Posts by Alby

When Charles Bradley was discovered by Daptone Records around the turn of the millennium, he was nearly 50 years old and performing a James Brown impersonation as Black Velvet. (Earlier…

Though there are enough weed anthems to make a playlist that lasts 4 hours and 20 minutes, my favorite is Ben Harper's Jamaica-flavored proclamation of the freedom to fire up.…

Once upon a time in America, government oppression inspired protest. Lots of it was angry. Frank Zappa's was, too, but his mode of expression was mockery, as in this oblique…

Another forgotten power pop band from the '90s, Poole hailed from northern Virginia, which helps explain why they shot this video in Ocean City, Md. "Superamerica" was the opening track…

You might have seen the headline at Philly.com or the article in Rolling Stone about the Philadelphia soul-funk band whose LP finally is being released, 50 years after it was…

Funny how I'm always finding new old stuff on YouTube. I knew Al Green recorded a solo version of this Willie Nelson song in the 1970s, but I didn't realize…

George Harrison's ode to Great Britain's 95% marginal tax rate always gets a workout this time of year. The lead-off track on "Revolver" embellishes George's bitter lyrics (written after someone…

Everybody wants a new national anthem, but only Albert Brooks recognized that the most democratic way to find one would be to hold open auditions. From the 1973 album "Comedy…

You think you know the original, but you don't. I keep running across old songs that would need very little retrofitting to apply to Donald Trump. Today's example: Jello Biafra's…

If you doubt that hip-hop has permeated virtually all of American music, look no further than the controversy over "Old Town Road." The song started as a viral video in…