Erin Rae Stays Humble While ‘Putting on Airs’
The second album from Nashville singer/songwriter Erin Rae reveals itself gradually via subtle, unassuming songs that get better the longer you keep their acquaintance.
Charles Donovan
Charles Donovan is a writer and journalist from London who has contributed to The Sunday Telegraph, The Evening Standard, What’s On In London, The Independent, RnR Magazine, Woman & Home, Shindig!, Essentials and The Sunday Times Magazine. As an arts commentator, he has appeared regularly on TRT World’s Showcase.
101 Influences and Inspirations Inform Swing Out Sister’s ‘Almost Persuaded’
Almost Persuaded is a sweet and luxuriant confection. It conjures the feeling of white-hot days spent sunbathing and lying by the sea, followed by neon-lit nights of romance and intrigue, and it couldn't be more suited to a summer release.
David Bowie’s ‘Welcome to the Blackout’ Is a Triumph
David Bowie's well-received Record Store Day 2018 collection goes on general release via CD, streaming and download.
Joan Armatrading Keeps Love and Affection Close at Hand on ‘Not Too Far Away’
Sounding vibrant, perky and totally committed, Joan Armatrading returns with an album characterized by rock nous and pop sensibility.
Gretchen Peters Tells American Stories on ‘Dancing With the Beast’ Marked by an Abundance of Compassion
This is a dark album, to put it mildly, with songs that manage, with deft use of language, to cram a whole epic into three minutes.
Nellie McKay’s ‘Sister Orchid’ Evokes Dusty Rooms, Yellowed Sepia Prints, Faded Beauty, and Heartache
Nellie McKay takes on pre-rock standards, giving them a ghostly, after-midnight makeover on Sister Orchid.
Yacht Rock Makes a Comeback with the Re-Issue of Robbie Dupree’s First Two Records
The 1980s yacht-rocker Robbie Dupree gets the remastered reissue treatment from a new label.
Laura Veirs Creates a Rich, Luxurious Sound on ‘The Lookout’
After the comparatively brash Warp And Weft, the geology-pop legend Laura Veirs returns with a more elaborate, luxurious sound for her tenth long-player.
‘The Essential Eric Andersen’ Is Truly Essential As It Covers the Breadth of the Folk Legend’s Career
The first, double-disc, multi-label anthology of the sometimes overlooked singer/songwriter Eric Andersen tells a compelling tale.
‘Queerama’ Brings Archived LGBT Brits Out of the Shadows
In this engaging patchwork of LGBT life in British film and TV, subjects were initially filmed from behind to protect their anonymity. But soon they stepped out of the shadows and faced the camera, undisguised.
The Message Never Gets Old: Maxayn Lewis and the Maxayn Band
With the release of three lost classics by the underrated '70s funk quartet now available, Maxayan talks with PopMatters about her music and "the storm" that is life as a black woman in America.
Rupert Holmes Is So Much More Than the Piña Colada Man
With the release of Songs That Sound Like Movies, the acclaimed singer/songwriter, novelist, and Tony Award-winning writer of musicals reflects on a career in which that rum drink is but an aftertaste.