Results tagged “theballad”

In about a week and a half, singer/songwriter Johnathan Rice is going to be down at Stubb's in Austin, supporting no less a band than R.E.M. at South by Southwest. But luckily for those of us who live up here in Philly and won't be able to make it to the big party in Austin, Rice is currently touring with Matt Costa, and will be a little closer to us tomorrow night, at the First Unitarian Church. (Hope you've already got tickets, because unfortunately the show is sold out!) Why is that lucky? Because Rice is a pretty big talent. His latest album, Further North, released at the end of last year, is a strong collection of indie rock with a bit of an alt-country flavor; the sound reminds us of the Wallflowers and Josh Ritter. The strongest track is probably the supremely catchy "Hard to Believe," but "THC" and "The Ballad of King Coyote" are nearly as excellent. To get a better idea what he sounds like, stream "End of the Affair" in Windows Media Player or Quicktime formats, or check out the video for "We're All Stuck out in the Desert" embedded here. You can also download some free MP3s over at the R5 website, as this show is indeed another R5 production.

Editor's note: This review contains some comments and descriptions that could be considered "spoilers," but only if you're unfamiliar with the story of Sweeney Todd, which is unforgivable anyway, so we have little sympathy for you.

One of the most common, and legitimate, criticisms of the music of Stephen Sondheim by performers and critics alike is that he's not tuneful enough. "Hummable," I think is the word most often used by these critics.

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