Hal has been a professional music journalist since 1994, writing predominately about country, blues, Americana, roots rock and singer/songwriter genres for a variety of publications. He won the prestigious Keeping the Blues Alive award for journalism in 2009.
BEN HARPERWIDE OPEN LIGHT(Chrysalis)3 1/2 out of 5 stars It has always been a challenge predicting what style singer/songwriter Ben Harper will direct his attention to next. Throughout his 30-year career, he has bobbed and weaved between genres with the dexterity of a prizefighter. From soul to folk, blues to rock, and gospel to reggae, More
THE REVIVALISTSPOUR IT OUT INTO THE NIGHT(Concord)3 out of 5 stars It took nearly a decade of non-stop work and one popular hit (“Wish I Knew You” in 2015), but as of 2018, New Orleans’ The Revivalists graduated to playing large arenas, selling out such noted venues as Red Rocks Amphitheatre. After a five-year break, More
Steve ForbertStreets of this Town-Revisited(Blue Rose Music)4 out of 5 stars Call it a comeback. In 1988 folk-rocker Steve Forbert returned from a mess of music business legal matters preventing him from releasing new music. His previous self-titled album in 1982 wasn’t well received either critically or commercially, so he needed to reassert his talents More
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying BirdsCouncil Skies(Sour Mash)4 out of 5 stars Dedicated Oasis fans were distraught when that band, led by Liam and Noel Gallagher, dissolved in 2009 amongst a torrent of bad vibes and recriminations between the brothers. But when both frontmen recorded their expected solo projects, many breathed a sigh of relief. Instead More
Cowboy JunkiesSuch Ferocious Beauty(Cooking Vinyl)4 out of 5 stars Cowboy Junkies’ first album of original songs in three years isn’t a major sonic or conceptual departure from the Canadian quartet’s existing catalog. The template created on their debut in 1986, and perfected a few years later on their still mesmerizing The Trinity Session album, has More
SparksThe Girl Is Crying In Her Latte(Island)4 1/2 out of 5 stars How is this possible? Sparks, the offbeat outfit of brothers Ron and Russell Mael that began in 1971, is not only still cranking out wonderfully warped albums over five decades later, but sound as innovative, brash, funny, and generally creative, arguably more so, More
Pernice BrothersOvercome by Happiness:25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition(New West)Music: 4 1/2 out of 5 starsReissue package: 5 stars The term “Baroque pop” may not have originated with the success of the band The Left Banke when their tunes “Walk Away Renee” and “Pretty Ballerina” became surprise hits in the mid-’60s. But that description adequately, actually perfectly, More
Layng Martine Jr.Music Man(Bloodshot/KRS)4 1/2 out of 5 stars Call it the ultimate labor of love. In 2016, veteran producer Tucker Martine wanted to give his dad, Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee Layng (that’s not a typo), a unique, memorable Christmas present. He called musician friends, inviting them to his studio to reprise his More
4 out of 5 stars What initially seems an unusual combination results in a powerful, spirited, and at times exuberant collaborative effort, different than yet related to both artists’ solo music. Blues rocker Samantha Fish and roots/Americana/outlaw country purveyor Jesse Dayton explore outside their comfort zones in this unlikely partnership. As its title implies, the twosome More
The BomborasSongs from Beyond!(MuSick Recordings)4 out of 5 stars Don’t look now, but after 25 years, the West Coast’s most ghoulish and dangerous retro rocking band is back. The quintet, formed in 1994, made a splash on the surf music scene with a clutch of caffeinated albums combining the genre’s typically overmodulated reverb rocking with More
Parker MillsapWilderness Within You(Okrahoma Records/Thirty Tigers)3 out of 5 stars Those who initially pigeonholed Purcell, Oklahoma’s Parker Millsap, as a blues-based, rootsy singer/songwriter have had to reconsider that narrative. The title of Other Arrangements (2018), and its incorporation of amped-up guitars with propulsive and soulful rock, made it clear he wasn’t satisfied with sticking to More
Eilen JewellGet Behind the Wheel(Signature Sounds)4 out of 5 stars It has never been easy to categorize Eilen Jewell’s music. Nine albums into a career that started in 2005, it’s not getting any easier. Nor is her life. Like everyone else in her industry, the pandemic put her career on ice for a few years, More
