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JEFF TAMARKIN

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New York Dolls | Dancing Backwards in High Heels

429 (2011)
The new New York Dolls have now been around longer - and released more albums (three) - than the old New York Dolls, and they're commemorating that new longevity by letting go of any compulsion they may have still harbored to honor their designation as "punk-rock progenitors."

By JEFF TAMARKIN | March 17, 2011

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears | Scandalous

Lost Highway (2011)
The soul revival has been going on long enough now that maybe it's a not a bad idea to stop calling it a revival at all.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | March 09, 2011

Bryan Ferry | Olympia

Astralwerks (2010)
From the Kate Moss cover pic to the A-list of guest stars to the reunion with original Roxy Music members Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, and Andy Mackay, Olympia screams, "EVENT!"

By JEFF TAMARKIN | October 19, 2010

Old 97's | The Grand Theatre

New West (2010)
When Old 97's are on — which they are most of the time on their eighth studio album — they're very, very on.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | October 12, 2010

Dar Williams | Many Great Companions

Razor & Tie (2010)
The companions of the title are Dar Williams's songs, which the singer-songwriter revisits here two different ways.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | October 05, 2010

KT Tunstall | Tiger Suit

Virgin (2010)
The KT Tunstall of Tiger Suit is tougher, louder, and more electronically endowed than the KT Tunstall of its poppy predecessor, 2007's Drastic Fantastic , and Eye to the Telescope three years before that.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | September 22, 2010

Review: Justin Townes Earle | Harlem River Blues

Bloodshot (2010)
On this his third album, Justin Townes Earle is determined to shoo away any lingering apple-doesn't-fall-far-from-tree comparisons.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | September 07, 2010

The Dandy Warhols | The Capitol Years: 1995-2007

Capitol (2010)
There's some irony in the generic title of this 15-track retrospective, given that the Dandy Warhols' relationship with the label got off to a rocky start, Capitol rejecting what would have been the band's first release for the major and sending them back to the studio.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | August 18, 2010

Tom Jones | Praise and Blame

Lost Highway (2010)
Is it possible that Tom Jones, at age 70, is only now using everything he's got to his best advantage?

By JEFF TAMARKIN | July 28, 2010

The Robert Cray Band | Cookin' in Mobile

Nozzle/Vanguard (2010)
Thirty years into his recording career, the biggest question surrounding Robert Cray is no longer whether he's an honest-to-goodness bluesman or a slick interloper but whether he's got anything new to offer.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | July 20, 2010

Peter Parcek | The Mathematics Of Love

Redstar (2010)
Blues musicians have been recycling the same ol' same for so long that it's easy to forget just how exciting blues can be. Guitarslinger/singer Peter Parcek's thrill-a-minute The Mathematics of Love is a reminder of that.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | July 01, 2010

Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings | I Learned The Hard Way

Daptone (2010)
Just to prove how serious they are about their commitment to retro soul, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings recorded I Learned the Hard Way using an eight-track Ampex tape machine, the kind their heroes and heroines in Memphis and Muscle Shoals might have employed back in the day.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | March 30, 2010

Joan Armatrading | This Charming Life

429 (2010)
Joan Armatrading’s previous album just didn’t feel right. This Charming Life is more like it.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | March 23, 2010

Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars | Rise & Shine

Cumbancha (2010)
Although their music stands on its own, the backstory can't help but give it a deeper perspective.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | March 16, 2010

Miles Davis | The Complete Columbia Album Collection

Columbia/Legacy (2009)
Given the consensus that the CD era is drawing to a close, labels have begun to look increasingly toward the well-heeled — those who not only still buy their music on something they can hold but aren't averse to buying it in supersized, extravagant configurations they can show off and savor.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | December 09, 2009

Tom Waits | Glitter and Doom Live

Anti- (2009)
Arriving five years after his last release of new material, and two after the three-disc Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards box of outtakes and oddities, this live set culled from assorted 2008 gigs could be seen as a time marker.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | November 17, 2009

Rosanne Cash | The List

Manhattan (2009)
In 1973, when she was an 18-year-old rock fan, Rosanne Cash's dad gave her a list of songs he felt she should know — mostly country, all falling under the current banner Americana. She held onto that list, and now she's recorded a dozen tunes from it.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | September 28, 2009

Review: Bebel Gilberto | All In One

Verve (2009)
There couldn’t be a more apropos title than the one Bebel Gilberto has given her fourth album.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | September 24, 2009

George Thorogood | The Dirty Dozen

Capitol (2009)
Before you press PLAY, you know what you're going to get on The Dirty Dozen : music to drink lots of beer by.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | July 22, 2009

Son Volt | American Central Dust

Rounder (2009)
With American Central Dust , Jay Farrar has now accomplished something he was unable to do either during Son Volt's initial run (1995-99) or his evidently aborted solo career (2001-04): released three consecutive albums of undeniable quality.

By JEFF TAMARKIN | July 15, 2009

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