Samson is the voice of reason and reassurance we need in these increasingly tenuous times.

Lanois is still following his own muse

The Party feels as visceral and lifelike as any record this year.

Beth Orton's voice is as divine as the northern lights.

Livin’ on a High Note is a gift for fans.

The musicianship on New Bermuda is far ahead of what the band has shown to date.

Edge of the Sun sounds consistent to a fault, foregrounding the easygoing nature of the Tex-Mex band to the point that the strides they make in their sound are nearly erased.

[xrr rating=4.0/5]Who would’ve thought Jeff Tweedy, of all people, would be the one to bring the Staple Singers back into the musical vanguard? Roger McGuinn, maybe, or Judy Collins, or someone else with relatively little melanin to boast of. Let’s be honest – while Tweedy himself is nothing if not a huge music nerd with knowledge and appreciation of both …

[xrr rating=2.5/5]A rising boxer preparing for the biggest bout of his life would be ill-advised to scrap what has worked for him in the past. In order to win fame, fortune and the belt, he must maximize his strengths, or lest his opportunity will go to waste. Pennsylvania quartet Title Fight’s name implies it is playing for keeps. Yet, on …

[xrr rating=3.5/5]The Flamingo Hotel is not an actual place. It’s a fictitious creation by Dr. Dog intended to evoke images of an era long since gone, delivering a mind trick that removes any sense of time or place from their first live release. They’re basically saying, “You didn’t have to be there to be there.” In many ways, the Flamingo …