It’s extremely hard not to gush over Jeff Buckley. An Adonis with an four-octave range, the singer-songwriter had the sensitivity of an early-Seventies folkie, the melody-meets-muscle rock chops of an early-Nineties grunge practitioner, and a frontman sex appeal that was timeless. He counted Nina Simone, Judy Garland, Led Zeppelin, and …
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Among singer-songwriter Freedy Johnston’s prized possessions is a cassette tape featuring Muzak renditions of songs off of his 1994 major label debut, This Perfect World — which earned a glowing review from this very publication. Apparently, the Muzak people were also fans of the man Rolling Stone called an “American …
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Donald Fagen has denied Aimee Mann’s claim that she was dropped as the opening act for Steely Dan’s new tour because, as she speculated, “they thought their audience wouldn’t like a female singer-songwriter.” In a statement to Rolling Stone, Fagen explained, “Well, first of all, the idea that I would …
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The National‘s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver‘s Justin Vernon, who collaborate under the name Big Red Machine, covered Aimee Mann‘s “Wise Up” as part of the Eaux Claires Festival voting initiative “For Wisconsin.” Dessner fronts the studio take, full of electronic drums, brass, harmonies, layered guitars and Vernon’s prominent backing …
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