Blog Posts by Dave DiMartino

Just as his longtime musical idol Edgard Varèse once noted, "The present day composer refuses to die," Frank Zappa--the enormously talented musician whose classic works as a solo artist and with his earlier band the Mothers Of Invention--lives on well past his untimely death.

Zappa, who would have turned 70 last Dec. 21, was commemorated memorably at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles Thursday night by a trio of associates that knew him extremely well--drawing a crowd of longtime fans and younger acolytes who were eager to hear more about the man and the wealth of inspirational music he created and left behind.

Central speaker of the night --officially billed "S'Talking Zappa"--was his longtime wife Gail Zappa, whose obvious regard for her late husband surfaced repeatedly during her emotional recollections of his legacy through the course of the night. Onstage with her at the intimate gathering were Zappa associates Todd Yvega, a computer music specialist who worked at length with the

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you may have noticed: Typically, when I run down the week's most relevant album releases, I tend to start with the "big guns," give lip service to the mid-level artists, then peter out endlessly, seemingly by whim!

It's almost as if I simply stopped caring--and imply, however subtly, that you should too!

If only it were that simple!

Frankly, like most good things, this blog ends each week when I can't stand it anymore, decide to put a lid on it, and run to the bathroom!

This week I've decided to change tactics, somewhat! I'll start with new albums that mean the most to me personally, move on to the "big guns," then--just for kicks--see if I can actually stay awake!

Radio Dept.: Passive Aggressive Singles (2002-2010) (Labrador Sweden)  Imagine a world where the very best music out there is being created by artists you very rarely hear about! It could happen! Now imagine that a fabulous band's singles--both A-sides and B-sides--have been

Earlier this evening, the results of this year's so-called "Pazz & Jop Poll"--the yearly survey of the world's most astute music critics--were revealed, and I couldn't be happier!

For those who don't know, the distinguished Village Voice periodical, a print newsweekly, regularly asks the world's 9,554 most respected music critics to vote for what they consider to be each year's best new releases and--incredibly--they do!

Though I wasn't able to publish my choices for 2010's best albums at Y! Music this year--unexpectedly, I was buying a protein bar at my neighborhood 7/11 that week--I did manage to supply the Voice with my long-awaited ballot, and it can be found here!

Predictably, within the last hour or so, I've received roughly 5,000 apologetic missives from my fellow music critics, most of which offer up tired excuses for "overlooking" my keen selections--"how the heck do you do it?" asked the latest and most typical, received a scant two minutes ago--and subtly hint that

Happy New Year, faithful readers!

Sorry to have been absent for so long, but let's get down to brass tacks: Exactly one week ago, I was sitting in this very chair, preparing to write my first blog post of 2011, and I discovered that the week's only new release was by some ukulele player named Jake!

And if I just wrote about that--and made the rest, unthinkably, filler--would I really be doing any of us a good turn?

But, to be fair--most of all to Jake, for whom I assume album release schedules really aren't in his control--let's get last week's blog out of the way:

Jake Shimabukuro: Peace Love Ukelele (Mailboat)  A single listening to this hot platter makes one thing abundantly clear: Everything's jake!

Whew! Done deal! So let's begin the New Year by offering up even more of the criticism that has made this blog a favorite of readers around the world and elsewhere!

Cake: Showroom Of Compassion (Upbeat)  I'd be the last guy in the world to argue with the label's product

With less than two weeks left until Christmas day, it's a sure thing that this week's new releases are either albums that just slipped in under the wire, were much-delayed, or were simply released because consumer demand for them was so high!

Or perhaps they were released despite their sales potential--issued purely because today's well-wishing, philanthropic record labels felt they should be issued regardless of their commercial reception!

And of course, it does none of us any good to envision a darkened room on the East Coast in which a smoking, sweaty accountant wearing a sun visor nervously mutters, "Aw, why bother--let's put everything we've got out there so we at least we can last through Q2 or so!"

That would imply record companies were out to make a buck rather than to serve man!

And where's your holiday spirit?

Crystal Bowersox: Farmer's Daughter (19 Recordings)  Depicted at right on her album cover--well, hold on a minute, to be truly accurate, second-from-left--Ms.

The latest entrant in the burgeoning field of actresses who double as recording artists has conspicuously arrived--and guess what?

She's good!

The actress in question is, of course, Gwyneth Paltrow, star of Country Strong, which opens in theaters nationally on January 7th. In the film, Paltrow stars as "a fallen, emotionally unstable country star" attempting to reignite her singing career by--in a clever twist--actually singing! And she does exactly that in Country Strong, acquitting herself admirably, by our count.

Paltrow's "side career" shouldn't be news to anyone with access to a television: Her recent vocalizing appearances on both the CMAs and Glee were conspicuous and--considering their timing--not a bad way to promote a film just about to open that also stars Tim McGraw.

[Rewind: Megan Fox stars in Eminem video]

Surprisingly, in these cynical times, most viewers, music lovers and even music critics have given Paltrow's efforts the thumbs up. And maybe part of her good fortune

The holiday season is upon us, and there are only a few weeks before the end of the year!

So now's the time for record labels to fire their last shots, to offer up their best-ever--their last hope to make a few much needed bucks, before their employees hitchhike home, paychecks in pocket, to buy some gas and finally move their cars out of the driveway! If they haven't been repossessed, of course!

Luckily, the quality of this week's releases may be sufficient to save the industry for yet another year--offering everyone at least a few weeks to stay at home and evaluate all those practices that perhaps have placed them in the perilous position, to see the error of their ways, and make sure that it never happens again and that 2011 is their best year ever!

Similarly, the sun may rise in the west, pigs may finally reveal the ability to take flight at their whim, and Santa Claus may be irked about having to transport vinyl reissues he's been re-delivering for two decades now when he can

I think it's safe to say that I've never written this blog while listening to any album by the Black Eyed Peas, let alone the brand new one!

And I've never been so excited in my life!

It strikes me now that my usual writing habits--listening to obscure jazz and classical music that is generally lyricless to allow the words to flow--often lend my prose a detached and at times emotionless style! And that's no good!

So after a great vacation, hitting the stores during the post-Black Friday weekend and actually seeing the guy behind me purchasing a new album--the new Kanye West, if it matters--I decided it might be a good idea to get caught up in the music I was purporting to review for once!

And coincidentally...it's the same week the new album by Soulja Boy has arrived!

The Black Eyed Peas: The Beginning (Interscope)  One can't deny that listening to a new album by the Black Eyed Peas may rank up there with the most important life-changing events there are, and The Beginning ranks