American Artists

The White Stripes

1999 Albums, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, American Artists, Midwest Artists, The White Stripes

Buy The White Stripes The self-titled 1999 debut by the Michigan based debut, The White Stripes was at once a nod back to the American blues from the century about to end and […]

The Velvet Underground & Nico

1967 Albums, 2012 Reviews, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, American Artists, John Cale, Lou Reed, New York Artists, The Velvet Underground

The Stranger by Billy Joel

1977 Albums, 2012 Reviews, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, American Artists, Billy Joel, Classic Rock Review Album of the Year, New York Artists

Buy The Stranger There is a bit of irony in The Stranger being our selection as Album of the Year for 1977. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great album by Billy Joel. […]

The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion
by The Black Crowes

1992 Albums, 2012 Reviews, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, American Artists, Southern Artists, The Black Crowes

Buy The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion With the follow-up to their blockbuster 1990 debut, The Black Crowes took a more rootsy and soulful approach with The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion. That […]

The Soft Parade by The Doors

1969 Albums, 2014 Reviews, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, American Artists, California Artists, Jim Morrison, The Doors

Buy The Soft Parade 1969 was a tumultuous year for the The Doors. The main incident which caused their collective headache happened in Miami in March  when vocalist Jim Morrison was arrested for […]

The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get

1973 Albums, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, American Artists, Joe Vitale, Joe Walsh, Midwest Artists

Buy The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get The second of two albums featuring singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Walsh with his backup group Barnstorm, The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get […]

The Runaways

1976 Albums, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, American Artists, California Artists, Joan Jett, Lita Ford, The Runaways

Buy The Runaways The Southern California all-female teenage rock group The Runaways had a short and tumultuous career during the mid 1970s, a career which commenced with their 1976 self-title debut album. In […]

The Royal Scam by Steely Dan

1976 Albums, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, American Artists, New York Artists, Steely Dan

Buy The Royal Scam We’ve all heard of the genre called “outlaw country”. But with Steely Dan‘s 1976 fifth studio album, The Royal Scam, the group put forth a collection of songs that […]

The River by Bruce Springsteen

1980 Albums, 2015 Reviews, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, American Artists, Bruce Springsteen, New Jersey Artists, Roy Bittan

Buy The River Bruce Springsteen‘s fifth studio album, The River, is a massive album in both length and scope. Released in late 1980, this double album includes tracks that originated during the early […]

The Rhythm of the Saints
by Paul Simon

1990 Albums, 2015 Reviews, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, American Artists, New York Artists, Paul Simon

Buy The Rhythm of the Saints Ever the artist searching for a new, authentic sound, Paul Simon went to Brazil and employed the heavily percussive samba known as Batucada for his 1990 album, […]