April 9, 2019 By

"I've never gotten over the pleasure of someone covering one of my songs," Leonard Cohen once said. "I don't have a sense of proprietorship, which probably stems from coming up as a folksinger where it was understood that songs develop a patina through interpretation. I feel that's the mark of excellence." Ace Records has just released a new collection of excellent Leonard Cohen covers with Hallelujah: The Songs of Leonard Cohen. It's the latest volume in the label's Songwriter series, and it

April 1, 2019 By Sam Stone 4 Comments

With his acumen for gripping poetry, inimitable baritone, and trademark Spanish-influenced fingerpicking, Leonard Cohen married his talents for poetry and song-craft to create some of the most enduring music of the singer-songwriter era and beyond. Like every great songwriter, Cohen's work continues to inspire an array of cover versions. Sure, there's the million-and-one covers of "Hallelujah," but even before the 1967 release of his debut Songs of Leonard Cohen, early supporters like Judy

March 29, 2019 By Sam Stone 1 Comment

Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up. Here's what's due for March 29! John Coltrane, Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings [5 CD] (Craft Recordings) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The year 1958 was a breakout one for saxophone legend John Coltrane. It marked the year when Coltrane--already well-established as a talented sideman--began to make a name for himself as a solo musician and developed his signature "sheets of sound" style while exploring many other routes. To

February 8, 2019 By Sam Stone 6 Comments

Few musicians have had as lasting an impact on music as Joni Mitchell. In her four-decade career, she made groundbreaking music that traversed genres and continually stunned fans and critics alike. The music icon celebrated her 75th birthday in style last November, as Jörn Weisbrodt and The Music Center in Los Angeles hosted a pair of star-studded Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration concerts in her honor. The line-up (which Joni helped select) featured many of her closest friends and dearest

January 30, 2019 By

Joni Mitchell celebrated her 75th birthday in style last November, as Jörn Weisbrodt and The Music Center in Los Angeles hosted a pair of star-studded Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration concerts in her honor. The line-up (which Joni helped select) featured many of her closest friends and dearest collaborators, including Graham Nash, Seal, Chaka Khan, Kris Kristofferson, and James Taylor. Also on the bill were Diana Krall, Brandi Carlile, Rufus Wainwright, Emmylou Harris, Glen Hansard, Norah

January 23, 2019 By Sam Stone 4 Comments

January 9, 2019 By Sam Stone 1 Comment

November 11, 2016 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

This past August 3, Tony Bennett celebrated his milestone 90th birthday...and made it clear that he had no intentions of slowing down. Indeed, the legendary vocalist has dates booked well into 2017, but first, he's looking back with a new 3-CD set including rare and previously unreleased material. Tony Bennett Celebrates 90 premieres the recording of the all-star concert tribute held at Radio City Music Hall on September 15 of this year, but the Amazon-exclusive Deluxe Edition will

March 4, 2014 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

Little Feat, Rad Gumbo: The Complete Warner Bros. Years 1971-1990 (Warner Bros./Rhino) The eclectic rock band's near two-decade run on Warner Bros. is celebrated in this new box set, featuring all the band's original studio albums, an expanded edition of the live Waiting for Columbus and a bonus disc of recordings sourced from the band's 2000 box set Hotcakes & Outtakes. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) The Grass Roots, The Complete Original Dunhill/ABC Hit Singles / Irma Thomas, Full Time

December 11, 2013 By Mike Duquette 1 Comment

When I was about to listen to his tape, I remember clearly I was thinking, "Gee, if he has the mom's musicality and smarts, and the dad's smarts and voice, that'd be nice"...Then I put it on and I said, "Oh, my God, this is stunning." -Lenny Waronker on Rufus Wainwright The scope and longevity of Rufus Wainwright's career is almost underserved by his own historic musical lineage. The eldest child of folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle (who would divorce when Rufus was three),

June 1, 2011 By Mike Duquette 6 Comments

Just in case you were waiting on a track list to buy Rufus Wainwright's mega-box House of Rufus, the wait is over. The 19-disc box set, which encompasses all the albums and DVDs the baroque-pop tunesmith has released in his career, is packed with some intriguing extras, too. Many of the CDs are augmented with some sort of bonus tracks, either extra songs that were released as retail exclusives, old or new live performances and outtake material. And there are another four discs of rarities as

May 3, 2011 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Lucky for us, Loudon Wainwright III is only “so damn happy” on an infrequent basis. The singer-songwriter-humorist-satirist-actor (is that enough of a multi-hyphenate for you?) posited the question “Is it necessary to feel like shit in order to be creative?” He arrived at the final answer “yes!” but prefaced it with “unless you’re J.S. Bach.” Over the course of 91 songs on four CDs and another 38-plus on DVD, Shout! Factory’s new box set 40 Odd Years (82663-12189, 2011) - dig the double

April 12, 2011 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

Think Loudon Wainwright III's Forty Odd Years box set is exhaustive? The singer-songwriter's son, Rufus, just topped it - and then some. We previously reported that Rufus Wainwright was planning a massive career-spanning box set, but Universal Music just revealed details on the scope of House of Rufus, due out this summer. Altogether, the set includes 19 - count 'em, 19! - discs, featuring every studio and live record Wainwright's ever released and then some. According to a post on Rufus'

March 28, 2011 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

The Go-Go's iconic Beauty and the Beat (1981) will be expanded in May by EMI, reports the band's official site. The band, which recently announced a summer tour to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the chart-topping album (which featured Top 20 single "Our Lips Are Sealed" and No. 2 hit "We Got the Beat"), will see several versions of the album, including a hot-pink vinyl edition and a double-disc set on CD featuring a vintage live set. Loudon Wainwright III's 40 Odd Years box set is due from

/ Rufus Wainwright