These albums are the ones that spoke to me in 2018. I hope you found a collection of songs or albums that moved your soul this year, too.
Category: Music Reviews

REVIEW: Ringo Starr acts like his naturally goofy self during a concert that brings the Beatles to Northwest Arkansas
The various members would take the lead for a song made popular by their original band, which meant we got to hear songs such as Africa, Evil Ways, Who Can It Be Now? and Down Under.

REVIEW: Slayer brings the heat in final tour, which also brings in four other metal acts to Rogers
When you’re being beaten over the head with a stick, you don’t always stop to ask what kind of wood it is. A Slayer show is a little like that, but with more fire.

REVIEW: Halsey brings provocative pop show to AMP on a scorching-hot Arkansas evening
Those at the show got to see Halsey push through her hits and adorn them with blasts of dramatic smoke, pyrotechnic charges and dancing.

REVIEW: Modest Mouse returns to a new world with same trademark weirdness
Maybe, just maybe, Modest Mouse liked their surroundings enough to come back again. And maybe it won’t be another 17 years before they do.

REVIEW: Janet Jackson offers a high-energy dance party to AMP crowd
The Walmart AMP booked a superstar for Friday night. And Jackson delivered the kind of marquee extravaganza that we always hope to see at our largest music venue.

REVIEW: Thirty Seconds to Mars uses energetic crowd to fuel their carnival-like live show
If you could assemble a concert from a do-it-yourself kit, the result might turn out something very much like what Thirty Seconds to Mars served to a crowd in Rogers.

REVIEW: Glitzy pop showcase by Kesha and Macklemore brings escapism and openness to the AMP
“You can be sensitive AND blast people with a confetti cannon, if that’s your dream.”

REVIEW: Ray LaMontagne opts for electricity at AMP show with Neko Case
LaMontagne’s change in dynamics is worth noting, depending on when you might have first heard his music. He’s doing what he wants.

The best albums of 2017 (that I listened to, anyway)
These are the albums that spoke to me. I hope you found some music to enjoy this year as well.

REVIEW: Kiss brings out their army and their fire for warmly ridiculous concert at the AMP
Kiss is growing into the mature, nostalgic phase of their career, but there’s no sign of it stopping, maybe just slowing a bit.

REVIEW: Roots Fest Day 4 (and final thoughts): Music and plans made on the fly
Fayetteville and Northwest Arkansas showed off with some delightful weather and large, engaged crowds at most events. The partnership this community has with the Roots Festival is a strong one, too. And we’re better off for having them here.

REVIEW: Roots Fest Day 2: More of the same, with different results
You just never know how a night of music will affect you, which is why we chase it from night to night. And thankfully, we have two more nights to chase.

REVIEW: Roots Fest opening night shines bright in a new location
We closed the first night of the 2017 edition of Roots Festival with full bellies, full hearts and a fuller representation of what the Roots Fest might grow to be.

REVIEW: Matchbox Twenty, 20 years after debut, embrace millennial nostalgia
Matchbox Twenty sounded very much like … Matchbox Twenty.