Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#1046 in the Series) is The Back Keys, El Camino (Nonesuch Records) I’m actually fairly new to The Black Keys. I only recently took a closer look at them when I picked up their last release, Brothers. I listened to it, but my thinking was along the lines of “OK, this is just the latest in a long line of hot, new bands, that everyone is supposed to like” that I’m going to listen to it once and then never play it again. I know enough about The Black Keys that even Brothers was seen by some of their early fans as a sellout and that they were not staying true to...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#1018 in the Series) is Hellucination. Los Angeles based songwriter/ producer Betty Moon has been a familiar name in her native Toronto scene since the early 90s. Over the span of over two decades, Moon has released over nine studio albums and countless singles to keep her name top of mind. What’s unique with Moon is that without substantial touring she has managed to maintain a long term career which is credited to “finding other creative ways to spread the word including streaming music, local shows, licensing and selling physical product.” There’s no question her music is stellar and her brand is 110% individual, which we can see from just checking out some...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#1005 in the Series) is The Reconstructed Great North Wind.  When first approached by the CEO of Cool Album of The Day to write this review I was met with great trepidation. My exact words were “I’d feel foolish writing a record review for an album recorded by a good friend.” After some serious introspection while out mowing my lawn it occurred to me that people need to hear this album! So in the interest of transparency………….yes ….Martin England the lead vocalist and chief songwriter is a dear friend. The Reconstructeds’ latest effort is titled Great North Wind. Their home base is the Seacoast area of Maine/New Hampshire. It’s been several years...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#982 in the Series) is My Morning Jacket, Circuital A Review of Circuital ….With a Slight History and Very Public Secret Crush Thrown in. When I first heard of My Morning Jacket, their genre was described as “Southern Rock”, which instantly made me turn my head and say bleh. Then, shortly thereafter,  WXRT in Chicago played a song from their 2001 Release, At Dawn. (Bermuda Highway). I remember being in the car, pausing, thinking, then saying to myself. “Who the hell was that?” You see, that was long before I could look anything up in the car, , and I certainly didn’t have the internet at my fingertips, otherwise known as the Pre-...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#966 in the Series) is My Morning Jacket, Circuital A Review of Circuital ….With a Slight History and Very Public Secret Crush Thrown in. When I first heard of My Morning Jacket, their genre was described as “Southern Rock”, which instantly made me turn my head and say bleh. Then, shortly thereafter,  WXRT in Chicago played a song from their 2001 Release, At Dawn. (Bermuda Highway). I remember being in the car, pausing, thinking, then saying to myself. “Who the hell was that?” You see, that was long before I could look anything up in the car, , and I certainly didn’t have the internet at my fingertips, otherwise known as the Pre-...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#964 in the Series) is The Kenn Morr Band “Along the Way.” The Cool Album of the Day site went dormant for way too long.  At times life interferes with life. One thing I’ve missed is finding cool little surprises in my mailbox. Yet once in a while I would still find a nice bubble wrapped package separating bills, coupon packets and info from the latest candidate that promises to make my life better. However, every so often I’d still get one of those care packages. Every so often the content in said package is also a darn good listen. Can you believe that not every gift isn’t always good. Tru dat....

    Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#673 in the Series) is the debut from Flying Colors  This is the first record from a five some of talented veteran musicians who have mad skills at playing and combining rock, pop, fusion and even a touch of metal. Mike Portnoy is the founder and now ex-member of Dream Theater and even if he is not your favorite drummer, you would have to admit he is one of the best. Bass player David LaRue is a longtime member of Dixie Dregs, who, if you have never heard of them, I can tell you it aint country (though they do a great rock/hillbilly instrumental piece called “Where’s Dixie?). His fellow band...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#602 in the Series) is The Little Willies, For the Good Times (Milking Bull) Those of you that have been Norah Jonesing for an encore to The Little Willies and their eponymous album that featured fun eclectic versions of classic country songs like “ I Gotta Get Drunk”  and “Nightlife” alongside the  masterpiece “Streets of Baltimore”, and a rousing original song that sings the praises of Lou Reed called, appropriately enough, “Lou Reed”,  need wait no more. This time around For The Good Times, the second release for the band that consists of Lee Alexander on bass, Jim Campilongo and Richard Julian on guitar, Dan Reiser on drums, and the incomparable Norah...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#597 in the Series) is The Bottle Rockets – Not So Loud: An Acoustic Evening with The Bottle Rockets (Bloodshot Records) As a life-long music fan, one of the things that truly excites me is discovering an act that while they may be very new to my sometimes ignorant ears, they have in reality been around quite a long time and have a body of work sometimes spanning a decade or more for me to devour.  Now don’t get me wrong I had Heard of The Bottle Rockets before and was fully aware that many people considered them to be one of the forefathers of the Americana and Alternative Country movements, but...

  One of the things that many music websites do this time of year is publish what they call “The Best Albums of year..blah blah blah.” All I have to say is, if you claim your list is a best of, then you better have heard every album that was released. I read a ton of these lists and I know for sure, these people are deciding on what is a best of and they haven’t come close to doing enough homework. Yes, we’re putting out a list as well. But we’re calling it our “Favorite Albums of 2011. I know darn well that I didn’t hear nearly enough to think that I what I have to say is...