My insomnia has a soundtrack. When my mind races like a hamster on a wheel in spite of my exhaustion, my imagination generates gentle buzzes, soothing bleeps and reassuring coos. Juana Molina may suffer from the same curious malady. Her enchanting new album Halo is precisely what I hear on sleepless nights.
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I reviewed a production of “The Who’s Tommy” on Friday.
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I reviewed “You’ve Got a Friend” at Quality Hill Playhouse on Saturday.
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I reviewed a Punch Brothers concert at Crossroads KC on Sunday.
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I reviewed Muse and Thirty Seconds to Mars at Starlight Theatre on Monday.
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John Legend’s concert at Starlight Theatre is my pick of the week for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.
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I named Hembree KCUR’s Band of the Week.
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I write weekly music previews for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.
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Footage of the late Jimmy LaFave’s powerful performance at the Folk Alliance conference in February has emerged.
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I hopped on the bandwagon for Gorillaz' Humanz last week.
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Ambrose Akinmusire’s A Rift in Decorum: Live at the Village Vanguard doesn’t move me. RIYL: Wallace Roney, disappointments, Roy Hargrove.
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Benjamin Booker’s Witness is the rare roots-rock album that isn’t afraid of upsetting the apple cart. RIYL: Gomez, powerful voices, Heartless Bastards. Here’s ”Believe”.
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Canned arrangements and lackluster production spoil Maysa’s Love Is a Battlefield. RIYL: Anita Baker, romance, Ledisi. Here’s the title track.
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Even though I listened carefully to A Social Call, I’m compelled to reserve judgement on Jazzmeia Horn until I catch a live performance. RIYL: Shirley Horn, jazz hype, Ella Fitzgerald.
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I’ve never attempted to hide my unironic affection for Papa Roach. Crooked Teeth is RIYL Sevendust, real life, Seether.
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Heliocentrics’ trippy A World of Masks is RIYL Mulatu Astatke, groovy drones, Sun Ra.
(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)
