Dear Bob, A short note of thanks as this year comes to a close for recognizing Bettye LaVette back in your June 1 column. You wrote everything that I know to be true of Bettye and the album, just as if you’d been walking in my shoes for the previous 18 months  — from the […]

I heard he was sick… I’m not sure Frank Zappa is going to be remembered, to a great extent he’s already been forgotten. But if you don’t own the first few albums, you’re missing out.  "You Didn’t Try To Call Me", from both the very first album, "Freak Out", and the doo-wop remake on Ruben […]

Bob – You’re 100% on Laura Nyro. She demands something of the listener; respectful attention to who she is and appreciation for her integrity and risks she takes without thinking about how it may look to others.  Nothing about Laura is "off the rack!" Artists who are totally in their own skins are rare indeed […]

Soon it will be Christmas.  And once again I will play Laura Nyro’s "Christmas In My Soul". Forty years ago I was a freshman in college.  That makes me fifty seven years old.  Believe me, it’s weird.  The time does go by in the blink of an eye, but the funny thing is you remember […]