Robert Baird

2 weeks ago | stereophile.com | Robert Baird |Ray Chelstowski |Anne Johnson

My Morning Jacket: IsATO 00688 (LP). 2025. Brendan O'Brien, prod.; Kyle Stevens, eng.; Tommy Turner, asst. eng. Performance ****Sonics ***½After self-producing most of their nine previous albums, My Morning Jacket decided to shake things up and bring in producer Brendan O'Brien.

1 month ago | stereophile.com | Robert Baird |Phil Brett |Ray Chelstowski

Peter Perrett: The CleansingDomino Records WIGLP543 (LP). 2024. Jamie Perrett, prod.; Barry Grint, eng. Performance ****½Sonics ****The Only Ones formed in 1976, at the dawn of the punk era. The South London quartet never quite fit in, being more Dylan and Velvet Underground than Damned or Pistols. After three good albums and a masterpiece of a single ("Another Girl, Another Planet"), the group split in 1982.

2 months ago | stereophile.com | Robert Baird

Staying up on what's new in music ain't easy these days, in a world short on new record stores and long on websites, social media blather, and celebrity. Asked what he listens to when he's not writing music, fast-talking septuagenarian Ray Mason exudes a teenager's eager urgency. "I keep my ears open. I've been listening to new stuff by people I have been following for years like Nick Lowe and The Straitjackets, Rodney Crowell, Kathleen Edwards, and Lucinda Williams. And then Craig Finn.

2 months ago | stereophile.com | Robert Baird

Joe Henderson: MultipleMilestone/Craft CR 00845 (LP). 1973/2025. Orrin Keepnews, prod.; Elvin Campbell, Al Vanderbilt, engs. Performance ****½Sonics ****½The essence of jazz is supposed to be the free-flowing exploration of ideas and expressions. Yet hardcore fans of the music have the unnerving habit of supporting and denigrating the work of the same player from record to record. Artistic growth is often seen as a negative.

2 months ago | stereophile.com | Robert Baird

Kathryn Dawn Lang was country ... until she wasn't. A native of the Canadian province of Alberta, lang (who prefers her name lowercase) grew obsessed with Patsy Cline and country music in general before she was out of college. She joined the Patsy-focused country act The Reclines in 1983 in Edmonton. They released their first album, A Truly Western Experience, in 1984.