zBoneman.com -- Home Music Reviews
zBoneman on Rotten Tomatoes
"The Miseducation of Lauren Hill" by Lauren Hill

"The Miseducation of Lauren Hill" by Lauren Hill

"The Joy of My World Is In Zion," no not a lyric from a local hymn book, but the title of a song dedicated to her new baby boy, "Zion." The song recounts the strong pressure Lauryn (23) encountered from "the money people" to abort her pregnancy for the sake of her career. Not only did Lauryn deliv... [More]

"This Desert Life" by Counting Crows

"This Desert Life" by Counting Crows

After a two year break from touring, and three years since the release of Recovering The Satellites, the boys are back together to give us This Desert Life. The latest release by these Southern California natives is filled with the same kind of thoughtful, folky magic that has made the band one of... [More]

"Underneath" by The Verve Pipe

"Underneath" by The Verve Pipe

Since their last album 1996' Villains (you might remember their somewhat forgettable single "Freshman") I'd all but given up on these guys. I figured they broke up after being upstaged by The Verve's Urban Hymns--but as The Verve is now history, The Verve Pipe is back and their new album Underneath... [More]

"Agaetis Byrjun" by Sigur Ros

"Agaetis Byrjun" by Sigur Ros

Sigur Ros, pronounced "Sigger Ross" are from Iceland, which isn't really a country at all, rather a colony set up by an alien race years ago (just look at Bjork). This being the case it's more than safe to say that the music they produce is, well, unique. Horn sections, string arrangements, organs... [More]

"Time

"Time

After the one-two punch of Come On, Come On, and Stones In the Road, I couldn't have been a bigger fan of Mary CC. As a lyricist and a storyteller, she knows few peers, and although she's considered a Country act, her music transcends genres and weaves tunefully thoughtful spells that make it truly... [More]

"Present" by Angelique

"Present" by Angelique

You'd probably go broke if you rushed out and purchased every CD I've been giving four stars lately. I just figure since I only write about a couple of them a month, I might as well scout out something interesting and good, that you may've never heard anything about otherwise. It's not like I stra... [More]

"The Midnight Blues" by Wynton Marsalis

"The Midnight Blues" by Wynton Marsalis

Most people probably know Wynton Marsalis as the brother of Branford, the former bandleader for Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. What most people probably don't realize is that Wynton has a remarkable resume of his own. He signed his first record contract at the age of 19, he has released more albums... [More]

"Godzilla: The Album" by Godzilla: The Album

"Godzilla: The Album" by Godzilla: The Album

First of all, if you haven't seen the new Godzilla movie yet, don't! However, if you haven't heard the soundtrack, you probably should. Contending as one of the best soundtracks of the year, Godzilla offers some awesome tracks by some monstrous contributors. (Of course, it's only June, and The X-... [More]

"Long Walk Back" by Junior Brown

"Long Walk Back" by Junior Brown

Junior Brown is a pretty cool cowpoke. Any country musician who runs around in a suit with a cowboy hat that's curled up on all sides deserves my respect. It almost seems like he's mocking that which he endorses. If this is the case, my hat's off to him. Junior doesn't fit into today's pret... [More]

"Big Backyard Beat Show" by BR-549

"Big Backyard Beat Show" by BR-549

While BR5-49 is certainly one of the more refreshing products to sneak out the side door of the Nashville "Clone-of-the-month" Manufacturing Co.--I'm troubled to report that their sophomore release, Big Backyard Beat Show, is a bit of a disappointment. The formula is pretty much unchanged, (rockabi... [More]

"Transister" by Transister

"Transister" by Transister

The debut effort from the Brit-trio Transister, (pronounced "sister"--you see, the singer is a girl), is well worth owning. About half of the songs owe a pretty big nod to Garbage--Keely coats her bitter diatribes with the same kind of saccharin sweet lilt that made Poe's "Angry Johnny" such a trea... [More]

"The Daddy of Them All" by Space Monkeys

"The Daddy of Them All" by Space Monkeys

Well they are British. They get an automatic three just for that--right? I guess I'm kidding, but it does seem that even the most mediocre Brit-bands are far more talented than most good bands on this side of the pond. Granted they're all starting to sound a bit generic--offering up garden v... [More]

"In it For the Money" by Supergrass

"In it For the Money" by Supergrass

The other night I was on the last leg of my drive back from work, only moments from home, when I realized I'd forgotten my Supergrass CD at the office--after an illegal U turn and another half hour of driving I made it home. The last album I felt this strongly about was that band that starts with a... [More]

"Stephen Malkmus" by Stephen Malkmus

"Stephen Malkmus" by Stephen Malkmus

Malkmus--it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. There's a pretty good chance you've never heard of the Malkman, nor the Band he fronted throughout most of the 90's--critic's main-squeeze and Indie faves Pavement. Just to get you up to speed, Steve was the reluctant-yet quintessential Prince/Poster... [More]

"Rated R" by Queens of the Stone Age

"Rated R" by Queens of the Stone Age

These guys rock pretty hard and they do it all over the place. It's almost impossible to pigeon-hole Queens into any category--they don't fit in to any genre very comfortably--all I know is they make music that I like. They play an array of crunchy power-chord stuff that breaks away into flights of... [More]