Dan Kening

Johnny Clegg & Savuka Heat, Dust and Dreams (Capitol) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) America has R.E.M., Ireland has U2 and Australia has Midnight Oil, all serving as their respective country's musical voices of...

Beausoleil La Danse de la Vie (Forward) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) 1/2 In between the traditional two-steps and the slow waltzes we've come to expect, leader Michael Doucet and company offer up a...

Billy Dean Fire in the Dark (Liberty) (STAR)(STAR) 1/2 Many recording artists stumble on their sophomore effort. For Billy Dean it's album No. 3-"Fire In the Dark"-that is problematic. Blessed...

Tragically Hip Fully Completely (MCA) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) A shrink would have a field day with the Tragically Hip's vocalist-lyricist Gordon Downie, whose songs on the Canadian quintet's third American album are...

Iguanas The Iguanas (Margaritaville) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) The ultimate roadhouse band? New Orleans' Iguanas can make a pretty good claim to that title based on their fine debut album for Jimmy Buffett's...

Dave Uhrich Dave Uhrich (Red Light) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) 1/2 Dave Uhrich just may be the first Chicago-spawned guitar hero since Mike Bloomfield back in the '60s. Uhrich's self-titled instrumental debut album...

Billy Burnette Coming Home (Capricorn) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Billy Burnette returns to his country roots with the appropriately titled "Coming Home." Fresh from a six-year career detour with the post-Lindsey Buckingham Fleetwood...

Chris Kowanko Kowanko (Morgan Creek) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Add to the list of idiosyncratic singer-songwriters one Chris Kowanko, whose debut album, "Kowanko," paints him as a diamond in the rough. Quirky lyrics...

Jennifer Berezan Borderlines (Flying Fish) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) She may not have the major record label muscle behind her that highly-touted singer-songwriters Shawn Colvin and Tori Amos have, but Jennifer Berezan's "Borderlines"...

Joanna Connor Fight (Blind Pig) (STAR)(STAR) It's been three years since Chicago blues-rocker Joanna Connor's auspicious debut album, "Believe It." In the interim the guitarist-vocalist often compared to a young...