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JEFF TAMARKIN

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New York Dolls | Dancing Backwards in High Heels

429 (2011)
The new New York Dolls have now been around longer - and released more albums (three) - than the old New York Dolls, and they're commemorating that new longevity by letting go of any compulsion they may have still harbored to honor their designation as "punk-rock progenitors."

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | March 17, 2011

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears | Scandalous

Lost Highway (2011)
The soul revival has been going on long enough now that maybe it's a not a bad idea to stop calling it a revival at all.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | March 09, 2011

Bryan Ferry | Olympia

Astralwerks (2010)
From the Kate Moss cover pic to the A-list of guest stars to the reunion with original Roxy Music members Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, and Andy Mackay, Olympia screams, "EVENT!"

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | October 19, 2010

Old 97's | The Grand Theatre

New West (2010)
When Old 97's are on — which they are most of the time on their eighth studio album — they're very, very on.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | October 12, 2010

Dar Williams | Many Great Companions

Razor & Tie (2010)
The companions of the title are Dar Williams's songs, which the singer-songwriter revisits here two different ways.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | October 05, 2010

KT Tunstall | Tiger Suit

Virgin (2010)
The KT Tunstall of Tiger Suit is tougher, louder, and more electronically endowed than the KT Tunstall of its poppy predecessor, 2007's Drastic Fantastic , and Eye to the Telescope three years before that.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | September 22, 2010

Review: Justin Townes Earle | Harlem River Blues

Bloodshot (2010)
On this his third album, Justin Townes Earle is determined to shoo away any lingering apple-doesn't-fall-far-from-tree comparisons.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | September 07, 2010

The Dandy Warhols | The Capitol Years: 1995-2007

Capitol (2010)
There's some irony in the generic title of this 15-track retrospective, given that the Dandy Warhols' relationship with the label got off to a rocky start, Capitol rejecting what would have been the band's first release for the major and sending them back to the studio.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | August 18, 2010

Tom Jones | Praise and Blame

Lost Highway (2010)
Is it possible that Tom Jones, at age 70, is only now using everything he's got to his best advantage?

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | July 28, 2010

The Robert Cray Band | Cookin' in Mobile

Nozzle/Vanguard (2010)
Thirty years into his recording career, the biggest question surrounding Robert Cray is no longer whether he's an honest-to-goodness bluesman or a slick interloper but whether he's got anything new to offer.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | July 20, 2010

Peter Parcek | The Mathematics Of Love

Redstar (2010)
Blues musicians have been recycling the same ol' same for so long that it's easy to forget just how exciting blues can be. Guitarslinger/singer Peter Parcek's thrill-a-minute The Mathematics of Love is a reminder of that.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | July 01, 2010

Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings | I Learned The Hard Way

Daptone (2010)
Just to prove how serious they are about their commitment to retro soul, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings recorded I Learned the Hard Way using an eight-track Ampex tape machine, the kind their heroes and heroines in Memphis and Muscle Shoals might have employed back in the day.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | March 30, 2010

Joan Armatrading | This Charming Life

429 (2010)
Joan Armatrading’s previous album just didn’t feel right. This Charming Life is more like it.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | March 23, 2010

Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars | Rise & Shine

Cumbancha (2010)
Although their music stands on its own, the backstory can't help but give it a deeper perspective.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | March 16, 2010

Miles Davis | The Complete Columbia Album Collection

Columbia/Legacy (2009)
Given the consensus that the CD era is drawing to a close, labels have begun to look increasingly toward the well-heeled — those who not only still buy their music on something they can hold but aren't averse to buying it in supersized, extravagant configurations they can show off and savor.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | December 09, 2009

Tom Waits | Glitter and Doom Live

Anti- (2009)
Arriving five years after his last release of new material, and two after the three-disc Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards box of outtakes and oddities, this live set culled from assorted 2008 gigs could be seen as a time marker.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | November 17, 2009

Rosanne Cash | The List

Manhattan (2009)
In 1973, when she was an 18-year-old rock fan, Rosanne Cash's dad gave her a list of songs he felt she should know — mostly country, all falling under the current banner Americana. She held onto that list, and now she's recorded a dozen tunes from it.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | September 28, 2009

Review: Bebel Gilberto | All In One

Verve (2009)
There couldn’t be a more apropos title than the one Bebel Gilberto has given her fourth album.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | September 24, 2009

George Thorogood | The Dirty Dozen

Capitol (2009)
Before you press PLAY, you know what you're going to get on The Dirty Dozen : music to drink lots of beer by.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | July 22, 2009

Son Volt | American Central Dust

Rounder (2009)
With American Central Dust , Jay Farrar has now accomplished something he was unable to do either during Son Volt's initial run (1995-99) or his evidently aborted solo career (2001-04): released three consecutive albums of undeniable quality.

By: JEFF TAMARKIN | July 15, 2009

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