#885 - Paradise and Lunch, Ry Cooder

"Paradise and Lunch is filled with treasures which become part of a world where eras and styles converge without ever sounding forced or contrived...No matter when it was written or how it may have been done in the past, the tracks, led by Cooder's brilliant guitar, are taken to new territory where they can coexist...Eclectic, intelligent, and thoroughly entertaining, Paradise and Lunch remains Ry Cooder's masterpiece." (allmusic guide)

#884 - Robbie Robertson, Robbie Robertson

"Robbie Robertson isn't the masterpiece its creator was obviously striving towards, but it's an intelligent and often compelling set from an inarguably important artist, and it comes a good bit closer to capturing what made the Band's work so memorable than the latter-day efforts from Levon Helm and company." (allmusic guide)

#883 - McCartney, Paul McCartney

"Only a handful of songs rank as full-fledged McCartney classics, but those songs -- the light folk-pop of "That Would Be Something," the sweet, gentle "Every Night," the ramshackle Beatles leftover "Teddy Boy," and the staggering "Maybe I'm Amazed" (not coincidentally the only rocker on the album) -- are full of all the easy melodic charm that is McCartney's trademark." (allmusic guide)

#882 - All That We Let In, Indigo Girls

"Like the best Indigo Girls work, All That We Let In continually dwells on the dynamic of internal, emotional tumult and outward-looking, world-wondering fervor...(the album) proves Indigo Girls haven't lost a step even as they look back to their musical roots." (allmusic guide)



#881 - Dear Catastrophe Waitress, Belle & Sebastian

"Just when they seemed sure to fade away into twee-pop irrelevance, this obscure Scottish indie-pop act releases their strongest album in seven years. With lots of help from uber-commercial producer Trevor Horn, singer-songwriter Stuart Murdoch finally gets back to leading his band...It's their most diverse album by far, from the marching, uptempo(!) drums on "Step Into My Office Baby" (which sounds like Melanie meets Adam and the Ants) to the fractured, New Wave-organ-driven "Stay Loose" (the close as B&S has come to Talking Heads territory). What a nice surprise." (amazon editorial review)

#880 - Workers Playtime, Billy Bragg

"...The real strength of this 1988 collection lies in Bragg's songwriting. The album may boast the pedantic "Capitalism Is Killing Music," but Bragg's sense of humor is in evidence throughout. "Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards" mixes Mao with Mott the Hoople, while the heart-stopping sincerity of "The Short Answer" suffers not a whit for bringing up Karl Marx." (amazon editorial review)