We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: we love radio pop. So it’s no surprise that this blog loves American Idol, yes even the horribly adequate version that ABC recently premiered. One of our favorites from that debut season was Texas singer-songwriter Ron Bultongez. We were certainly hoping he’d advance to the finals, but as often happens on the show, the best don’t always win. Read more…
On their ninth album, Houston, TX’s Blue October has found a peace and a calm and that end result has made all the difference. From front to back, I Hope You’re Happy, is a stirring work of grandeur, poetry and an abundance of charm. From the lush and cinematic opener “Daylight” to the R&B-infused “Your Love is Like a Car Crash,” the album opens with a magnetic pull that’s as strong as any album released so far this month. Vocalist Justin Furstenfeld has always had a knack for tenderness and vulnerability but he wears it as well as he ever has on “Your Love is Like a Car Crash,” which darn well better make a dent before the year is over. Read more…
With the latter days of summer now upon us, we thought we’d take some time to revisit our favorite summer album. As our previous post about Hootie and the Blowfish indicated, we are unabashed radio-rock fans. And no band pulled off radio-rock in 2003 better than Boston’s Wheat. Read more…
After more than a decade using the moniker Hotel Lights, Ben Folds Five (BFF) drummer Darren Jessee has finally attached his given name to a project. His debut album, The Jane, Room 217, is a mesmerizing album and arguably the best record he’s ever released post-BFF. Read more…
Last week, Dahlia Dumont, who performs under the moniker The Blue Dahlia, released her sophomore album La Tradition Americaine. Featuring her airy and jaunty ukelele playing, the album is a cornucopia of emotions and one that signals the arrival of an inspired and novel singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Brooklyn to a French family, Dumont is adept at singing in both French and English. Read more…
We’re exactly a month away from the 20th anniversary of Musical Chairs, the third release from South Carolina icons Hootie and the Blowfish. Having recently seen the band at their annual Hootie Homegrown Festival, we’ve been on somewhat of a Hootie kick over here at the SITH headquarters. Naturally it has led us to this criminally underrated album. Read more…
We’re taking a creative liberty and nominating two tracks for today’s Song of the Day. New England quartet Guster is hard at work on their eighth album and have a fall tour already planned out (see below for tour dates). Read more…
Our artist of the week is a bit of a departure from the norm but so be it. Mary Chapin Carpenter has weaved together a very nice career for herself. Read more…
