Ray LaMontagne - Gossip in the Grain

I discovered Ray LaMontagne when I was listening to Pandora radio at work. I had it on just for some background music while I typed away, but when I heard the song "Barfly" I was hooked, and knew I had to hear more. Ray’s sensual smokey voice paired with folk guitar riffs and country lyrics gives your heart a sense of calm and warmth. Gossip in the Grain is Ray’s latest album, and though a bit brighter than his past albums it doesn’t lack in soul and it’s full of old world charm. Also check out Trouble and Till the Sun Turns Black. His sound is compared to Damien Rice, Nick Drake, Amos Lee and Ryan Adams.

Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison Legacy Edition

I traveled to Germany to celebrate my grandfather's 70th birthday last December, and while sitting in a house full with the sound of an unfamiliar language, one familiar voice sang in the background. My grandpa had put on Johnny Cash’s 1968 album At Folsom Prison. Once I realized what I was hearing I said, “Papa?!... Did you just put on Johnny Cash?” And he just smiled and said, “I am 70 years old today and if I want to listen to American country then I think I should be able to!” I smiled, gave him a kiss, and applauded him for his choice. My peanut butter loving, Heinz 57, American Grandfather has lived in Germany for almost 20 years now and though he may be far away, listening to Johnny Cash always makes feel close to him. At Folsom Prison is an American classic, and should be respected and cherished just like a grandfather. This is one Johnny Cash album that should be in every one's collection.

Taj Mahal - Maestro

Taj Mahal’s blues legacy is right up there with B.B. King and John Lee Hooker, and just like any great artist, Taj has brought his own personal sound to the genre. His roots influences and optimistic undertone have really changed the way blues is stereotyped. Maestro is his first domestic release in five years, and it includes the voices of Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley and many more. I’m also madly in love with his 1968 self titled album Taj Mahal; it brings me back to my childhood... Ahhh. Also check out The Real Thing and Phantom Blues.

John Legend - Evolver

Five years ago, I was working for the evil empire that is Starbucks when John’s first studio album Get Lifted came out. After we closed the store one night, I was putting the album out on the floor for the next day's release when my coworker noticed one of the albums had water damage on the cover. So, my manager gave it to me to take home... at first I thought, why the hell would I want this busted ass CD? But after we left the store I put it on in my car while driving home, and I was immediately hooked. I’ve been following his music career since then and each one of his albums has such a different sound, but they are all equally amazing. Evolver is John Legend's latest album, and again, I’m not disappointed. John’s incredible voice mixed with R&B beats makes his music something to love. FYI, I still have that copy of Get Lifted with the damaged cover and I will never let it go.

Sex and the City: The Movie

There is nothing more important for a woman than having a few close girl friends (sorry fellas, we still love ya though). Friends that love you for exactly who you are; friends to gossip with about men troubles and true loves, friends to drink with, laugh with, and cry with. OK, so the average woman is not going to have three close girl friends with perfect figures and endless amounts of money for Manolo Blahnik shoes and designer hand bags, but the topics that are brought up in the show and movie are real. Every girl can relate to the subject matter if they will admit it or not. The movie was a great end to the amazing HBO series.

Tropic Thunder

Woooow dude!...That was like totally awesome! The action was totally stellerrrr...This was definitely a typical guys' movie, but as a woman I thought it was great as well. Ben Stiller always goes so over-the-top with his characters that it works for him, and with another over the topper like Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. by his side, this movie kind of worked for me...Tropic Thunder is a movie that you love to hate and hate to love. So grab some friends, some fatty food and a sixer, and enjoy almost two hours of ridiculousness. Foooo-Real!

tip: Once you find that special someone who actually likes the same music as you, hold on tight, and go to as many concerts as you can.  Plus I heard that 50% of all divorces are caused over bad choices in music... What?!  It could be true.

Photobooth - Da Me Tus Besos-three song

Tuneful, manic glee by SF/Oakland foursome with the right attitude - "Let's get together and have a ball!" These guys can rock down at the government center or dig into the sand at Rockaway beach. Get your senior picture taken with Photobooth!

