zBoneman.com -- Home Music Reviews
2008 Music Reviews
2007 Music Reviews
2006 Music Reviews
2005 Music Reviews
2004 Music Reviews
2003 Music Reviews
2002 Music Reviews
2001 Music Reviews
2000 Music Reviews
1999 Music Reviews
1998 Music Reviews
zBoneman on Rotten Tomatoes
"Consider The Birds" by Wovenhand

"Consider The Birds" by Wovenhand

Consider the Birds is singer-songwriter Wovenhand's third recording and it is the most difficult sort of album to review. David Eugene Edwards is Wovenhand for all intents and purposes and though this latest release isn't exactly for the birds, (in it's own way it's quite good) for reasons I'll soon... [More]

Written By: The Boneman
"Romantic Wealth" by Lorene Drive

"Romantic Wealth" by Lorene Drive

Even though their name suggests mellow emo-ness and they're not as big as some of their counterparts, it must be made clear that Lorene Drive definitely is not the average band you'd lump together with all the lesser-known emo/pop-punk bands out there that all seem to sound alike. These guys are up... [More]

Written By: Doug Radunich
"Matches and Gasoline" by Chacon

"Matches and Gasoline" by Chacon

It's amazing how sometimes the most obscure and unheralded acts in modern rock are often some of the best. I don't even know if Chacon is a band or if it's just one guy, but I all I can say is that this album is good from top to bottom and that's an understatement. I guess I like this album so much... [More]

Written By: Doug Radunich
"Sitting Around Keeping Score" by Spymob

"Sitting Around Keeping Score" by Spymob

These guys sound like they're straight from the early 80's, much in the style of Hall & Oates or Todd Rundgren. In fact, they kinda sound like what Ben Folds Five would have sounded like if they'd recorded in the early 80's. They've got the melody and humor of many Ben Folds songs, but their sound d... [More]

Written By: Doug Radunich
"Visitor" by onelinedrawing

"Visitor" by onelinedrawing

When I first heard that Jonah Matranga from the highly-underrated band Far (who was in my opinion one of the most original-sounding alternative bands of the late 90's) cut a solo acoustic album, I knew it wouldn't be your average singer/songwriter sound-alike record. In fact, instead of coming off l... [More]

Written By: Doug Radunich
"From One" by Ra

"From One" by Ra

Ra is another one of those "guilty-pleasure" nu-metal bands that you can't help but like because of their certain tight, catchy songs. In fact, sometimes their songs are so catchy you might even label them as "adult-oriented" metal. Songs like the opener, "Do you Call my Name," with its singalong wa... [More]

Written By: Doug Radunich
"Paint Your Blood" by The Treats

"Paint Your Blood" by The Treats

The Treats are yet another unknown independent band whose music makes you wonder why they haven't broken through in a big way. On Paint Your Blood, they cover a wide array of styles from punk to country, and they do all of it pretty well while still keeping their unpolished, under-produced indie-roc... [More]

Written By: Doug Radunich
"Various Artists" by Burning London: The Clash Tribute

"Various Artists" by Burning London: The Clash Tribute

The one thing about tribute albums is that no matter how hard the covering artists try, they can never top or even match the original versions of the songs they're covering. There are exceptions to this rule, but rare they are. In any case the rule is painfully obvious on "Burning London: The Clash... [More]

Written By: Doug Radunich
"Come Clean" by Puddle of Mudd

"Come Clean" by Puddle of Mudd

Puddle of Mudd will go down as being one my all-time top guilty-pleasure bands. Probably the band that I'd be the most embarrassed to have my friends discover in my player. Sure, they may lack originality and sound like every other post-grunge band to come down the pike since 1994 - but they sure h... [More]

Written By: Doug Radunich
"A Demonstration of Intellectual Property" by Mellowdro...

"A Demonstration of Intellectual Property" by Mellowdrone

Mellowdrone is seriously one the best indie-rock acts I've heard in a long time. The great thing about them is the fact that they have no singular sound. They're able to go all over the place and dabble with all sorts of different styles. The first track, "Tinylittle," sounds like a guitar and mini-... [More]

Written By: Doug Radunich
"The Lonely Position of Neutral" by Trust Company

"The Lonely Position of Neutral" by Trust Company

Trust Company is another one of those bands where you hate to label them as "Nu-Metal" because they're so much better than all the other bands they've been categorically lumped in with. Some may even compare their music to that of Linkin Park, but judging by the hard-hitting first track, "Downfall,... [More]

Written By: Doug Radunich
"Songs About Jane" by Maroon 5

"Songs About Jane" by Maroon 5

Much like John Mayer, Maroon 5 was another pop-radio act I'd written off because of their popularity with the young teenybopper crowd and their semi-cheesy hit singles, but have since gained a grudging respect for. Seriously these guys are pretty damn good - no matter what you may think. Again like... [More]

Written By: Doug Radunich
"Just Tryin

"Just Tryin

Judging by his not-so-serious MC name, one might assume that southern rapper Devin the Dude is a pop-rap artist in the style of one of P. Diddy's protégés or a sometimes-unoriginal rap artist in the style of one of the Cash Money Millionaires. However, this guy definitely has much better lyrics, muc... [More]

Written By: Doug Radunich
"La Musica Negra" by Verbena

"La Musica Negra" by Verbena

Verbena could be classified now as another one of those bands joining the ranks of The White Stripes, The Strokes, The Vines and The Hives in bringing the garage-style rock sound to the mainstream, even though they've been around since the mid-90's. The only difference with Verbena is that they als... [More]

Written By: Doug Radunich
"Room For Squares" by John Mayer

"Room For Squares" by John Mayer

For the longest time, I had always written John Mayer off as just another young, heartthrob singer/songwriter suitably groomed for pop radio. It wasn't until I heard the whole album of "Room for Squares" that I changed my mind. With the exception of the too-catchy-to-hate "No Such Thing," pretty m... [More]

Written By: Doug Radunich