REVIEW: Darlene Love - "Introducing Darlene Love"

REVIEW: Darlene Love - "Introducing Darlene Love"

If you were to find the records of what I checked out of the Troy Public Library between the ages of 12 and 15, Darlene Love’s autobiography My Name is Love would be on there a solid four or five times. At that time, Love was making a living as an entertainer, but not a star, as she had been since the early 1980s. Doing musicals, session work, bit parts in films, and annual appearances on David Letterman’s Christmas show-- she was present, yet under the radar. Love was a cult favorite, a story of the perils of sixties pop, and a casualty of Phil Spector’s regime. She had become such a symbol of the past events in her life, that she was forgotten as a current performer.

About five years ago, a Darlene Love renaissance began. It wasn’t a comeback, as she never really left, and “renaissance” almost seems too understated a word. Learn her story-- she worked and worked at this for years, and now, at age 74, she just released a kickass album.

5 Things I Learned From An Old Issue of "Backstreets"

5 Things I Learned From An Old Issue of "Backstreets"

I recently got my hands on a near-mint copy of the Summer 1985 issue of BackstreetsBackstreets, for the uninitiated, is the Bruce Springsteen fan publication. I follow Backstreets’ online presence every day on social media, but it is a whole other experience to have a vintage copy in hand. Now, fans are spoiled with multiple Springsteen news outlets-- Backstreets, Blogness on the Edge of Town, Blog it All Night, Burgers and Bruce, and the list goes on. This magazine was like opening a time capsule to a very specific era of Springsteen-- in the midst of the mega Born in the USA tour and just following his first marriage to model Julianne Phillips. This was a time when Born to Run was a relatively recent event, many were still scratching their heads over Nebraska, and the Tunnel of Love era band dismantling was unheard of. Here are some things I learned:

REVIEW: Thomas Rhett - "Crash and Burn"

REVIEW: Thomas Rhett - "Crash and Burn"

None of us is immune to a solid radio hit, and I figured Thomas Rhett’s “Crash and Burn” would be my country single du jour to simply sing along to on the way home from work. Each time I heard it, though, I liked it more and more, and realized there was more to it than just being a well-timed pop-infused earworm. It has the elements of soul and old school pop that country has increasingly been embracing in a fresh, radio-ready mixture.

DEEP CUTS: Danny Elfman - "Gratitude"

DEEP CUTS: Danny Elfman - "Gratitude"

For someone as prodigious as Danny Elfman, who will close out 2015 after composing the scores for Hollywood blockbusters like Avengers: Age of Ultron and Fifty Shades of Grey, you would think that his solo discography would be ripe for digging. His success with the band Oingo Boingo between 1979 and 1995 is marked with landmarks that any Ska-influenced, eight-piece, Los Angeles-based New Wave band would have longed for: a placement on the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, a blessing from John Hughes after their contribution to his film Weird Science, and a minute-long national Budweiser ad where Danny and the band got to put their stamp on the infamous “This Bud’s For You!” theme.