Tom Verica American Dad by Ronald Sklar Tom Verica stars as family patriarch Jack Pryor on the NBC sleeper hit American Dreams. The role calls for the strong silent type: a challenge which is not always as appreciated as it should be in a medium that often displays the dad as the house fool. Here, Verica … Continue reading
Switchfoot Never Let Us Down by Sheila Lussier Pulling up to the legendary Roxy in Hollywood, I found a line wrapped around the block and down the sidewalk. It was made up of Switchfoot fans that had waited more than twohours in line for their favorite band to go on. The band’s tour manager brought me … Continue reading
Rosanne Cash The Rules of Returning by Jay S. Jacobs It’s sometimes funny the changes life puts you through. In 1990, Rosanne Cash was on top of the world. Her album, Interiors, was a crowning achievement in a career that had been on the fast track for over a decade. Cash had to overcome the blessing … Continue reading
Elton John – Greatest Hits 1970-2002 (Mercury) From 1970 to 1977 Elton John had an almost unprecedented run of musical brilliance, during that time his work with lyricist Bernie Taupin rivaled the work of Lennon and McCartney and Brian Wilson. In this short bridge of time, John recorded about two very good albums a year … Continue reading
Vanessa Paradis – Au Zenith (Barclay/Universal-France) In the United States, Vanessa Paradis is probably best known as Johnny Depp’s live-in girlfriend. Other people may know her as the Chanel model or an actress. But in her native France, she is an institution. Paradis first made waves when she was only 14, with her 1987 international hit … Continue reading
Shania Twain – Up! (Mercury) Never in my life have I seen so many exclamation points as there are in the song listing for Shania Twain’s latest. There are nineteen song titles on Up! and ten exclamation points. It’s almost like a teenaged girl’s diary. Now Shania has a long history of unwieldy titles anyway, and this album’s … Continue reading
Axelle Red – Alive (Virgin-France) I might have never heard of Axelle Red if I weren’t channel surfing one August night last year in the Sofitel Méditerranée in Cannes. With my admittedly rudimentary skills in the French language, I was looking for something, frankly, which I could understand. That’s when I stumbled upon an hour-long interview … Continue reading
flickerstick causing a commotion by jay s. jacobs The world’s gone reality show mad these days. Instead of working on and honing your craft in crappy honky-tonks and gin joints, today everyone thinks the best way to the top of the pops is to make a fool of yourself on TV. At this writing, you … Continue reading
Chicago – The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning (Rhino) Very few bands have had two completely separate stylistic periods. The late 60s-early 70s incarnation of Chicago was a pioneering force that wed rock and roll with jazz horns and improvisational playing in a way that was totally unique. By the time the late 70s … Continue reading
Jennifer Love Hewitt – BareNaked (Jive) There is a stigma out there when actors release albums that they are usually bad vanity projects. And often, that is deserved (J.Lo, take a bow.) But sometimes, that is not the case. Sometimes, the star can actually sing and has something interesting to say. Jennifer Love Hewitt fits into … Continue reading
