Ken Tucker

Ken Tucker appears in the following:

'Sing Me Back Home' Showcases The Partnership Between Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Dickens and Gerrard were successful solo folk musicians who also shared an eclectic approach to music. A new album of previously unreleased recordings feature the pair "unvarnished" and "unplugged."

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Aaron Lee Tasjan Mixes Yearning Vocals And Strong Guitar On 'Karma For Cheap'

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Tasjan has played in bluegrass festivals and also opened for punk bands. Critic Ken Tucker says regardless of the musical genre, the singer-songwriter's third album "proves its worth."

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First-Rate Performances Drive 'King Of The Road' Tribute To Roger Miller

Monday, August 27, 2018

Miller, who died in 1992, had a career that spanned three decades. A new 36-track tribute album features a very eclectic line-up, including Dolly Parton, Ringo Starr and actor John Goodman.

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'Wild! Wild! Wild!' Coheres As A Carefully Conceived Lark

Monday, August 20, 2018

Linda Gail Lewis and Robbie Fulks have teamed up on a shrewd, witty album that's a throwback to the earliest era of rock n' roll — but it's not pickled in nostalgia.

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We Still Can't Comprehend The Power Of Aretha Franklin's Voice

Friday, August 17, 2018

No one's voice has ever soared like this.

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SOPHIE's Debut Album Is A Complex, Clamorous Pleasure

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

The singer-songwriter-producer just released OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES. Rock critic Ken Tucker finds an undercurrent of serenity in the organized chaos of SOPHIE's playful brand of noise pop.

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'Hive Mind' Mixes Funk, Disco And Neo-Soul, Courtesy Of The Internet

Monday, August 06, 2018

The quintet known as The Internet emerged from the Los Angeles music collective Odd Future. Ken Tucker says their fourth album offers "music for modern lovers who are too smart to settle for less."

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Lori McKenna Brings Plainspoken Modesty And Intimate Acoustics To 'The Tree'

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

A Massachusetts native who struck gold further South as a country music songwriter, McKenna solidifies her status as a recording artist in her own right on her latest album.

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Virtual Band Gorillaz Brings Intimacy And Eager Energy To 'The Now Now'

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Co-created by visual artist Jamie Hewlett and musician Damon Albarn, Gorillaz is fronted by four animated characters — but critic Ken Tucker says there's "nothing cartoonish" about the new album.

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Drake Steps Forward As The Morrissey Of Hip-Hop On 'Scorpion'

Friday, July 06, 2018

Drake explores the quality and variety of his own moodiness on a new double album. Critic Ken Tucker says that Scorpion has staying power — despite the fact that it sometimes feels "too long."

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New Songs That Will Make You Want To Crank The Volume

Wednesday, July 04, 2018

Rock critic Ken Tucker listens to new songs by My Morning Jacket's Jim James, the Danish band Iceage and George Clinton and Parliament. As each song shows, "there's an art to summoning up chaos."

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Beyoncé And Jay-Z Present A Unified Front On 'Everything Is Love'

Thursday, June 28, 2018

The Carters, who married in 2008, celebrate their union with a heavily autobiographical new album. Critic Ken Tucker is impressed by the record's easy shifts between hip-hop and R&B.

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Father John Misty Mixes Egotism And Humor On 'God's Favorite Customer'

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Critic Ken Tucker says Father John Misty's new album offers a "roundabout, melancholy" acknowledgement of the artistic selfishness that often accompanies confessional songwriting.

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Snail Mail Delivers Sturdy Guitar Riffs And Soaring Vocals On 'Lush'

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Eighteen-year-old Lindsey Jordan, who records under the name Snail Mail, has been playing guitar for 13 years. This combination of youth and experience creates a distinctive sound on her new album.

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Courtney Barnett's New Album Blends Forceful Guitar With Lyrical Complexity

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Barnett sings about fame, feminism and self-doubt on her new album, Tell Me How You Really Feel. Ken Tucker says the songs are like "inner monologues, shaped and sharpened for public consumption."

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Rapper Cardi B Expands Her Musical Range On 'Invasion Of Privacy'

Friday, May 11, 2018

Though Cardi B's instinctive pose is that of a tough realist, her debut album allows for more vulnerable moments. Critic Ken Tucker calls Invasion of Privacy a "statement of principles."

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Ashley Monroe Embraces Countrypolitan Classicism On 'Sparrow'

Wednesday, May 02, 2018

Critic Ken Tucker says that Monroe's moody new album proves that the singer/songwriter is "working in a space that's almost entirely separate from anyone else in country music right now."

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From BlocBoy JB And Drake To Post Malone, A Roundup Of Catchy Hip-Hop

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Rock critic Ken Tucker shares some hits he's listening to, including BlocBoy JB and Drake's upbeat "Look Alive" and the moody sound of Post Malone's "Walk It Talk It."

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Singer-Songwriter John Prine Draws On His Roots With 'Tree Of Forgiveness'

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Prine keeps his earthiness alive on his first album of new songs in 13 years. Critic Ken Tucker says The Tree of Forgiveness features simple folk arrangements and a jaunty tone.

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Tracey Thorn Mixes Dance Rhythms With Raw Honesty On 'Record'

Monday, March 26, 2018

Thorn's latest album uses airy synthesizers and insistent percussion as the backdrop for a series of meditations on being feminist. Critic Ken Tucker says Record plays as both a comfort and a dare.

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