Popular Music

Music Review: Madonna in Boston — Queen of a Three-Ring Circus

September 27, 2015
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Madonna’s show made for spectacular eye and ear candy. But what was it all about? That’s where things got a little hazy.

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Album Review: Innovative “Love & Mercy” Soundtrack is Worth the Wait

September 25, 2015
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Atticus Ross’ success in creating these pieces results in a listening experience quite a bit more harrowing and evocative than the lush and sunny Beach Boys harmonies people are accustomed to.

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Album Review: Los Lobos — A Solid “Gates of Gold”

September 24, 2015
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It’s the rare breed of rock band that makes such meaningful music so deep into its career.

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Music Review: Spain’s Rototom Sunsplash — Bad Politics and Good Music at Major Reggae Fest

September 15, 2015
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This year’s fiasco at Rototom Sunsplash proved that political energies can drive great art but have no place when it comes to programming and curation.

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Music Feature: The Wheels of Soul Tour — A Soul Revue on a Couple of Hits of Acid

July 16, 2015
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Derek Trucks of the Tedeschi Trucks Band brimmed with enthusiasm when he described how one show ended with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings horn players joining his own 11-piece ensemble..

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Album Review: James Taylor’s “Before This World” — Still Singing Pretty

June 15, 2015
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Before This World is a remarkable collection of what James Taylor calls “agnostic hymns, recovery songs and love songs” that stands up to the best of his work.

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Music Feature: Boston’s Blues Jams — On the Margins But Indispensable

June 1, 2015
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Despite the neglect from the local media, the Boston blues scene is strong.

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Alt-Rock Preview: Waxahatchee, Mitski, and Speedy Ortiz — Girls Just Want to Eat Guitars

May 12, 2015
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Waxahatchee exuded poise and presence, while delivering lonesome-cowboy epiphanies that speak to their generation’s collective existential shrug.

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Fuse Music Interview: Jim Lauderdale joins Della Mae at the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival

February 10, 2015
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A country maverick talks about becoming a bluegrass traditionalist.

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Concert Review: “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn” — A Welcome Holiday Tradition

December 15, 2014
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A Christmas Celtic Sojourn is uplifting and spirited fun; the performers are having at least as good a time as the audience, and that is always a winning formula.

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