With concerts all but wiped off the calendar by the pandemic, our critics naturally spent their time with recordings (and virtual live shows).
Paul Robicheau
Hip-Hop Concert Review: Run the Jewels’ Powerful “Holy Calamavote”
The best thing about Holy Calamavote may be that it presents Run the Jewels in a live presentation of RTJ4 that rivals the atmospheric might of the record itself.
Arts Remembrance: Eddie Van Halen
Not since Jimi Hendrix had there been such a game-changer for the electric six-string.
Jazz Concert Review: The Lloyd-Hussain-Lage Trio — Live from Healdsburg
Charles Lloyd and Julian Lage and Zakir Hussain served a loose, flowing 65-minute set with complementary facility that belied the novel circumstances.
Concert Review: Farm Aid 2020 — The Promise of the Real
When Willie dove into “On the Road Again” to close the set, singing of “making music with my friends,” one could envision the same hopes for Farm Aid to resume its annual trek to an amphitheater somewhere in America and stoke the communal cause.
Concert Review: The Newport Folk Festival 2020 — Virtual Mission Accomplished
Yes, Newport Folk’s all about the music, but there’s also a collaborative heart at work — and virtual programming spurred donations for the non-profit’s mission to endure.
Live Concert Review — Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace
The solo format at Alexandra Palace recalled his recent “Conversations with Nick Cave” tours, a similar chance for the singer to deconstruct his songs at the piano, except that he never addressed an imagined audience beyond his lyrics.
Rap Album Review: “Run the Jewels 4” — Heart, Wit, and Rage
Too many hip-hop artists stick to defined lanes, but Run the Jewels aspire to run rampant, with a growing sophistication as well as heart, wit, and rage.
Album Reviews: Billy Conway and Laurie Sargent — The Healing Power of Music and Community
Laurie Sargent and Billy Conway found their sanctuary under the big sky of rural Montana, and their art echoes the genuine nature of their lives, shared across the miles with their Boston base.
Rock Album Review: “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” — Fiona Apple’s Perfectly Imperfect Storm
Not only is Fetch the Bolt Cutters the most stunning of Apple’s five albums, it’s the most impressive pop record of this young pandemic year, its bottled turmoil speaking to our own pent-up nerves.