By Jon Roe
Tom Fuller is indeed chasing something on his debut album Chasing an Illusion, and it’s the Beatles. A lot of artists have tried, but few as unexcitingly as Fuller. Ignoring the mop-top influences, this album is all bland instrumental work with endless babbling. Fuller pulls out every rock cliche in the book of love, coming… Continue reading Spun: Tom Fuller
In spite of being one of America’s consistently best, though least recognized rhythm and blues singers, Bettye LaVette has decided to foray into unfamiliar territory with I’ve Got My Own Hell to Raise, a collection of country and rock covers. Spanning an unbelievably wide range, including neo-classics like Dolly Parton’s “Little Sparrow” and Roseanne Cash’s… Continue reading Spun: Bettye LaVette
By Jason McKay
Creating an entire album based on inanimate dolls must be one of the strangest marketing tools yet developed, but alas, the men in suits behind Bratz have done it with Rock Angelz. With a generic pop/rock background and repetitive vocals, these dolls’ closest comparison is American Idol’s Kelly Clarkson, except with an even greater childish… Continue reading Spun: Bratz
By Jon Roe
Hey kids, welcome to Tommyland: the Ride, the third jaunt of Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee into solo-ville. Lee brings a lot of friends along for the trip, including Joel Madden from Good Charlotte and Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys, but the songs are like those old wooden roller coasters, it’s tempting to ride… Continue reading Spun: Tommy Lee
By Ken Clarke
A more realistic title for Brian Blain’s Overqualified For The Blues would be Underqualified To Make A Decent Blues Recording. As we already know, no one is overqualified for the blues, but Blain takes great delight in his sarcastic title and milks it for all it’s worth.Coming from more of a business background than a… Continue reading Spun: Brian Blain
Sometimes you can wear your influences on your sleeve, forego any desire to create something new, and just get by on sweat and swagger. In this Sense, The Duke Spirit’s Cuts Across the Land hits all the right marks–the detachment of the Velvet Underground and Nico, the swirling guitars of Sonic Youth, chugging rhythms by… Continue reading Spun: The Duke Spirit
My 13-year-old self is presently screaming at me to stop what I’m about to say while I still have the chance, but it must be said: I can no longer buy into pretty-boy Gavin Rossdale’s persona like I could in my teenage years. There is no denying the former Bush frontman has a talent for… Continue reading Spun: Institute
By Adam White
Elevator music is played on one’s journey upwards for a reason: it provides background ambiance, but it’s not supposed to stand out. While Dina D’Alessandro’s album Is it Safe? is clearly not elevator music, one could make a case for why it should be.Whatever the album was trying to accomplish, it missed its mark. The… Continue reading Spun: Dina D’Alessandro
The Rolling Stones are old. They are no longer capable of making good music.
By Josh Markle
Houston businessman Slim Thug enters the commercial rap world with his lacklustre debut album Already Platinum. Though the album’s name is a little presumptuous, it refers more to Slim Thug’s already lavish lifestyle rather than record sales. This is an important distinction to make for there is a definite correlation between being a have-not and… Continue reading Spun: Slim Thug