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Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore – “Dear Companion”Sub Pop-out now3.5 / 5 It’s bluegrass, Jim. And what more could you expect from Kentuckians Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore on their first collaboration (along with producer Jim James of My Morning Jacket); of course they’re going to pick up a jug, a jig, and start jiving. Meant to put a spotlight on Mountaintop Coal Mining in the Appalachians, Sollee and Moore compose these folk/bluegrass songs with honesty and simplicity, which here, make for good companions. “Only a Song” is the most political of these tracks, yet the basic guitar chords and cello backing aren’tRead More →

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Tift Merrit – “See You on the Moon”Fantasy-out June 1; UK May 244 / 5 It’s strange that such an unusual song as “Mixtape” – with its staggered, clustered vocals and soft, intimate lyrics – would be so effective to open Tift Merritt’s fourth solo studio. In stark contrast to her “Another Country,” which at times plays by the book, the Houston-born singer-songwriter ventures into different musical flavors, darker hues of orchestration, violins, slower tempos, piano and acoustic guitar. Fans here will find a slight shift in color, but will rejoice with the title track and the trembling cover of “Danny’s Song”; those unfamiliar withRead More →

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Arturo Sandoval – “A Time for Love”Concord Records-out today!4.5 / 5 It is to Mr. Sandoval’s credit that his style is never forced, his tone always gorgeous, his timing impeccable. His latest album, “A Time for Love,” selects several American classics as well as a handful of classical pieces; the first of these, “Apres un Reve,” shows such a tender side of Sandoval, that it might pull you from the cookers on his magnum opus “Trumpet Evolution.” While our preferences lie just partial to “Evolution,” these love standards here are so well-crafted and honed that it’s difficult not to kick back and pop open aRead More →

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The National – “High Violet”4ad Records-out May 113 / 5 This is a tough cookie for us at the blog: following their breakout 2007 album “Boxer,” the Brooklyn, NY band release their fifth album to anxious indie crowds. The verdict is… well, we’ll get to that in a bit. Here’s what we hear, though: droning, monotone vocal range, excellent backing instrumentals, and similar-sounding, monochromatic songs. Their music is an acquired taste, one that we don’t have yet, and while we don’t want to write off The National, the first 3/4s just don’t pull you in. What we do appreciate is the explosion of sound andRead More →