original characters that include Phineus T. Rabbit, Professor Owl, and ...

From CHRISTIAN JOHN WIKANE, PopMatters,  26 Jan 2010

Related Topics: Igor Stravinsky,  Julia Child,  Francis Bacon,  David Bowie,  Warner Brothers

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