Various Artists - The Downhome Blues Sessions Volume 5: Back In The Alley 1949-1954

Yet more gut bucket, stompin' Blues & wailin' R&B from the south east to the East Bay. Rare sides from "Flair," "RPM," and "Money," this collection is a must for long time fans and new arrivals to the sound.

Various Artists - Bob Geddins' IRMA Records Story, Bob Geddins' Big Town Record Story, & The Trilon Records Story 1946-1948

 Get a crash course in Bay Area Blues history with these three volumes. These collections take you back to the days when Oakland's 7th Street swung 24/7 to the sounds of Juke Boy Bonner, Johnny Fuller, Lee Vernon & His Motley Crew, and Jimmy McCracklin, with many more crowding the bandstands up and down the street.  Not as well known as Chicago's Chess crowd, but just as deserving of your ears, like Jimmy McCracklin urges - "Take a chance!" It's worth it.

Vincent Price - Master Of The Macabre

CD issue of three vintage Vincent radio performances from the classic program SUSPENSE!  From 1944 and 1957, including the Edgar Allan Poe story Price would star in the motion picture, The Pit And The Pendulum. SUSPENSE! was the perfect blend of hard boiled crime & noir-ish horror, with the highest production values on radio at the time, and the biggest names in Hollywood guesting each week, and Vincent Price goes for the jugular in these three radio shockers!

Night Gallery Season Two

The final season Rod Serling's showplace of the erie and the disturbing, with scripts by Mr. Serling, adaptions of H.P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, Robert Bloch, Clark Ashton Smith, and A.E. van Gogt. Bonuses on this set include an interview with Tom Wright, painter of all of those fantastic works of art that made up that place of all places, the Night Gallery.

Redd Kross - Third Eye

Their best LP back in print. "Annies Gone" is good with a Paso Robles Pinot.

Brenda & The Tabulations - The Top & Bottom Singles Collection 1969-1971, Dionn Singles Collection 1966-1969

These two comps have some filler, but the best stuff on these two CD's is great Brill Building soul. "Dry Your Eyes" on the former and "The Touch Of You" on the latter are as perfect as, say, Dionne Warwick's "Walk On By." Gotta have bubbly with these.

Brightblack Morning Light - Motion To Rejoin

A new genre - pop/drone. Weirdly addictive ambient scuzz that's just oozing along while you're vacuuming and then pow! a great hook tries to rise outta the muck. Horrible hippies though. Maybe good at Rio Vista, round sunset, with a dry Rose??

El Guincho - Alegranza

You're wasted on a really cheap Spanish red, and you fall to the ground. Off in the distance you hear the clatter of a seaside boardwalk amusement park, but it's way too loud and dangerous, like being stoned with pitted olives while buried in the ground up to your neck as someone pours sangria on your head about 2 inches from a ferris wheel. This is like that.

Johnny Burnette - Johnny Burnette & The Rock'n'Roll Trio

Cranked-up really high reissue of super-rare 1957 LP. Memphis rockabilly with no filler. Cheap white, guzzled, straight from a jug.

Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer

With her debut solo release, Amanda Palmer (of Brechtian Punk Cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls) triumphantly wins our hearts and minds with the fine articulation of her piano playing and songwriting ability. Since the September 16 release, I've surrendered my entire heart to this poignant collection of twelve songs. With cymbals crashing and keys banging your inquisition, Who Killed Amanda Palmer launches into space with "Astronaut." Rattle those jazz hands and swig a bottle of bubbly to "Leeds United!" Very endearingly, "Blake Says" references such songs by The Velvet Underground with poetic endearment. Cranking into the epicenter of the album, "Guitar Hero" (preferably up full blast) has me singing into my hairbrush with one leg perched on the vanity in the powder room, not to mention ferocious intervals of air-piano/guitar. Several times over, I've paused and contemplated existence to "Have to Drive." The list goes on. Hear it to believe it! Your ear buds will never pry from your precious skull again! But wait, there's more... This album also boasts an incredible line-up of other artists! When reading the credits, I nearly lost my composure. To name a few: produced by Ben Folds, Zoë Keating (formerly of Rasputina) featured on cello, and Annie Clark (of St. Vincent) featured on vocals for one cover song. Take a gander at the back cover of the album and you will find an article written by renowned novelist and comics writer Neil Gaiman. Who Killed Amanda Palmer live performances are accompanied by the highly talented theatric group The Danger Ensemble from Brisbane, AU. This musical gem is available on vinyl now, too! More tidbits and beautiful, visual stimuli can be found at whokilledamandapalmer.com and myspace.com/whokilledamandapalmer.

