Author Archives: Jim Driscoll

The Sound Of The Smiths review + competition; listening party links

Posted on November 18, 2008 by Jim Driscoll

The Smiths

Very few music fans who were around during the mid-eighties were indifferent to The Smiths - you might love them or hate them, like Marmite really, but you were unlikely not to have much of an opinion ... Continue reading →

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Grace Jones 'Hurricane' review

Posted on October 27, 2008 by Jim Driscoll

Grace Jones

The first thing to say about 'Hurricane' is that it is a classy bit of work, and I'm not just saying that because I'm old enough to remember Russell Harty. The production values on this CD are high, the list of collaborators (Eno, Tricky, Sly and Robbie amongst others) stellar ... Continue reading →

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Grayson Capps and The Stumpknockers 'Rott 'n' Roll' album review

Posted on October 2, 2008 by Jim Driscoll

Grayson Capps

Grayson Capps has had quite a life so far. A childhood spent listening to his father and friends getting drunk, telling stories and strumming guitars, a spell at Tulane University as a theatre major, during which time he formed two bands which enjoyed 'moderate national success' ... Continue reading →

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Harold Lopez Nussa 'Sobre el Atelier' review + Cuba, Havana-Cultura.com

Posted on September 25, 2008 by Jim Driscoll

Harold Lopez Nussa

Man the boy can play. 'Sobre el Atelier' is an instrumental CD of hot piano music from young Cuban virtuoso Harold Lopez Nussa. The CD contains original compositions as well as American and Cuban standards ... Continue reading →

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Stay Golden, Smog - The Best of Golden Smog The Rykodisc Years review

Posted on September 23, 2008 by Jim Driscoll

Stay Golden, Smog

Golden Smog, an alt-country super group by all accounts, is what Soul Asylum's Dan Murphy calls (a central Golden Smog member) "an ad hoc group of musicians" and is made up of members from Soul Asylum, the Jayhawks, Run Westy Run, Wilco/Uncle Tupelo, and occasionally Big Star, the Replacements and the Honeydogs ... Continue reading →

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Neil Halstead 'Oh! Mighty Engine' review + watch Queen Bee video

Posted on September 19, 2008 by Jim Driscoll

Neil Halstead - Oh! Mighty Engine

There are things to like about Neil Halstead. His songs are wistful and well-constructed, the arrangements are tasteful, with his back-up band supplementing and supporting the songs rather than drowning them with unnecessary and inappropriate additions ... Continue reading →

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Slightly Stoopid review - 'Slightly Not Stoned Enough to Eat Breakfast Yet Stoopid'

Posted on September 10, 2008 by Jim Driscoll

Slightly Stoopid

Even if you're not one of Slightly Stoopid's fans (and judging from MySpace there are a lot of them out there), you should know what you are going to get from the title of this CD of 'outtakes, rarities and a couple of new joints' ... Continue reading →

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Seasick Steve review - I Started Out With Nothin' and I Still Got Most of It Left

Posted on September 8, 2008 by Jim Driscoll

Seasick Steve

The blues in Britain has always been derivative. It was appropriated mercilessly in the 60s of course by the likes of the Rolling Stones and Cream, but the innovations of those artists took the music sideways into the kinds of rock stylings that spawned Led Zeppelin and 'eavy metal ... Continue reading →

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