New Music Reviews

CD: José James - No Beginning No End

peter Quinn Monday, 14 January 2013

On this debut album for Blue Note, Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter José James effortlessly blends the beat-driven mien of hip-hop, the surprising transitions of jazz and the raw emotion of classic R&B to produce his strongest statement to date. Following three critically acclaimed albums for the Brownswood and Verve labels, James seems to have discovered the key to making the simple resonate.

Reissue CDs Weekly: Marianne Faithfull, Françoise Hardy, Pia Fraus

Kieron Tyler Sunday, 13 January 2013

Marianne Faithfull: Broken English

Just in From Scandinavia: Nordic Music Round-Up 6

Kieron Tyler Friday, 11 January 2013

Santa has returned home, but he wasn’t the season’s only visitor from the Nordic lands. The crop of recent music in from the region embraces genre-crossing jazz, vintage-style rock, the expected electropop, cross-border collaborations and a seven-year-old Finn. Exploring all corners of Scandinavia’s music, theartsdesk journeys where no one else does, landing in Norway first for some finely formed jazz.

David Bowie, 66, releases first new single in a decade

theartsdesk Tuesday, 08 January 2013

Well, he was always ahead of the game. In a few years’ time 66 will become the new official pension age in his native United Kingdom, but David Bowie has chosen to celebrate his 66th birthday by coming out of what many perceived to be retirement. “Where Are We Now?” was launched without any previous fanfare earlier this morning, and you can listen to it and watch the video (directed by Tony Oursler) here.

Comment

Reissue CDs Weekly: Broadcast, João Gilberto, James, Here Comes the Hurt

Kieron Tyler Sunday, 06 January 2013

Broadcast: Berberian Sound Studio Original Soundtrack

Reissue CDs: The Best of 2012

Kieron Tyler Sunday, 30 December 2012

Can’s The Lost Tapes towers over any of the other reissues theartsdesk has covered this year. Although not strictly a reissue – it collected unheard recordings from tapes which had lain in the band’s archive – it rewrote the story of the seminal German band, offering a new perspective on their creative process and what they had issued.

CD of the Year: Christine Tobin – Sailing to Byzantium

peter Quinn Thursday, 27 December 2012

On Sailing to Byzantium Christine Tobin's utterly singular music fuses with the amaranthine force of WB Yeats's poetry to create one of the most transporting jazz releases in aeons.

Reissue CDs Weekly: Gil Scott-Heron, K.T. Oslin, Motorpsycho, Feeling High

Kieron Tyler Sunday, 23 December 2012

Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Begins – The Flying Dutchman Masters

Kieron Tyler

Lives in Music #2: How Music Works by David Byrne

howard Male Wednesday, 19 December 2012

Reading How Music Works feels a bit like breaking into David Byrne’s house and randomly nosing around the Word files on his computer. First there’s some stuff about whether specific types of music were subconsciously written with certain acoustic spaces in mind, then there’s a biographical bit about Byrne’s experiences as a performer.

Reissue CDs Weekly: The Prodigy, Man Chest Hair, Jackie Ross, Del Shannon

theartsdesk Sunday, 16 December 2012

The Prodigy: The Fat of the Land 15th Anniversary Expanded Edition

Thomas H Green

inside new music

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?