Music Top 5: January 2023
The new year kicks off with some can’t-miss performances by genre-spanning artists.
Songs from a Small Room: A Review of Nora O’Connor’s “My Heart”
You can divide folk singers into two vocal categories: the hard-living and the angelic. Nora O’Connor is definitely Door Number Two.
Dealing in Dualities: A Review of Late Nite Laundry’s “Late Nite Laundry”
Like the best bossa nova, there’s real iron in these tunes, while sounding so airy and light the band might be making them up on the spot.
Talking to Herself: A Preview of Elizabeth Moen at Empty Bottle and Schubas
By the time the album concludes, Moen has achieved something almost novelistic; this is one of those albums that unspools.
Wholly Holly: Christmas Music Blankets Chicago
Pretty much every Blind Boys of Alabama gig feels like Christmas, so their holiday show at City Winery should pretty much tear the joint down.
Music Top 5: December 2022
Five powerhouse shows to round out a banner year for Chicago music.
Top Down: A Review of Push Puppets’ “Allegory Grey”
“There’s No One Else Like Lynette” is just the opening salvo of a whole album of paradoxically bright, uptempo pop tunes about longing and regret.
Hooked: A Review of Nice Motor’s “Superior Street Sessions”
The band pulls the album together as a cohesive whole by giving its full weight to two of its stylistic strengths: percussion and hooks.
When Too Much Of A Good Thing Is Never Enough: A Journey Through Beth Orton’s Catalog
Even though her youthful soprano has developed into an aching alto in modern maturity, Orton’s voice and her music are still unerringly beautiful.
Music Top 5: November 2022
This month brings a wide range of unmissable events from across the musical spectrum.
