Email Author Rob Patterson

1998 Stories by Rob Patterson

• Texas Music 1998: The Year That Wasn't

  published December 31, 1998

  Instead of taking a measured balance and declaring that '98 was maybe the best of years, yet the worst of years, let's cut to the chase -- this... More >>

• Rotation

  published December 17, 1998

  B.B. King Blues on the Bayou MCA More than any other performer, B.B. King has personified modern blues. At home and abroad,... More >>

• A Practical Angel

  published December 17, 1998

  With all the pre-millennial hooey about angels, let's not forget that real life, as screwy and base as it can seem these days, does indeed have... More >>

• Outsiders with Stamina

  published December 10, 1998

  "God Save The Kinks!" That was the rallying cry for years among diehard fans of the seminal British Invasion band that has hovered somewhere... More >>

• Motley Fools

  published December 3, 1998

  Motley Crue are certainly a band who are living up to the idea of rock and roll excesses, and then some. Drinking, debauchery and trashing hotel... More >>

• Keen on the Past

  published October 22, 1998

  Hey kids, it's another Robert Earl Keen album. Time to crack some brewskis, get rowdy and howl at the moon as you pilot that pickup toward some... More >>

• In the Clear

  published October 22, 1998

  Add Ian Moore's name to the growing list of artists who have graduated from the apparent grind of major-label commitments to working for... More >>

• Rotation

  published October 22, 1998

  Joni Mitchell Taming the Tiger Reprise It's another Joni Mitchell album, and here we go again with the hue and cry from the... More >>

• Rotation

  published October 8, 1998

  Lyle Lovett Step Inside This House Curb/MCA Alternate title: Step Inside Lyle's Aesthetic. All things considered, the... More >>

• Rotation

  published October 1, 1998

  Goo Goo Dolls Dizzy Up the Girl Warner Bros. My first clue that the Goo Goo Dolls had completely lost touch with their... More >>

• Family Style

  published October 1, 1998

  It could be the stuff Nashville wet dreams are made of: two strapping, handsome brothers from a Wild West small town in Texas, both of whom sing... More >>

• Weird Ways

  published September 3, 1998

  The Gourds have taken almost as much critical lip for their unsparingly eccentric ways as they've been praised for their timeless appreciation of... More >>

• Rotation

  published August 27, 1998

  Cracker Gentleman's Blues Virgin After the disappointing commercial showing of their last release, The Golden Age, it would be... More >>

• Spicy Proposition

  published August 20, 1998

  Young girls played a crucial role in the early success of the Beatles and Elvis Presley. Now, substitute the Spice Girls for either of those rock... More >>

• Rotation

  published August 6, 1998

  Liz Phair whitechocolatespaceegg Matador/Capitol Some might complain that marriage and motherhood have blunted Liz Phair's edge.... More >>

• Rotation

  published July 23, 1998

  Dave Alvin Blackjack David Hightone Some things get better with time and age -- like fine wine and Dave Alvin. As the chief... More >>

• Rotation

  published July 2, 1998

  Mo Thugs Family Mo Thugs Family Scriptures Chapter II: Family Reunion Mo Thugs/Relativity There's a groove of monotony that one... More >>

• Rotation

  published June 11, 1998

  Public Enemy He Got Game Def Jam Gangstarr Moment of Truth Noo Trybe If there is any value to the '80s... More >>

• Rotation

  published June 4, 1998

  Natalie Merchant Ophelia Elektra Don't be fooled by the perky, provocative "na, na, na"s and pillowy backbeat of "Kind and... More >>

• Under(ground) Achievers

  published May 28, 1998

  For most anyone with a taste for real country music, "Nashville sucks" is a convenient rallying cry, and a contention easily borne out by the... More >>

• Rotation

  published May 28, 1998

  George Jones It Don't Get Any Better Than This MCA Don Walser Down at the Sky-Vue Drive-In ... More >>

• Shades of Gay

  published May 21, 1998

  Last year, the Houston Gay & Lesbian Film Festival had its coming out -- in more than one sense. Not only was the fest's first year a debutante's... More >>

• Rotation

  published May 21, 1998

  Jeff Buckley Sketches (For My Sweetheart the Drunk) Columbia Anyone well-versed in the more senseless aspects of rock and roll... More >>

• Three from Texas

  published April 30, 1998

  Texas has long held a special place in the movies, serving as a backdrop for everything from B-movie westerns to cinematic events as varied as The... More >>

• Dream So Real

  published April 30, 1998

  No doubt about it, Todd Snider is -- to quote the title of one of his tunes -- an "All Right Guy." As a friend of mine once observed, "He's a... More >>