Brad Webber

Clannad Lore (Atlantic) (star) (star) (star) Irish quartet Clannad--the team of siblings Maire and Ciaran Brennan, and their uncles, acoustic guitarists Noel and Padraig Duggan--whips up mysticism and a mesmerizing...

Tears for Fears Raoul and the Kings of Spain (Epic) (star) (star) (star) Tears for Fears creative steamroller Roland Orzabal tinkers with an autobiographical theme--he's one-fourth Spanish--on his second album...

Jimmy Buffett Barometer Soup (MCA/Margaritaville) (star) (star) (star) Attracting their own loony following, Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band are a bit like the lamented Grateful Dead, except of...

Ali Campbell Big Love (Virgin)(star) (star) (star) One could find far more genuine articles of reggae than UB40. True, the band has pulled pop twists into the tropical syncopation of...

Natalie Merchant Tigerlily (Elektra) (star) (star) 1/2 Natalie Merchant provides the template for coffee-shop singers from Bangor to Ensenada, but "Tigerlily," the former 10,000 Maniacs fulcrum's first solo recording, proves...

Maire Brennan Misty Eyed Adventures (Atlantic) (star) (star) (star) 1/2 If Maire Brennan's work as a singer with her brothers in the Irish folk combo Clannad weren't enough to distinguish...

Brian Culbertson Modern Life (Bluemoon) (STAR) (STAR) (STAR) DePaul University music student Brian Culbertson now has two records under his belt and the funked-up "Modern Life" shows the maturity of...

Human League Octopus (eastwest) (star) (star) Just when you think it's time to write an obituary for Euro-synth pioneers Human League, the trio re-emerges with a disc and a single...

Poole Alaska Days (SpinART) (star) (star) (star) 1/2 If Poole, a combo from Burke, Va., dredged up any sweeter, boy-meets-girl-tries-to-impress-girl love songs, they would make Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory look...

Julian Schnabel Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud (Island) (star) (star) (star) While it is not unheard of figures from other creative arenas adding popular music to their palette (Andy...