Kamaal Williams Creates Retro-Futurist Jazz Fusion on ‘The Return’
With his first solo release, keyboardist Kamaal Williams furthers the sonic exploration begun with drummer Yussef Dayes on 2016's Black Focus.
John Paul
John is a Michigan-based musician and writer. His work has appeared in PopMatters, Spectrum Culture, Cover Me Songs, Hagerty magazine and more. Follow him at @john_r_paul
Buck Owens and the Buckaroos: The Complete Capitol Singles 1967-1970
The second installment in Omnivore's career retrospective of the defining voice of the Bakersfield Sound is, while not as essential as the first, nonetheless a fine collection of hits and misses.
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins: Are YOU One of Jay’s Kids? The Complete Bizarre Sessions 1990-1994
Out of print for years, Screamin' Jay Hawkins early 1990s recordings for the Bizarre label are collected in their entirety, a fact that will appeal to only his most ardent fans.
Generosity, Love, Forgiveness: ‘Mr. Dickens and His Carol’
Rather than once again exploring the all-too-familiar territory of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Samantha Silva's debut novel contextualizes the work's origins and gets inside the mind of its creator.
‘Ebert on Herzog’: A Love Story
Nowhere else in the merging of modern cinema and film criticism can you find such a strangely symbiotic relationship.
‘Woman Walk the Line’ Is a Love Letter to Country Music Past
Where female pop musicians tend to age out of the field, country musicians tend to possess a greater reverence for their predecessors, lionizing their greatness and proclaiming their influence at each and every opportunity.
‘The Best of Richard Matheson’ Is Among the Best of Pop Culture
Richard Matheson's work has so permeated modern pop culture that it can be hard to find works not at least partially indebted to an idea of his or, as is more often the case, someone influenced by him.
Alex Williams: Better Than Myself
Alex Williams joins the ever-increasing ranks of country music outsiders making country music the way it used to be made with his promising debut for Big Machine.
Alvarius B.: With a Beaker on the Burner and an Otter in the Oven
Alan Bishop ventures out once more under his Alvarius B. alias, this time bringing along a handful of collaborators and multiple discs worth of material that could well serve as the high-water mark of his career.
Willie Nelson: Teatro: The Complete Sessions (review)
Remastered and re-released as Teatro: The Complete Sessions, Willie Nelson's late '90s resurgence is lovingly presented in both sound and vision, providing a holistic experience that is essential for any Nelson fan.
Haunting Ephemera: ‘Paperbacks From Hell’
Paperbacks from Hell takes readers through the seven circles (and more) of horror fiction in the '70s and '80s, from the well-known to the obscure and all points in between.