Bloggerhythms

In 2005 Black 47 released their first studio album after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Irish rockers from New York City gave us  New York Town , this one dedicated to bandleader Larry Kirwan's adopted hometown. The twelve songs Kirwan composed form a loosely connected concept album: every one  is set in the Big Apple. Kirwan has called New York Town his "love letter" to America's largest city. Whether the song concerns romantic relationships, the immigrant experience, people on the dark side of urban life, or the awful events of September 11th that appear to have inspired him, Kirwan composed some wonderfully literate music. As always, he wrote with both humor and sadness and each song makes you feel the emotion he wanted to convey. In a lot of a ways this album is typical Black 47, but the concept and an unusual abundance of star-studded musical guests help set this one apart. Rosanne Cash is great here as she shares lead vocals with Kirwan on "Fiona...

Every once in awhile I acquire an urge to go on a rant regarding something that incenses me about music. Once or twice before I used this space to vent and stirred up some unfortunate, nasty comments, enough to make me say, "never again."  However, Compton , Dr. Dre's new, soundtrack CD to the movie Straight Out Of Compton , has set me off again. First, I have to admit that I have not listened to a single note of Dre's comeback album so I know some people will wonder how I'm qualified to write about something I've never heard. Normally, I would say these folks have a valid point, but I've heard enough rap and hip-hop in my life to know that it's a hideous sounding blight upon humanity that makes my ears bleed. I have no reason to believe Compton sounds any different from all the ultra-profanity laced gangsta rap that came before it but today I'm more concerned with the genre's lyrics. This past Sunday, Dan DeLuca, m...

Every time I tell myself that the music I love the most earned my affection only because it was the soundtrack of my generation - and not because it's superior to what followed - I have an experience like the one I had on Saturday night and I get defensive of the classic rock era all over again. That experience was Graham Nash. The two-time hall of famer played a two hour set of music that spanned his entire career. He played acoustic guitar, harmonica, electric piano, and regaled us with a lot of stories. Nash's only sideman, Shane Fontayne, supplied electric guitar while harmonizing eloquently with the star all evening. Fontayne has also played lead for Sting and Bruce Springsteen as well as serving as the second lead guitarist for Crosby, Stills, and Nash. He also worked with Joe Cocker, Chris Botti, and Marc Cohn and recently released his first solo album. The Blackpool, UK native opened the show with two Hollies' songs, "Bus Stop" and "King Midas I...

Jimmy Lafave onstage in Phoenixville, PA Have you ever been to a house concert? For the uninitiated they are simply concerts hosted by a homeowner on their private property for their family and friends and sometimes the general public. On Saturday night I attended my first such affair. This rain or shine event was held in the backyard of a typical suburban development home outside Phoenixville, PA on a very pleasant evening. The performance was open to the public and was advertised on the website of Jimmy Lafave, the superb, Austin based, singer-songwriter who was the entertainment for the evening. The $20 per head price included a potluck picnic before the show began. About sixty-five paying guests heard Lafave and his band play for almost two and a half hours. Lafave played acoustic guitar. He was supported by a new four piece band: a drummer, an electric bass player, an excellent, twenty-four year old, electric lead guitarist, Anthony Da Costa , and an even better ha...

Singer-songwriter and rocker Anthony D'Amato is quite an engaging personality in concert. He's also a good musician and songwriter, two talents you will immediately notice upon listening to the ten songs from his third CD, The Shipwreck From The Shore . This is D'Amato's first album released with the help of his new label, New West Records , and it contains everything that makes a pop album a pleasurable experience. He serves up clever lyrics filled with hooks while giving us songs that are concise enough to not overstay their welcome. Shipwreck is quite a surprise, especially when you consider that D'Amato's only previous recording experience was laying down tracks for his first two albums in his dorm room at Princeton University. The ex-Ivy Leaguer kicked these latest sessions up a notch by recruiting members of Bon Iver into his backing band and using Sam Kassirer, Josh Ritter's keyboard player for over a decade and producer of three of Ritter'...