Posts From Sam Sutherland
‘John Prine’: A Debut for the Ages for a Songwriter’s Songwriter
The album is a quiet masterpiece, a portrait of a young singer-songwriter already fully formed and crafting songs for the ages.
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The ‘Swinging’ Dire Straits Breakthrough Debut Album
“Sultans of Swing” was immediately distinctive in both sound and story. The album proved the band to be one of the most refreshingly creative of its day.
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‘Graceland’—The World Music Reset From Paul Simon
The album that would become Simon’s grandest statement came into view when he was gifted with a tape of South African music.
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‘Who’s Next’: Plan B Yields a Career Blockbuster
Born from the ashes of an abandoned project Pete Townshend called ‘Life House,’ the band’s 1971 masterwork triumphed through songcraft and performance.
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‘Countdown to Ecstasy’: Musical Adventures From Steely Dan
If the songcraft displayed on the first album reflected their Brill Building apprenticeship, the new material proved more open-ended—and more sophisticated
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The Souther Hillman Furay Band’s Debut LP: Less Than the Sum of its Parts
The SHF Band accomplished its commercial mission and displayed the stylistic DNA of the Byrds, Poco and, yes, the Eagles.
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‘John Barleycorn’: From Winwood Solo Project to Traffic Reunion
The 1970 album morphed into a full-blown Traffic reunion with the addition of Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood to the fold.
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‘Before the Flood’—Memorializing Dylan and The Band’s ‘Tour ’74’
More than seven years after his shocking motorcycle accident, Dylan returned to live performance in style, along with his favorite musicians.
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‘Evangeline’—Emmylou Harris’ Gourmet Leftovers
The song list tapped familiar writers like Rodney Crowell and the late Gram Parsons, her mentor and musical soulmate, along with rock and folk tunesmiths including John Fogerty, James Taylor, Robbie Robertson, and Little Feat’s Bill Payne.
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Los Lobos’ ‘Kiko’: A Hallucinatory Masterpiece
The early ’90s release was rightly acclaimed as the band’s studio pinnacle for its thematic breadth and sonic innovation.
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