Art is the music we make from the bewildered cry of being alive. ~Maria Popova
04 Jul 2025 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: john oliver, lee greenwood
04 Jul 2025 Leave a comment
Editor’s note: It is possible to find “Best-Of” compilations and later-period albums in which some of these bands’ names include “the”–such as the Bangles’ 2003 comeback album Doll Revolution.
Nevertheless, the above bands (and maybe others you can name) originally chose to forego the definite article officially.
Of course, this category doesn’t include bands like Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin–just those who are referred to with the “the” conversationally, but not on their official album art.
Feel free to add to our list in the comments!
04 Jul 2025 Leave a comment
in Did You Ever Realize Tags: horace silver quintet, rikki don't lose that number, song for my father, steely dan
24 Jun 2025 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: beach boys, brian wilson, in my room
23 Jun 2025 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: kick it to me, sammy rae and the friends
Sammy Rae & The Friends: “Kick it to Me” (2018)
Describing the music of Sammy Rae & The Friends is difficult. Enjoying it–especially in a live setting–is definitely not.
No single genre title neatly contains the breadth of this band’s sounds, which seem to draw from jazz, pop, soul, funk, classic rock and world music.
Not many bands can cover ABBA and the Doobie Brothers with equal dexterity, but that’s just for starters.
Lead vocalist and songwriter Samantha Rae Bowers is clearly a student of great female pop voices. Stratospheric Ella Fitzgerald-style scat and improvised vocals lace her dynamic performances. Themes of queer and female empowerment are central to her songs, but not presented in terms a general audience will likely find to be preachy or off-putting. It all just feels good.
Few bands bring such consistently positive and life-affirming messages to record or performance.
The Friends are a well-honed gigging band, skilled at presenting themselves and their songs to an audience. The bass is funky. Intermingled tenor and alto sax make things pop. The lead guitar is more than adept across a setlist that bounces lightly across styles, rather than settling into a single groove or feel.
If you’re a band with one sound and a samey setlist, you do not want to open for Sammy Rae and company. (We won’t name names here.)
The seven-piece has a big footprint on the concert stage, and Sammy Rae says Bruce Springsteen was her inspiration for utilizing each member fully and letting each do their thing and share the shine of the spotlight. The camaraderie is not only evident; it’s a band hallmark and a major part of their audience appeal.
The live experience aside, Sammy Rae & The Friends’ studio recordings add a layer of polish and backup harmonies, offering the definitive listening experience.
That said, “Kick it to Me” is an example of a song worth hearing in both the studio version presented here and in concert, where improvised lyrics make for a different song from one show to the next.
Every Moment Has A Song 