More than 2,500 songs shared, some 200 LPs and EPs reviewed, thousands of photos from concerts and festivals, and dozens of premieres later, we’ve arrived at our annual tradition of sharing our favorite songs of the past 52 weeks – also known as The Mega, Mega Playlist of 2017. This year’s playlist is the biggest yet. The 2015 version had […]

As we continue our look back at 2014, there were two characteristics or trends that really stood out. First, there were a large number of bands who reinvented themselves. Some of them made our Favourite 50 Albums of 2014 list, including Parquet Courts, Wye Oak, and Strand of Oaks. The other big trend was the retro vibe emanating from so many […]

RBC BLUESFEST REVUE: THE SPLIT Fans of Lee Fields, Charles Bradley and James Brown should check out The Split when they bring their authentic sounding old school soul music to RBC Bluesfest.  They released an EP, Can’t Get Enough,in March, and it’s fantastic. These guys have a great lineup of very talented musicians and a two-piece horn section! If you […]

While Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and Charles Bradley have been the artists most closely associated with the resurgence of Motown and soul music, Lee Fields has quietly produced outstanding soul music – not just in the past few years but for 45 years. Like Charles Bradley, Lee Fields’ voice is powerful and dynamic and his performances are lively, entertaining, […]

Lee Fields, the 63-year old legendary soul singer, returns with The Expressions to release his umpteenth album (his 11th studio album and he’s released countless others), Emma Jean. The album, which is named after his mother, will be officially released on June 3. If you want a sneak peak, the album is being streamed on NPR.