Dan Kening

Shawn Colvin Cover Girl (Columbia) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Shawn Colvin is one of the most celebrated "new folk" singer-songwriters of the last few years, having garnered a Grammy for her 1990 debut...

When folk maverick Michelle Shocked takes the stage Sunday at Orchestra Hall backed by members of Ireland's Hothouse Flowers, she'll be unveiling songs from her new "Kind Hearted Woman" album,...

This Picture City of Sin (Arista) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) 1/2 With so many marginal acts in rock 'n' roll being hyped way beyond their actual merit, it would be a shame if...

Trends come and go in rock music with the frequency of passing CTA buses, but artists who stay true to the very essence and spirit of early rock 'n' roll...

The 57-city BudFest tour that hits the Rosemont Horizon Sunday has an overabundance of good sounds and fresh grooves for fans of R&B and hip-hop. Among the acts is Chicago...

If any singer epitomized the pop sound of the mid- to late '70s, it was Boz Scaggs. His huge-selling "Silk Degrees" album was as much a part of the period...

JACKOPIERCE Bringing on the Weather (A & M) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) 1/2 Collectively known as JACKOPIERCE, the Dallas-based duo of Jack O'Neill and Cary Pierce has already sold close to 50,000 copies...

If each critical rave equaled a thousand record sales, singer-songwriter Jules Shear would easily be selling in the platinum range. As it is, after half-a-dozen solo albums as well as...

Michael Smith Time (Flying Fish) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Fresh from his triumphant autobiographical musical "Michael, Margaret, Pat and Kate" at the Victory Gardens Theatre, Chicago's preeminent singer-songwriter returns with perhaps his finest...

If you're going to Harry Connick Jr.'s concert Saturday at the World Music Theatre expecting to hear him croon standards like "It Had To Be You" or "Don't Get Around...