Lee Zimmerman is an accomplished writer, blogger and reviewer. He contributes to several publications, but remains most proud of his work with American Songwriter. His book — Americana Music: Voices, Visionaries and Pioneers of an Honest Sound — is published by Texas A&M University Press and he is currently working on his second book, one which will detail the career of famed producer/engineer Jim Gaines. In addition, he does a popular podcast called “My Backstage Pass” with his esteemed collaborator, Billy Hubbard. Lee began his record industry career working in promotion for the late, great ABC Records and followed that with a lengthy stint at Capitol Records. As a result, he’s had opportunity to work with a number of artists over the course of his career, including Tom Petty, Bob Seger, Jimmy Buffett, and Steve Forbert, among many others. An obsessive music collector, he owns too many albums to count at this point and a variety of musical instruments he’s yet to learn how to play. His work can also be found at his personal website, https://www.storiesbeyondthemusic.com.
Nickel Creek/Celebrants/Repair RecordsFour out of Five Stars A super group well before their time, Nickel Creek provided the proving ground for its principal players—Chris Thile and siblings Sara and Sean Watkins. All parties went on to build on the band’s initial accomplishments, specifically, their formidable role in bringing bluegrass to a new and younger populist More
The Zombies/Different Game/Cooking Vinyl4.5 out of Five Stars The Zombies might best be described as kings of the comeback. Some 60 years after serving in the front lines of the so-called ‘60s British Invasion, they, like all good Zombies, came back from the dead, making some of the best music of their career. Granted, they’ll More
The Rock House All StarsLet It Bleed Revisited/Qualified Records3.5 out of Five Stars Despite the fact that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are among the most prolific songwriting teams in music history, it’s somewhat surprising that there have been so few outside covers of their material. Unlike Lennon and McCartney or Burt Bacharach and Hal More
Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello/The songs of Bacharach & Costello/UMeFour Out of Five Stars There’s a certain poignancy accompanying the expanded four CD/2 LP reissue of the album Painted From Memory, the product of that seemingly unlikely pair, Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello. That’s hardly a surprise considering Bacharach’s recent passing, but it also reflects More
JP Ruggieri/Gradually Descend Into Chaos/self-releasedThree Out of Five Stars JP Ruggieri has made his mark in the Nashville music scene for the past five years, having established as a session player of note whose work has been spotlighted alongside such notables as members of the Wood Brothers, Charlie Hunter, Penny & Sparrow, David Ford, and More
Eyelids/A Colossal Waste of Light/Jealous Butcher Records 3.5 out of five stars Four albums on, the band that was touted as a supergroup in waiting can now truly lay claim to that distinction, courtesy of newly-recruited bass player Victor Krummenacher of Camper Van Beethoven and Monks of Doom fame, and the fact the new album finds More
Genesis/BBC Broadcasts/Atlantic/RhinoFour out of Five Stars A treasure trove of unreleased live recordings culled from the vaults of the BBC, this remarkable five-CD box set spans nearly 20 years in Genesis’ trajectory, from its earliest recordings dating back to 1970 until the advent of the band’s more commercial incarnation circa 1998. As one might expect More
Willie Nelson/I Don’t Know A Thing About Love/Legacy RecordingsFour out of Five Stars It’s been said constantly, but even so, it’s well worth repeating. Willie Nelson is a phenomenon. Even as he approaches his 90th birthday, the man once dubbed “The Red-Headed Stranger” is certainly no stranger as far as infusing his influence on modern More
TRAMPLED BY TURTLESALPENGLOW(Thirty Tigers) **** Taking its name from the optical event that occurs when the sun casts a reddish glow across the mountains at dawn and dusk, the beautiful and beguiling album by Minnesota’s Trampled By Turtles—the band’s first new album since Life Is Good On The Open Road in 2018—provides a seductive encounter More
TODD RUNDGRENSPACE FORCE(CLEOPATRA) **** Todd Rundgren typifies the notion of a true musical chameleon, having never been content to rest on his laurels or remain constant in any of his musical pursuits. In a career that dates back to the mid-’60s, he’s never failed to explore new terrain and breach any and all boundaries when More
The Trials of Cato/Gog Magog/independent3.5 out of Five Stars The Trials of Cato, the 2019 BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Best Album winners, may remind some of those quaint and slightly twee British curios, the Incredible String Band, a group birthed in the ‘60s that relied on a similar shimmer and sheen, as well as More
Algiers/Shook/MatadorThree out of Five Stars Four albums on, Algiers make an emphatic impression from the get-go courtesy of “Everybody Shatter,” a call to arms that demonstrates the band’s ability to transcend genres and take on a populist approach. It’s an opening barrage for an album that’s plied with explosive rhythms—the fully-fueled “Irreversible Damage” and “A More
