Annunciation
Artist: The Subdudes
Community Score: 8.45

After three years without a recording contract, the Subdudes reappeared with this beautiful collection of soulful, gorgeous, funkily "subdued" music. It's another example of why the band was so popular with those who were exposed to them, and why they were often mentioned as one of the bands most deserving of wider recognition. The lyrics here... Read More

Hi-Fi Sci-Fi
Artist: Dramarama

Hi-Fi Sci-Fi proved to be the swan song for New Jersey's Dramarama, but the band goes down blazing with an excellent effort. Produced by bassist Chris Carter and lead vocalist John Easdale, the band brings the well-traveled Clem Burke into the fold on drums, and he provides this album with more muscle than their prior release, Vinyl. The... Read More

Just Another Band from East L.A.: A Collection
Artist: Los Lobos
Community Score: 8.00

By the time Los Lobos made their debut on record, they already had a half-decade of live gigs under their belt. That initial independent release, Del Este de Los Angeles, went largely unrecognized, however, and it wasn't until a half-decade later that the music business took notice. With the arrival of ...And a Time to Dance, however, they began... Read More

A Meeting by the River
Artist: Ry Cooder
Community Score: 8.00

A Meeting by the River can best be described as a spontaneous outpouring of music, unhindered by convention or form, brought into being by musicians so supremely capable that the music is never labored, the technique of their craft always subservient to the final product. Cooder and Bhatt are genuine masters of the guitar and mohan vina,... Read More

The Return of the Hellecasters
Artist: The Hellecasters
Community Score: 5.00

From the impossibly fast ascending arpeggios in the intro to "Highlander Boogie," the first track on this, the Hellecasters' debut album, country guitar nuts will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are in for a real treat. Start to finish, the Hellecasters (guitarists Jerry Donahue, John Jorgenson, and Will Ray) barrage the listener with... Read More

The Anthology (1968-1990)
Artist: Dave Edmunds
Community Score: 10.00

A double-disc set covering Dave Edmunds' entire career, the 41-song Anthology (1968-1990) does a fine job of capturing his musical evolution, even if it is not without its faults. To a certain extent, Anthology is a definitive compilation, since it begins with Love Sculpture's infamous "Sabre Dance" and runs through his early solo recordings ("I... Read More

Let It Rock: The Best of the Georgia Satellites
Artist: The Georgia Satellites
Community Score: 5.00

Most of the band's best tracks are on this generous compilation, which not only features their hits ("Keep Your Hands to Yourself" and "Battleship Chains"), but also includes rarities like their sublime John Fogerty medley "Almost Saturday Night/Rockin' All Over the World" from the Rubaiyat collection. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Read More

It Came from Nashville
Artist: Webb Wilder
Community Score: 5.00

Rock & roll at its heart, with gimmicks on its shoulder. Lots of fun. ~ Robert Gordon, All Music Guide Read More

Latin Playboys
Artist: Latin Playboys

These are hardly "songs" in the conventional sense; more like eccentric sketches that create haunting moods. The players bounce back and forth between scratchy traditional Latin music, free-associating blues numbers, and spaced-out honky-tonk. Grounded in roots music, the lyrics and song structures are almost impressionistic in tone, creating an... Read More