Music Street Journal - Music News & Reviews

If you like the music of bands like Bauhaus and the Cure you are very likely to enjoy this. This album is set in that same style of music.

I’ve always been torn when it comes to the output of Randy Bachman – or at least the major output.

Back Street Crawler is an interesting act, that is perhaps almost more a music history footnote than anything else. That said, their music is strong enough that they deserved better.

Badfinger were always a cool pop rock band. This new album collects a lot of their hits.

In the last decade or two a type of country music that's closer to pop has emerged. Don't expect that here.

This band was such an interesting outfit. Of course, for some the main claim to fame for them was the fact that Ginger Baker was the "Baker" of the group's name.

This live album from 1975 has been expanded to include several songs from a different show the same year.

This double disc set is unusual.

I am a pretty big fan of reggae music. There is just something about it that's infectious and uplifting.

I've been a fan of Barenaked Ladies for a long time. Their blend of pop rock with an alternative weirdness and a sense of humor is compelling.

What an intriguing album this is. Some background, both on Music Street Journal and this artist, is in order.

I previously reviewed another disc from Jack Barksdale, but this is his 2022 release. Barksdale is a prodigy (my label, not something I've read).

This album really feels like it could have been released in the 1970s. It has a lot in common with the music of artists like Carole King and Joni Mitchell.

The vocals on this set have a definite reggae element, but the music for the most part is not set in that style. The music is also not confined to any one style, except the wide ranging pop rock heading.

This is quite an entertaining set. There is a lot of country music in the mix.

This is a set of covers of Rolling Stones songs.

This short EP is all hard rocking and energetic music.

This live album from the Beat Farmers is fun. Their brand of cow-punk is often funny.

This three-song EP is exceptionally effective. I'm not even a huge fan of this kind of music, but this works so well that it makes a believer out of me.

A lot of people these days just listen to a song here and there rather than a whole album. That will benefit this set.

These guys seem to wander along a number of musical landscapes.

This album is quite entertaining and intriguing. If there is one complaint, it's that at times it seems to be all over the place in terms of styles.

This is a particularly effective EP.

This set features a blend of music that's often set within a folk rock zone. That said, there are things like T-Rex's brand of glam, hints of things like The Doors and even Tom Petty in the mix at various points.

What a great album this is. Lisa Bell’s voice is strong and also very versatile.

I don't know if I have ever heard an album that sounds more like the cover looks like it would than this one does. The brand of bluesy hard rock here just fits that cover image so well.

Before I actually listened to this track, I assumed (based on the cover) that it would be modern pop music. I was pleasantly surprised as this is so much better than that.

Parts of this disc are likely to convince you that this is an old album. That's because so much of the music here is set in the jazz of the 20s and 30s.

This is an intriguing set. The music here lands along the lines of world music, but it's a bit more eclectic than that.

Hailing from South Carolina, this band at the time was made up of teenagers.

This collection from Bear Family seems pretty self-explanatory at first.

I remember hearing the title track to this album on the radio all the time in the 1970s.

Other than drums, this is a one man show.

There is a clean radio version of this single, but I have reviewed the explicit mix. So, with that in mind, this gets a parental advisory.

There is almost a dichotomy to this album. Some retro instrumental sounds dominate the set musically.

The new compilation, as the title suggests, is exhaustive in terms of the music released in the particular time period covered.

Call it "pop punk" or call it "emo." Either way, I have to admit that I don't really get it.

This is a special remastered reissue of the first Better than Ezra album.

This is an intriguing, if uneven, set. There is an artsy quality to a lot of it.

Fans of 1980s music will like this.

This is a new EP from a band out of Nashville. They've been around for a couple years, but this is their first release.

This new disc is a tribute to the Depeche Mode album of the same title. Don't expect a carbon copy of the original, though.

This cool EP is a limited edition release on green vinyl. It is a very classy little set with four songs (three live and one studio).

It's a pretty safe bet that for a lot of people out there Big Country is represented by one song - their big hit "In a Big Country." This new collection shows that the band had more than one trick up their sleeves.

While this isn't exactly my usual kind of music, I like this album a lot. In fact, it's likely to make my "best of 2018" list.

