The description of the performers included on the jazzy album I’m Glad There Is You reads something like the program for an off-Broadway musical revue. There’s an Academy Award nominee and the daughter of an Academy Award nominee, among others, along with extensive lists of previous accomplishments (musical and otherwise) for each artist. The leader […]

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When Blaze Bayley left Iron Maiden in 1999, or rather was unceremoniously dumped, it all depends on your viewpoint, his future looked questionable. Was Blaze another casualty of the world of music, just another artist banished to the netherworld of the ‘has been’. Well, indeed for a while it did seem that that was a […]

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As a long time Al Stewart fan I could not wait to listen to this CD. When it arrived, the hundred other projects that I am working on immediately got put on hold. In seconds I had the package torn open and the CD on the player.
Uncorked will no doubt be a huge hit with […]

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Prateln, Switzerland December 13th ‘08
One of the criticisms leveled against Blaze Bayley when he was the vocalist for Iron Maiden was that the register of his voice did not work well with some of Maidens earlier material. According to the newly released biography Blaze Bayley – At The End Of The Day, Iron Maiden refused […]

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Life as a rock star is at best a precipitous one, todays shining light is tomorrows long forgotten history. A couple of years ago I set out on a quest, for no better reason than I could. My mission was to track down as many of my music favorites from the 70’s and 80’s as […]

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Over the years the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra has strived to present truly great collections of music for both audiences in the UK and abroad. Whether they’re performing classical works or covering famous film scores, listeners can be fairly confident that whatever the orchestra puts out will be worth a few listens. This latest album, which […]

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After striking a well-appreciated chord with audiences everywhere in the highly praised Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, the voice of Neil Patrick Harris is in almost as high demand as the actor himself. And last week in a special episode of the animated series Batman: The Brave & The Bold Harris’s voice made an impressive appearance […]

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When it comes to lighthearted Hollywood comedies and rom-coms, one composer seems to be the Luke Wilson of film scores. Over the years, Rolfe Kent has scored more than 40 films, mostly comedies (Wedding Crashers, Mean Girls, Legally Blonde) and light-hearted dramedies (The Matador, Election, Sideways - for which he was nominated for a Golden […]

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“The greatest concert that never was”
It is hard to watch and talk about the new documentary, THIS IS IT, which chronicles the last few months of Michael Jacksons life without feeling some tinge of sadness and a little bit of media sensationalism. Granted the film was created with the full support of Jackson’s estate but […]

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The soundtrack for the new horror/thriller The Stepfather bursts out it’s opening notes (Mutemath’s “Typical”) like it’s a soundtrack with something to prove. It’s an unfortunate opening, especially since the rest of the album (excepting Blurtonia’s “Never Less Than Perfect” and C’Mon’s “Safer When”) is mostly made up of darkly depressive alt-rock bitter-ballads, rather than […]

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Since Muse’s inception in the mid-90s, this alternative band has been constantly working to develop their sound and expand on their previous work. A decade after their first album (1999’s Showbiz) hit stores, Muse has now put forth their most polished record yet. The band’s new album, The Resistance, has already seen it’s hit single […]

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Composer Robert J. Kral has become known for his ability to create quality music for action-packed superhuman adventure stories. For five seasons, Kral worked on the television series “Angel” and also created the music for two previous DC comics animated films made for DVD: Bathman: Gotham Knight and Superman/Doomsday. In the liner notes for his […]

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In the opening lines of “Negative Capability” - the first track on the soundtrack to writer/director Jane Campion’s new film Bright Star - actress Abbie Cornish (as Fanny Brawne - love interest to a young John Keats) softly remarks the following: “I still don’t know how to work out a poem.” To this Ben Whishaw […]

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Though composer Douglas Pipes was (most deservingly) nominated for a Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films as well as a World Soundtrack Award for his work on the 2006 animated film Monster House, his work on the horror anthology Trick ‘r Treat (a film that sat on the shelf […]

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Artist: Kirk Whalum
CD:  “The Gospel According to Jazz, Chapter III”
Label: Rendezvous
Release Date: November 17, 2009
 
