Willie Nelson Dream Chaser

Music Reviews: Willie Nelson’s ‘Dream Chaser,’ Gene Parsons’s ‘Kindling and Beyond,’ and More

Willie Nelson Is Still Going Strong It’s remarkable that Willie Nelson is still making records nearly three decades after the age when the average American retires. But it’s even more remarkable that those LPs contain some of the best work of his long career. Dream Chaser, which arrived shortly after Nelson’s 93rd birthday, is his […]

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Lovin Spoonful Box

Music Reviews: Lovin’ Spoonful Complete Recordings, plus Joey Quinones and JP Soars with Anne Harris

The Lovin’ Spoonful, whose origins the Mamas and the Papas chronicle in their hit “Creeque Alley,” ranks among the most notable products of New York’s Greenwich Village folk explosion. Combining elements of that genre with blues, pop, rock and roll, and jug band music, the group scored seven consecutive Top 10 hits—five in 1966 alone—including […]

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Beach Boys cover

Music Reviews: Beach Boys’ ‘Pet Sounds Sessions Highlights,’ plus Teddy Thompson and Crow and Gazelle

Relatively few albums warrant expansion into box sets that deconstruct their development with alternate takes and mixes, outtakes, and demos. But if any LP merits such treatment, it’s the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson’s 1966 masterpiece, which is widely and deservedly regarded as one of the half dozen or so best albums of the […]

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REVIEW: Abigail Lapell Sings Her Way to Motherhood, plus a Rockabilly Anthology

Abigail Lapell Sings Her Way to Motherhood, plus a Rockabilly Anthology Sometimes a whisper can pack more punch than a shout. Witness, for example, the music of Nick Drake—or the similarly understated folk recordings of Abigail Lapell, whose atmospheric work might also occasionally remind you of Pentangle, Fairport Convention, or early Donovan. The Toronto-based singer, […]

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21 Stupendous Big Box Sets for Music Fans

You’ve heard of Donald Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill? This writer would rather talk about big, beautiful box sets. Here (listed alphabetically, by artist) are 21 of popular music’s most spectacular gargantuan anthologies, each featuring 10 or more discs. Mildred Bailey, The Complete Columbia Recordings of Mildred Bailey (2000, 10 CDs). You’re probably wondering who the […]

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