This is an interesting double disc set. One third of this band is Lydia Lunch, and anyone who knows anything about her will have an idea of what this is about.

This release features a sound that seems to have two, rather disparate, parts. First, there is the instrumental part of this.

When looking for new holiday music, this album is a great place to start. The arrangement here are generally traditional (leaning toward jazz mostly, but also classical music).

After Alice Cooper the man and Alice Cooper the band parted ways, the members of the band formed Billion Dollar Babies. They only ever recorded one studio album - Battle Axe.

Long ago Alice Cooper was a band. The lead singer, Vincent Furnier took the name Alice Cooper as his own, but the first few albums were recorded by the band Alice Cooper.

This is one great album. Its blend of sounds range from blues and soul and classic to jazz and reggae.

I came very close to landing this one under progressive rock. It definitely has ties to modern prog, and some songs land fully under that heading.

There is folk and alternative along with shoegaze and more here.

I struggled with the question of whether this album was progressive rock or not.

This is really a bittersweet moment.

This album is a collection of Black 47 political songs.

This album is unique and a bit hard to pin down. I suppose the easiest reference is to say "Gothic rock," but there is a lot of range and stylistic alteration within that description.

Given the album title, you would probably expect this to be a funk release. Let's be clear, there is a lot of funk here.

The Black Clouds? I don’t think so. Isn’t this really a long lost Nirvana album?

There is a lot of nu-metal in the mix on this album. It has plenty of alternative rock and more, too.

Hailing from Latvia, lead singer Liva Steinberga has a great female hard rock voice.

This is an intriguing set of music. The majority of it lands in jazzy territory.

There is a real world music vibe to much of this album.

Gothic rock and things like Ozzy Osbourne and Godsmack are heard here.

This new single has a real pop edge, but is overall tastefully raw and rough around the edges.

This live album comes with a companion DVD. That DVD includes one extra song.

Home-made folk music is probably the best description of this music. I would say that the music works better than the vocals for me, but your mileage may vary.

This new audiophile release is great.

This two CD collection gathers up a number of recordings from Mike Bloomfield. You probably got that from the title, right?

This is a new limited edition, numbered audiophile reissue of a classic old album.

This disc is full of effective songs. There are a few words that could be used to describe nearly every piece here, including "moody," "atmospheric" and "dreamy."

The Blow Monkeys got their start in the 1980s so it’s no surprise that their sound is tied to that era.

This new EP comes from a band that were formed in Champaign, Illinois.

There is nothing Earth-shattering or decidedly original here. Instead, this is effective modern pop music, cut from much the same cloth as a lot of similar music.

I also reviewed an EP from this artist in this issue. This is the new single leading up to their next album.

This music is rather timeless.

I like this outfit quite a bit. Their music has a real timeless quality.

The mix of sounds on this is cool.

Blue Soul Ten might sound like the name of a group, but it's actually the name of one man.

This hip hop album is fairly diverse.

This is quite an unusual set.

This set should definitely appeal to fans of 1970s soft rock singers.

The blend of sounds here is interesting.

Tommy Bolin is best known for his work with Deep Purple, James Gang and the Billy Cobham band.

There is no question that Joe Bonamassa was heavily influenced by the British Blues Movement. It could be argued, though, that the movement was one of the biggest influences on popular music in the last 70 years or so.

This is the brand new release from Joe Bonamassa, and he's outdone himself. While I can't say that I've heard every album he's done, I've followed his career quite a bit.

This new album from Joe Bonamassa might be his best release to date. The opening track, which definitely leans toward progressive rock in a big way, could well be the best song he's ever done, too.

This is an intriguing disc. It's a re-master of Joe Bonamassa's first album.

I reviewed the video version of this album in the previous issue of Music Street Journal and promised the CD review for this time around.

I really have to preface this review with a little bit of a rant about music and fandom in general.

This new box set from Graham Bonnett is a three CD set. The first includes previously unreleased studio recordings dating between 1987 and 1992.

Even if all you know from Graham Bonnet is his two best-known bands, Rainbow and Alcatrazz, you have to know that there is a wide range of sounds in his repertoire.

There are definitely roots music elements at play here. This has a lot of John Mayer built into it, too.

