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.
Book Review On Track…Led ZeppelinEvery Album Every Song By Steve Pilkington(Sonic Bond Publishing) 4 out of 5 stars The obvious question is “does the world really need, or even want, yet another book on Led Zeppelin?” The answer to the “need” part is “probably not”; as for “want,” that remains to be seen. Thankfully the More
The DoorsL.A. Woman-50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition(Rhino)Music: 4.5 out of 5 starsExtras: 2 out of 5 stars If nearly seven hours of watching The Beatles creating their Let It Be album showed anything, it’s that crafting a pop song is a laborious, time-consuming, often frustrating task. Starts/ stops/changes in tempo, differences in tone, working on some More
Mary WilsonThe Motown Anthology(Real Gone Music)3 out of 5 stars As the only member of the Supremes to be in every incarnation of the group (she started with the Primettes and continued through Diana Ross leaving and the group’s final years), Mary Wilson holds a unique place in the history of Motown’s music. Her unexpected More
Highway Butterfly: The Songs of Neal Casal | Royal Potato | 4.5 out of 5 Stars You may not recognize the name but it’s likely Neal Casal has contributed his talents to an act you’re familiar with. He was an integral player in the roots/jam/indie singer-songwriter scene for decades, as backing guitarist for Ryan Adams (2005-09), Chris More
G. LoveComing Back Home for Christmas(Thirty Tigers)4 out of 5 stars When Philadelphia bred Garrett Dutton’s (aka G. Love) debut arrived without much fanfare in 1994—combining hip-hop, blues, jazz, and pop—it didn’t seem likely that this guy would still be recording 27 years later, let alone with a Christmas album in his future. But most More
WarGreatest Hits 2.0(Rhino)Music: 4 out of 5 starsPackage: 1 star There is no denying the place War holds in American music. The LA-based band’s sound—an amalgam of Latin, jazz, pop, world, funk, soul, and rock—remains distinctive and influential today. They were one of the most innovative of the ‘70s West Coast acts and as 50th More
Raise the Roof | Rounder | 4 out of 5 Stars One can only imagine the chagrin felt by Rounder label bigwigs when Robert Plant and Alison Krauss decided not to immediately follow up their six-time Grammy-winning, platinum collaboration (2007). Those frowns have likely now turned upside down as the unpredictable ex-Zeppelin frontman and his bluegrass-based musical compatriot give their unlikely partnership More
GizmodromeGizmodrome Live(EARMUSIC)3 1/2 out of 5 stars Releasing a live performance as only your second album would be an unusual move for most bands. But Gizmodrome is no ordinary group. Comprised of prominent, critically acclaimed musicians in the form of one time King Crimson/David Bowie/Talking Heads/Zappa veteran guitarist/singer Adrian Belew, ex-Police drummer (and here, singer More
Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers American Babylon-25th Anniversary Edition(Cleveland International Records)Music: 4 out of 5 starsReissue Package: 2 out of 5 stars Few who have heard Joe Grushecky’s music, or seen him blow the roof off clubs live in his prime, would dispute that life just hasn’t been fair to the heartland rocker. As frontman More
Rod StewartThe Tears of Hercules(Rhino)2 1/2 out of 5 stars Respect the aging rock star. Now 76, Rod Stewart is a multimillionaire who doesn’t need to sing another note, or play another gig, and can live out the rest of his days in the comfort of knowing he has been there, done that, and has More
Neal FrancisIn Plain Sight (ATO)3 out of 5 stars Keyboardist/singer/songwriter Neal Francis was already a veteran upon the release of his critically acclaimed 2019 debut. He started as a dedicated blues pianist, moved to a more retro funk instrumental style with The Heard, almost died from an alcohol-induced seizure in 2015, and got his life More
Tedeschi Trucks Band and FriendsLearning to Live Together-The Return of Mad Dogs & Englishmen(UME)3.5 out of 5 stars “Cocker Power” read the words on the side of the private airplane that shuttled the Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour on a 50 date run. And that was no lie. “For his spring 1970 tour, Joe enlisted More
