Laura Nyro, while always wearing her influences on her sleeve, had something else to put into her music, which can only be classified as inspired genius. Nyro had the ability to capture the romance of the New York streets completely in her voice and writing. This was the person who wrote “And When I Die” [...]

Dan Penn is one of the great songwriters. His work and his life are what legends are made of, and so is this recording. Penn wrote or co-wrote such ’60s classics as “Dark End Of The Street”, “Do Right Woman” and “I’m Your Puppet”; Nobody’s Fool, released in 1972, was his first solo record. His [...]

Maybe it was my age. Maybe it was my way of life. Of course, maybe it was just wishful thinking. I always looked to the writings of Jack Kerouac, not necessarily for answers, but for inspiration, for verve. If you were susceptible to such things, it was hard not to read On The Road or [...]

Ronnie Dawson rocks. There just ain’t no doubt about it. The man has it from the tip of his flattop all the way down to his boogie shoes. That much has been clear since the ’50s, when he was a young rock ‘n’ roll prodigy cutting the rockabilly classic “Rockin’ Bones” (a song the Cramps [...]

Daniel Tashian comes in loaded with a heavy background. His father, Barry, led one of the great ’60s bands, Boston’s Barry and the Remains. Even now, Barry and his wife Holly continue to record fine music in the country-folk vein. But Daniel has staked out his own turf on this release. The only comparison I’m [...]