Books on Fate might sound like the name of a band and the music might sound like it’s created by a band, but that’s not true.

This is quite an intriguing set. We get Pat Boone paired with a lot of different artists for classic R&B tunes.

Sometimes less is more. I think that would be the case here. There isn't a bad song here.

I like this EP. It’s hip hop, but it’s also unique.

I really like the sound on this EP. It’s pretty unique.

Joe Bouchard is probably best known as one of the founding members of Blue Oyster Cult.

Joe Bouchard is best known as one of the members of the classic lineup of Blue Oyster Cult. You wouldn't really need to know that if you heard this album.

This is pretty cool rocking music.

Hard rock, punk, electronic music and more merge on this new release.

This new EP has an interesting blend of sounds. There is a lot of modern pop music, some R&B, moody dreamscapes, art music and more.

I suppose "modern roots music" would be a good description of this album. It's based on blues, country, folk and rock styles.

The easiest way to describe this would be modern pop music.

This EP has some classy music.

This is a pretty good set. The mix of sounds is interesting and musically it’s always good.

This is the new holiday set from Norine Braun. I previously reviewed another release from her, and I would say that this is definitely the superior set.

This is an intriguing, and often effective set. It's a bit uneven, though.

It's not easy to pin a label on this set. It could almost land under progressive rock, though.

The mix of modern and old school is pretty complete here.

Those who like the modern type of pop rock will find plenty to enjoy here. These guys have crafted some catchy and energetic pop songs here.

A lot of this makes me think of Lords of the New Church.

There seems to be a big movement towards roots music and folk based sounds these days. This album fits in that category.

This CD is a solo guitar EP from a musician from my local area. Every piece here was recorded in one take, with no overdubs and just one guitar.

Ben Brookes' style of music seems most closely tied to Cat Stevens, but there is also plenty of reference here to acts like Al Stewart and Donovan. All these songs are well written and performed.

I have to admit that I'd not heard of Ruth Brown before. That's a real shame, but I'm glad I have heard of her now.

The mix of sounds here is a bit hard to pin down. I almost landed this under metal.

This is a rare, and unusual, recording from Dave Brubeck. They were touring as a quartet, but saxophonist Paul Desmond missed the plane to Vienna.

Dave Brubeck, in my opinion, was one of the jazz greats. He was an amazing pianist and released a lot of essential music.

This new collection from Bear Family gathers up a lot of recordings (some that are previously unreleased) from Ed Bruce and puts them all together on one CD.

When you are Jack Bruce, it’s a safe bet you can get your pick of musicians who want to play with you.

The new single from Michael Bruner, this is an entertaining and intriguing piece. It is likely to pique listeners' interest enough to make them dig into Bruner's catalog a bit.

This is a pretty good album made up of some very good songs with a few great ones.

I would consider this to be a timeless album. It's not the kind of thing that's tied to a particular musical style or era.

This album joins an already crowded group as a potential entry into my "best of 2018" list. The music here is just so much fun.

This EP lands in rocking country territory. Even so, there is a good amount of range here.

I dig the great rock vibe of this album.

Delicate and artistic, this is a hard album to categorize.

The one central factor that runs through this, is the female voice.

A lot of times music that’s intended for kids doesn’t work well for adults.

Sonny Burgess apparently had quite the following over the years, even though he's not the household name of some of his contemporaries.

Gospel, soul, blues, jazz, and R&B are all combined here.

I haven't heard this artist before. The retro sounds here vary from more hard rocking to 50s pop styles.

The Burrito Brothers were one of the original country rock acts. It's good to know that they are still keeping the musical concept alive in the 21st century.

On the one hand, there is some range here. On the other, there aren't enough songs that vary things up.

This is the second single from Bushwick Blooze Band that I've reviewed.

This 1960s release is getting the audiophile treatment and what an album this is.

The sound quality on this album is great, particularly considering that live recordings in 1970 could be spotty.

Bye Bye Banshee is a project of a singer songwriter named Jezebel Jones. If this is any indication, she's someone to watch.

This is quite an intriguing set. When I was done spinning it, I was left with one thought: I wish there was more.

This 1973 album is being presented in a great remastered CD version here. The sound of this album ranges from bluegrass-driven to more mainstream rocking.

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