Vermillion Lies - What's in the Box?

Do you like to waltz, tango, or perform on a tightrope or trapeze? If you have answered "yes" to any of these, I have the most perfect album for you! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a magical (and lucky us, local!) Oakland-based cabaret duo who remind me how to smile and laugh after a severe case of amnesia. This 2008 release of What's in the Box? has indeed cured my bluest, shady days with bright, vermillion fervor. Cleverly and wittily written lyrics paired with fascinating and, at times, hilarious instruments earn this album a special place in my heart right next to the band members themselves, sisters Kim and Zoe Boekbinder. Aside from potentially charming your shirt off with their guitar and accordion prowess, they serenade any idle feet within earshot into motion with gasoline cans, BBQ grills, pots and pans, tin cans, typewriters and other sundries. Among a hodgepodge of other rad instruments, this album also contains piano... and toy piano too! Aside from this review, vermillionlies.com and myspace.com/vermillionlies may aid you in selecting this album. Linger a bit to soak in the imagery! I fancy their keen style a great deal. And if you happen to be anywhere in the world that is lucky enough to be hosting a live Vermillion Lies show, you'd be a fool not to check it out! P.S. I also recommend everything else they've ever written and released - past, present, and future.

Tip Top Trio - Tip Top Trio

Man, oh man! I dare you to hold back from cutting a rug to this one. Fifty smackers says you can't contain yourself! These tomcats keep the dance floor hot with a rip-roarin' guitar duo and a slip-slappin' upright bass. Whatever it is on your agenda for the day - tackling a mountain of filthy dishes in the kitchen after last night's party or cruising to the beach with your sugarbaby, this album is a perfect tag-along. It will get you there with style. If rockabilly isn't the first genre choice on your list, just leave your inhibitions behind for this swingin' treat!

Thelonious Monk - Thelonious Himself

If there's one man I'm ever going home to, it's Thelonious. Uncork the wine, lay out the paints, set up the canvas... next thing you know, it's "Round Midnight," and I'm "All Alone," but "Monks Mood" is the place to be!

The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground & Nico

This album has mysteriously permeated my psyche with such nostalgic wonders, time and time again. The light and cheery and the dark and eerie are here folded into one immaculately spellbinding musical prism. Before I was but a twinkle in my mother's eye, some of my favorite artists featured on this album came together to do justice to a now bygone era of transpiration and beauty. Like the ghost of a dear, departed friend, The Velvet Underground & Nico pensively echoes on and on, but not without bringing a newfound sense of meaning, no matter where it finds me.

tip: Exploration of past musical eras (especially the earliest known and recorded jazz, notably new orleans) has fine-tuned my tastes and influenced my own art the most. Collectively, through music, I have potentially discovered an embodiment of who I was before I was incarnated into this mess of hair, teeth, eyeballs, and fingernails. myspace.com/trixygrace

P.J. Harvey - White Chalk

This album is dreamy and spooky. Very personal - I almost felt as if I shouldn't be listening.

Fripp & Eno - No Pussyfooting

The second disc is most magnificent - a backwards track and a track at half speed. What more can you ask for?

Lustmord - Other

Turn off the lights and crank it up.

Lindstrom - Where You Go I Go Too

Dance, or do a science experiment.

Blue Sabbath Black Cheer - The Endless Blockade

New Thrill Parade - Slumber In Colorland

A total mind f**k. Stewy ya-ya!

Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell

Sweet Movie

"In all my years of practice, I've never seen anything so sweet. A rosebud."

Pineapple Express

Gymkata

The skill of gymnastics, the kill of karate.

Little Murders

"Why does one decide to marry? Social pressure? Boredom? Loneliness? Sexual appeasement? Love? I won't put any of these reasons down. Each in its own way is adequate, each is all right. Last year, I married a musician who wanted to get married in order to stop masturbating. Please, don't be startled, I'm not putting him down. That marriage did not work. But the man tried. He is now separated, still masturbating, but he is at peace with himself because he tried society's way."

