CD Review: Assjack — Assjack

CD Review: Assjack — Assjack

AssjackAssjackSidewalk Records By Al Kaufman Say what you will about any of the three Hank Williams', but the one thing they all have in common is a rebellious streak. But the most rebellious of them all has got to be the grandson, Hank III. Instead of going the country route like his grandpa and his […]

CD Review: Ladyhawke — Ladyhawke (Special Deluxe Edition)

CD Review: Ladyhawke — Ladyhawke (Special Deluxe Edition)

LadyhawkeLadyhawkeDecca By Al Kaufman Since the inception of CDs, artists have been getting the re-issue treatment. Most of the big-wigs have had their back catalogs that fans previously had only on vinyl freshened up, or digitally re-mastered. The record label throws in a few outtakes or live versions of the songs from the album and, […]

CD Review: Inglorious Basterds Soundtrack

CD Review: Inglorious Basterds Soundtrack

Various ArtistsInglourious Basterds SoundtrackA Band Apart/Warner Brothers By Al Kaufman First, two confessions: 1) I believe Quentin Tarantino to be the greatest living American director behind Martin Scorsese. 2) I embarrassingly admit that I have yet to see Inglorious Basterds. Without first seeing the movie, the songs on the soundtrack will need to stand on […]

CD Review: The Whiskey Gentry; Playing Unplugged in the Park, August 30 & The EARL, September 9

CD Review: The Whiskey Gentry; Playing Unplugged in the Park, August 30 & The EARL, September 9

The Whiskey Gentry The Whiskey Gentry Self-released By Al Kaufman Yee-Haw!! Only a few months old, and created from the ashes of Missy Gossip, The Whiskey Gentry is here to make you remember how music ought to be. Imagine old time country and gospel meeting punk with just a dash of Vaudevillian flourish, and you start […]

CD Review: Rhett Miller — Rhett Miller; Plays Unplugged in the Park, August 30

CD Review: Rhett Miller — Rhett Miller; Plays Unplugged in the Park, August 30

Rhett MillerRhett MillerShout Factory By Al Kaufman One need look no further than the first line of his new self-titled CD to know that Rhett Miller likes playing with words. "Keyboards and keystrokes and keystones and keys," he sings on "Nobody Says I Love You Anymore." The song also includes the clever turn of phrase, […]

CD Review: Colin Hay — American Sunshine

CD Review: Colin Hay — American Sunshine

Colin HayAmerican SunshineCompass Records By Al Kaufman Anyone over the age of 30 knows Colin Hay. He was the guy with the lazy eye fronting the reggae influenced pop band Men at Work, who invaded America from Australia with songs such as “Who Can It Be Now?” and “Down Under,” and had us wondering what […]

CD Review: Kava Kava — Forwards

CD Review: Kava Kava — Forwards

Kava KavaForwardsMidnight Swimming By Al Kaufman Michael Hutchence has been gone for almost 12 years now, but his ability to intertwine pop with club has never been duplicated. While Hutchence leaned more toward his pop tendencies, Kava Kava, a six-piece Britpop band making its US debut, tend to start in the club/electronica camp and sprinkle […]

CD Review: Courtney Fairchild — 11 Chances

CD Review: Courtney Fairchild — 11 Chances

Courtney Fairchild11 ChancesStanley Recordings By Al Kaufman In 2006, Courtney Fairchild divorced her husband, left her friends, and moved from her hometown of Dallas, Texas to Philadelphia, Penn. The result was her 2007 album, Quit. The following summer, sequestered in her friend's guest house with huge amounts of bourbon and a high fever, she realized […]

CD Review: Drew Smith — Drew Smith’s Lonely Choir

CD Review: Drew Smith — Drew Smith’s Lonely Choir

Drew SmithDrew Smith's Lonely ChoirFat Caddy Records By Al Kaufman Austinite Drew Smith is everything that's right with CDs, both musically and aesthetically. For the visual sense, this is a gorgeous CD. Dave Schwab's intricate pen and ink drawings are whimsical, and the artistry on the liner notes is brilliant. This is a wonderfully packaged […]