Dan Kening

Johnny Heartsman The Touch (Alligator) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) To those critics who say all releases by Chicago`s Alligator Records sound the same, we submit as evidence Johnny Heartsman`s debut for the label....

Chris Smither Another Way to Find You (Flying Fish) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) 1/2 Bonnie Raitt has recorded Smither`s ''Love You Like a Man'' and ''I Feel the Same,'' but the East Coast...

The Commitments Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (MCA) (STAR)(STAR) As a film, Alan Parker`s ''The Commitments'' is a terrifically engaging story of a group of young Dubliners discovering and performing American...

Robbie Nevil Day 1 (EMI) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) 1/2 Those who remember Robbie Nevil`s slick, blue-eyed soul hit ''C`est La Vie'' from a few years ago may be surprised to find lots...

Lonnie Brooks Satisfaction Guaranteed (Alligator) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Chicago blues guitar stalwart Lonnie Brooks is practicing truth in advertising with the title of his first studio album in five years. And while...

Johnny Winter Let Me In (Point Blank) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) The original ''White Tornado'' returns with a strong outing that both reinforces his reputation as a world-class blues guitarist and indicates a...

Big Shoulders Nickel History (Rounder) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Probably no Chicago-based group paints with a fuller palette of American roots musical styles than Big Shoulders. And sometimes that`s their curse, as their...

Richard X. Heyman Hey Man! (Sire) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) ''Hey Man!'' features a revealing photo of Richard X. Heyman painting a scene from a recording studio. It`s a milieu he knows well,...

Subdudes Lucky (East West) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) From New Orleans by way of Colorado, frequent Chicago visitors the Subdudes achieve an appealingly folksy and homespun ambiance on their second album. ''Lucky'' is...

Christine Lavin, Patty Larkin, Megon McDonough, Sally Fingerett Live at the Birchmere (Philo) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) 1/2 Subtitled ''Life According to Four Bitchin` Babes,'' this album is the result of a joint...