Charles Bradley, Victim of Love, 2013 on Dunham / Daptone.

Charles Bradley is a great story – picked out of relative obscurity into a music career in his early 50s. Sadly he died (of stomach cancer) in 2017….

Peter Gabriel, Peter Gabriel (aka Peter Gabriel III, or Melt), 1980 on Mercury

The third in the series of self-titled releases Gabriel put out between 1977 and 1982, Melt features lots of complex synthesizer and percussion work, with guests like Robert…

Al Kooper, Naked Songs, 1973 on Columbia

I’m a big fan of Al Kooper‘s work throughout his long career: from the Blues Project and the first Blood, Sweat and Tears album to Super Session and…

Bob Dylan, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, 1963 on Columbia

Makes sense following Llewyn Davis and Billy Bragg to have an early Dylan album – definitely one of my favorites and an iconic cover. This is from the…

Billy Bragg, Life’s a Riot with Spy vs Spy, 30th Anniversary Edition, 2022 on Cooking Vinyl

Record Store Day 2022 release on Cooking Vinyl, combining the original Spy Vs. Spy EP from 1983 with a live set at Union Chapel London June 5th 2013….

Mary Gauthier at Fruitlands

Mary Gauthier singing Drag Queens in Limousines, at Fruitlands in Harvard MA My wife first saw Mary Gauthier in the off season at the Mews in Provincetown at…

Various Artists, Inside Llewyn Davis (Original Soundtrack Recording), 2013 on Nonesuch

My copy is the 2023 Vinyl Me Please reissue on “Seaglass Wave” vinyl. Wonderful soundtrack from the Coen brothers movie, with lots of star Oscar Isaac but also…

The Blasters, Non Fiction, 1983 on Slash

I had (and wore out) a cassette copy of one of the Slash records compilations that had Red Rose and Long White Cadillac on it, so hard to…

David Bromberg, David Bromberg, 1971 on Columbia

To me, David Bromberg is a hidden gem – he’s not exactly unkown, but people don’t realize just how great so much of what he’s recorded is. This…

Clark Terry, It’s What’s Happenin’: The Varitone Sound of Clark Terry, 1967 on Impulse

Clark Terry with George Duvivier, Dave Bailey, and Don Friedman. Liner notes by Nat Hentoff, produced by Bob Thiele. Impulse was an imprint of ABC Records: “The New…

The Replacements, Unsuitable for Airplay: The Lost KFAI Concert, 2022 on Twin/Tone.

Recorded live at the 7th St Entry on January 23rd, 1981 and released on vinyl as part of Record Store Day in April of 2022, this was also…

Nikki Lane, Highway Queen, 2017 on New West

This was Nikki Lane‘s third studio album and her second on New West. Not sure where she first got called the “First Lady of Outlaw Country” (or whether…

Archie James Cavanaugh, Black and White Raven, 1980 on Black and White Raven, Inc.

Self-released in 1980 but reissued by the Numero Group, Black and White Raven mixes Yacht Rock, Disco, and Gospel with some flavor of Cavanaugh’s native Tlingit heritage. Lots…

Neil Young, Harvest, 1972 on Reprise

Definitely one of my desert island discs (unless I can cheat and count Decade as one release), Harvest came out in 1972. This would be an absolute classic…

Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde, 1966 on Columbia

Dylan’s catalog is so extensive and so amazing it’s hard to keep track. Most of it just feels like it’s always just been there – part of the…

Rachel Kiel, Dream Logic, 2020, Self-Released

Kiel is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from North Carolina. This is her fourth full-length album, and features a bunch of guests, including Mitch Easter and Robert Sledge (Ben…

Buddy & Julie Miller, Breakdown on 20th Ave South, 2019 on New West

Buddy & Julie have been releasing great Americana/Roots music since the 90s (for Julie since the 80s), and as a duo since 2001. Buddy’s also been an active…

Naughty By Nature, Naughty By Nature, 1991 on Tommy Boy

Though self-titled, this is actually their second album together, the first (Independent Leaders) being released under the artist name The New Style. The unavoidable massive hit here was…

Taco, After Eight, 1982 on RCA Victor

Taco is one of those bands/artists which fell into a trap after their first single from their debut album becomes a massive hit – Puttin’ on the Ritz…

ZZ Top, Rio Grande Mud, 1972 on London Records

Second album from the Texas blues/rock trio of Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard. London Records basically represented Decca in the US from 1947 to 1980. I…