Burn After Reading

Justice - A Cross The Universe (DVD+CD)

Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun

tip: Louder. Louder. Louder.

Jimmy Radway & The Fe Me Time All Stars - Dub I

One of the best dub reissues in a long time. It's EXACTLY what you want in 70's reggae dub: raw, gritty, spacey and very very heavy. Top shelf stuff.

Various Artists - Motown Flies Jamaica Vol. 2

Yes, this is as good as it sounds. The long and short of this is that someone took original Motown a cappellas and put them together with rock-steady, and reggae rhythms that are amazingly NOT cheesy. It sounds pretty authentic overall, even though the nature of this release is somewhat dubious. Part 1 is also great, but kind of tough to find nowadays.

East New York Ensemble De Music - At the Helm

Originally released on Folkways in the mid-70's, this is an outstanding fusion of jazz and Middle Eastern with touches of avant garde. Hypnotic melodies, heavy bass lines, top notch playing; you get the idea... An incredible album that, unfortunately, is not available on vinyl, so the CD will have to do for now. If you like this, pick up Yusef Lateef's "Eastern Sounds" as well.

Various Artists - Gangsters Dedications Vol. 1

Fantastic collection of rare lowrider oldies. This is exactly what you wanna be listening to when you are either a) BBQing in the park with family and friends on a Sunday afternoon, b) cruisin' the strip on a Sunday afternoon, and c) wishing it was a Sunday afternoon. Nice sound quality too!

Amanaz - Africa

Incredible (and pricey) reissue of African psychedelic rock. Very heavy and hypnotic. A must for both fans of African soul and psych rock. Yellow 180 gram vinyl. Deluxe packaging. No CD (to my knowledge). Grab this while it's around.

James Brown - The Singles Volume 6: 1969-1970

Thus continues the saga of the greatest story ever told!  Having found volumes one through five (except for 2, help!) I was thrilled to see number six come out of this utterly remarkable collection.  Let's assume everybody already knows the merits of The Godfather of Soul, Soul Brother Number One, Mr. Dynamite, The Hardest Working Man in Show Business, The Man With More Nick Names Than Your Entire Family Line Son!  If you don't know, ya better ask somebody.  Charting in the fifties and continuing relentlessly into the eighties (and beyond when you consider the frenzy of JB samples), James Brown is arguably the greatest thing of all time. That said, there have certainly been no shortage of JB collections.  But the singles baby, the singles!  This cat was pumping out 45s at a frantic rate, every one a solid sender of classic rhythm and blues like only one man can do.  Each one of these singles collections comes with two CDs, totalling roughly forty songs, include extensive liner notes with track by track commentary, and fascinating graphics.  And they are LIMITED EDITION!!!  No?  Yes!  Get them while you can, this goes beyond music and music history, this is history itself.  Get in where ya fit in!

The Tip Top Trio: Ripped Open and Torn Apart

Following on the heels of their 2008 release The Tip Top Trio, these guys are offering a new DVD of their explosive live rockabilly mayhem.  Rockabilly?  Rockabiiilllllly!!!  Sun Records style offerings cook with a liquored up intensity that shake, that hum, that stay tight as a drum.  Check out the ludicrously virtuo-tastic upright bass slapping, with the runaway train acoustic rhythm guitar, and tangy more than Scotty Moore lead lines.  Add three part harmony and balls to the wall hellbound fury and, well... ya might wanna pick this up!  Dig?

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys - The Tiffany Transcriptions

Probably my favorite group that most people my age have never heard anything about, Bob Wills & HisTexas Playboys, not only originated the western swing genre as we know it, but on these recordings took the art form to a state of hot swingin', bare-knuckled perfection. Not that their regular releases weren't sublime in and of themselves, they were Jack. But these here gems were radio transcriptions (recorded right here in San Francisco matter of fact) where the boys didn't have to sweat cutting a perfect take to sell records with (which they did with astounding ease for the record, shmyeah!) and instead simply cut loose with the swing thing know what I mean? Like a beautifully recorded live show, The Playboys are laying it down here raw and real. Somebody please buy this for me. Don't burn it, I need the liner notes. Choice!