Trevor Savory

SlowcoasterFuture RadioindieSlowcoaster may hail from Cape Breton, however it’s the west coast influence that adds the sizzle to Future Radio. This album contains more hooks than a tackle box. Fire up tracks “Eurotrash” or “Distance & Time” to see why these Cape Breton lads are indeed the future of radio.Trevor Savorycategories: Best of the year […]

OasisDon’t Believe the Truth(sony)Don’t Believe the Truth is the sixth studio release from the recently retooled Oasis — only the brothers Gallagher remain from the original lineup. As with the majority of Oasis’s previous releases, Don’t Believe the Truth is inconsistent; it lacks the ferocity with which Live Forever stormed North American shores and the […]

Ray Charles Genius Loves Company (Concord)Ray Charles was one of those rare artists who could transcend and leave his mark on any musical genre he touched. The posthumous release of his final (and aptly named) recording features Ray performing with such heavyweights as BB King, Van Morrison, Gladys Knight and Elton John. It’s on each […]

Billy TalentII(Warner)With the amount of time spent recording its sophomore album, aptly titled II, one would think that Billy Talent were going to come up with a new wheel. Unfortunately one of the more hotly anticipated albums of 2006 is burdened by the old adage if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. There is no […]

NasHip-Hop is Dead(Def Jam)Timing has never been the forte of Nas—his first album was released in the debut shadows of Puff Daddy and the Notorious BIG. Even with the anticipation surrounding Nas’ latest, he is again behind another pair of hotly anticipated discs, Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg. But if you hear Hip-Hop is Dead, you’ll […]

Hot Hot Heat Elevator (Sire)Victoria’s Hot Hot Heat has released the hotly anticipated follow-up to 2002’s Make Up the Breakdown, Elevator. What made that debut so fantastic was that it had a slew of tracks so insanely catchy (“Bandages,” “Talk to Me, Dance with Me,” “No, Not Now”) that they’d lodge themselves deep inside your […]

JadakissKiss of Death(Ruff Ryders/Interscope)Innovators (Outkast, Kanye West, Eminem) make hip-hop an interesting genre to invest time into. Then you have the imitators, like Jada, who don’t bring anything new—they simply want to linger in the nostalgia of their idols (Biggie Smalls). The guest list for Kiss of Death is extensive: Snoop, Nate Dogg, Mariah, Kanye […]

John MayerContinuum(Sony)After his massive success with sap singles “Your Body is a Wonderland” and “Daughters,” it would be hard not to see John Mayer as anything more than just another pop artist. But the formation of the John Mayer Trio helped Mayer scratch the creative itch that he felt was being neglected. Upon returning to […]

Shop BoyzRockstar Mentality(Universal)Much like the popcorn films on the screens at your local multiplex, there’s an equal number of brainless filler discs that storm the airwaves during the lull in the summer release schedule. The debut album from the Shop Boyz is every bit a filler disc—it will drop another pair of singles and then […]

Pearl JamRearviewmirror(Epic)Pearl Jam is one of the few bands to emerge from the ’90s unscathed. Even though they haven’t released a new album since ’02 (Riot Act), they’ve delivered a b-sides disc (Lost Dogs), a double live acoustic album (Live at Benroya Hall) and a great single in the form of “Man of the Hour.” […]