As an art form Gospel Jazz is still in its infant stage, but with Kirk Whalum as one of the fathers of Gospel Jazz this is proof that it takes a village to raise a child. On his third […]

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Artist: Brian Bromberg
CD:  “It Is What It Is”
Label: Artistry Music
Release Date: August 25, 2009
 
For those of us who heard “Downright Upright” we were eagerly awaiting the next musical endeavor from Mr. Bromberg. In 2008 I had the pleasure of meeting and seeing him in concert at the Detroit Jazz Festival, this only increased […]

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Danny Elfman is one of the most recognized composers in Hollywood today. But though his name is recognizable, it’s also his style of composition that feels familiar. Audiences tuning into a Tim Burton movie (from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure to Batman to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) have come to expect Elfman’s unique (but familiar) stylings […]

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Marketed as “the first collection of modern Afghan music ever to be released internationally” by director Havana Marking, this collection of music from the new critically acclaimed documentary Afghan Star is an impressive international dance album at worst and a groundbreaking collection of music at best. The documentary, released this past summer, follows a number […]

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In 1991, comedian Bobcat Goldthwait made his directorial debut with the underrated (and underseen) Shakes the Clown, a vulgar and hilarious comedy that happened to include a cameo from Robin Williams. Almost two decades later (and after much more work as a director - though mostly in television) Goldthwait is back with World’s Greatest Dad, […]

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Last month, the low-budget indie charmer Paper Heart made its way into theaters.  Much like the film’s two leads (Michael Cera and Charlyne Yi) it’s easy to describe using simplistic words like “cute”, “sweet” or “endearing.” But it also had a little bit of an upbeat, though melancholy, personal feel to it, subtly tucked away […]

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Marvin Hamlisch’s soundtrack for The Informant! - the latest production from director Steven Soderbergh - uses a recurring set of playful themes to prance along the edge of the absurd while still maintaining a level of expected Soderbergh-hipness. A prolific composer in the ’70s and ’80s, Hamlisch has only scored three films in the 21st […]

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From film to television to stage to television and back to film, the Fame story has traversed all types of entertainment venues in the past three decades and is now working to reclaim the theatrical screen at the end of this month. But though fans will have to wait til the end of September to […]

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Opening with two memorable tracks from the ’90s (Marilyn Manson’s cover of “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and Bloodhound Gang’s “The Bad Touch”), the soundtrack for the upcoming film Gamer, an explosive follow-up to the directing duo’s two Crank films, let’s the listener know immediately what kind of film to expect: twisted action with […]

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From the first trailer showcasing Sam Raimi’s Drag Me To Hell, it was clear that Raimi was taking a break from the multi-billion dollar web-slinging franchise and heading back into the horror genre to give audiences a little reminder of where his true roots lie. And Drag Me To Hell was appreciated by audiences everywhere […]

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In a summer where mega-blockbusters have dominated the box office (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, G.I. Joe) many independent films have attempted to enter the market but almost all of them have fallen by the wayside as viewers flock to these bigger films. But of all the indies out […]

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As a spin-off from the immensely popular BBC series “Doctor Who”, “Torchwood” has taken on a life of its own. The five episode third season (or series I should say), subtitled “Children of Earth” continues the run of success this spin-off has had. Although music is not always recognized for its ability to stir emotion […]

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For those not already in the know (this reviewer included), The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) is a “cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry.” At least that’s what wikipedia has to offer us on the subject. As a group The Blues And Royals go back almost […]

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I always get lots of negativity from people when I talk bad about Hannah Montana.  I realize that many adore her, but I think she’s one of the causes for dumbing down that’s happening to children.  If something is very popular, it’s usually because it appeals to the lowest common denominator and that can be […]

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Exciting news for humans and vulcans alike: last week Silva Screen Records released a new compilation album of Star Trek music from The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. But those Star Trek music fans in the know may hear some familiar sounds while listening to this album - and not just because the Star Trek […]

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Judd Apatow’s third feature film, Funny People, opened at number one last weekend (it dropped to number five this week). As far as filmmaking evolution goes, there’s a definite arc of maturity to Apatow’s work - beginning with The 40 Year Old Virgin, and progressing through Knocked Up, Funny People is the culmination of Apatow’s […]

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