Mark Jennett Be careful what you wish for. When I reviewed Lisa Richard's first CD, Born To Entertain, I suggested that, since the most interesting tracks were the lesser known pieces, it was a shame that she hadn't chosen to stretch ...
Phil Freeman Electronic music seems to have one specific, defining characteristic: it must be made on keyboard- or computer-based instruments, not with guitars and drums. The Canadian trio, The New Deal, have decided that’s a little restrictive for their tastes. They ...
Mark Jennett Five albums - released between 1972 and 1982 - represent the years between Springfield's critical peak with Dusty in Memphis and her temporary return to commercial form with the Pet Shop Boys and the Reputation album. Although many of ...
Mark Jennett It is has taken more than four years for Bernadette Peters to follow up her Sondheim, Etc album and some might wish that the result had been something more unusual than an album of largely familiar standards from, arguably, ...
Bob Wake Don’t be misled by the cover to Mike Magnuson’s disarming memoir about growing up in Wisconsin, Lummox: The Evolution of a Man. The dust jacket photo of Magnuson’s ample gut in a snug shirt and his beefy hand clutching ...
Anne Sheridan Science fiction may have a narrow appeal, and is not always respected by advocators of “serious” literature. Strangely enough, however, it is still fair to say that science fiction and horror can be considered to be the two genres ...
Andy Hughes When you are one of the most famous rock vocalists in the world ever, and you’ve been a star since the days when being a star meant more than merely being a celebrity, trying something new is a goldfish ...
Andy Hughes “I’m not out to change the world,” advises Steely to the world via her website – just as well on the basis of this album. They say don’t judge a book by its cover, and with books, that’s a ...
Emma French Rachel Kaplan’s delightful guide provides timely support for museums off the beaten track in the wake of the recent move to make many of London’s larger and more famous entrance-charging museums, including the Natural History Museum and the Victoria ...
Andy Hughes This band has a sound that modern pop purists would advise is ‘old-fashioned’. That is to miss the point of 34 Below. What this band do is to take the traditions of American rock music – straightforward guitars, bass ...
