Hal Horowitz

Review: George Harrison’s 1970 Solo Album ‘All Things Must Pass’ Gets A Sumptuous 50th Anniversary Overhaul

August 4, 2021 No Comments

George HarrisonAll Things Must Pass-50th Anniversary Edition(Apple/Capitol/UMe)5 out of 5 stars “I went to George’s Friar Park…estate and he said ‘I have a few ditties for you to hear.’ It was endless! He had literally hundreds of songs, and each one was better…than the other,” said late producer Phil Spector about his first encounter with More

Review: Roots Singer Lauren Anderson Belts Out Blues Rock with a Potent Presence and Powerhouse Voice

August 3, 2021 No Comments

Lauren AndersonLove on the Rocks(Lauren Anderson)4 out of 5 stars Band? Who needs a band? Not gutsy soul/blues/rock singer Lauren Anderson and she proves it on the opening track of her first release since the well-received Won’t Stay Down EP in 2019. The introductory “Keep On” is an a cappella tour de force as Anderson’s More

Review: Nobody’s Girl’s Self-Titled Album

August 2, 2021 No Comments

3.5 out of 5 StarsNobody’s Girl | Nobody’s Girl | (Lucky Hound Music) If one voice is potent, then three must pack triple the punch. That’s the concept behind Nobody’s Girl, the Austin-based Texas trio of singing/songwriting women, all of whom had robust, if not overwhelmingly popular, solo careers before joining forces. It worked for the More

Review: Tap Into A Frisky ‘70s Disco/Funk Groove With Durand Jones & The Indications’ ‘Private Space’

July 29, 2021 No Comments

Durand Jones & the IndicationsPrivate Space(Dead Oceans)3 out of 5 stars Push play on Durand Jones & the Indications’ third release at any party and wait for it; someone will surely ask “Which Earth, Wind, and Fire album is this?” It’s a logical question since Private Space throbs with classic ‘70s EWF sounds. While the More

Review: The Iconic Aretha Franklin Finally Gets Long Overdue Career Overview Box Set Complete With Rarities And Previously Unheard Gems

July 28, 2021 No Comments

Aretha FranklinAretha(Rhino)5 out of 5 stars It seems impossible that there hasn’t already been a cross-licensed, multi-disc summary of Aretha Franklin’s work before this. After all, she was, and remains, the undisputed Queen of Soul; an iconic figure with an enormously influential catalog of hits and deeper tracks covering R&B, blues, rock, pop, jazz, and More

Review: Los Lobos Reveal Some Of Their Eclectic Influences On ‘Rising Sons’ Rousing Covers

July 27, 2021 No Comments

Los LobosNative Sons(New West)4 out of 5 stars Taken at face value, this is a collection of cover songs from artists originating around Los Lobos’ home base of L.A. But, as the liner notes advise, to pigeonhole it as just that is to miss a bigger story. These 13 nuggets were chosen, recorded, and often More

Review: The Brothers Close Down The Allman’s Long, Influential Career With A 3 1/2 Hour Extravaganza

July 21, 2021 No Comments

The BrothersMarch 10, 2020/Madison Square Garden/New York, NY-CD/DVD/Blu-ray(Peach Records)4 out of 5 stars No one stayed up late finding a snappy name for this live tribute/reunion of The Allman Brothers Band members on this pre-pandemic one-night stand at the titular venue. Liner notes from Allman Brothers Band scholar John P. Lynskey explain that the idea More

Review: Molly Burch Sheds Her Singer/Songwriter Persona And Hits The Retro Dance Floor On The Slick ‘Romantic Images’

July 20, 2021 No Comments

Molly Burch Romantic Images|(Captured Tracks)3 out of 5 stars It won’t take long for fans of singer/songwriter Molly Burch to realize she has changed direction, somewhat radically, on her third set of originals. From the glamour shot cover featuring the singer/songwriter’s glittering blond hair in a bright fresh do, to the slick production courtesy of More

Review: Roky Erickson’s Songs Get Elevated On A Belated, Heartfelt Follow-Up To 1990’s ‘Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye’

July 15, 2021 No Comments

Various ArtistsMay The Circle Remain Unbroken:A Tribute to Roky Erickson(Light in the Attic)4 1/2 out of 5 stars The music business needs more people like Bill Bentley. The long time industry veteran has been a tireless supporter for many fringe artists, none more so than Roky Erickson. Over the decades, Bentley has almost single-handedly raised More

Review: Blues Rocker Mike Zito Hopes For A Post Pandemic ‘Resurrection’

July 14, 2021 No Comments

Mike ZitoResurrection(Gulf Coast Records/Hillside Global)3 1/2 out of 5 stars Don’t let the world get you down, sings Mike Zito on Quarantine, the blues rocking singer/songwriter/guitarist’s appropriately titled pandemic-era 2020 release. Taking his own advice, he returns a year later with a bookend what is hopefully the end of COVID times as we can finally More

Review: Ida Mae Layers Sounds And Mixes Genres On The Snappy ‘Click Click Domino’

July 13, 2021 No Comments

Ida MaeClick Click Domino(VRR/Thirty Tigers)4 out of 5 stars There is no question that Nashville, by way of the UK, married couple Ida Mae is heavily blues influenced. After all, the twosome’s name is taken from a song performed by Lightnin’ Hopkins, the deepest of Delta artists. But Ida Mae isn’t strictly a blues act. More

Review: Derek Trucks Comes Full Circle Performing The Entire ‘Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs’ Live With His Sprawling Band

July 12, 2021 No Comments

Tedeschi Trucks Band Featuring Trey AnastasioLayla Revisited (Live at Lockn’)(Fantasy)4 out of 5 stars No one was asking for a song by song remake of Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970). It’s an album so definitive that even its originator Eric Clapton never played all of it in concert with the original band, let More