compared to what

Last summer, I bought Bill Wither’s Just as I am with the idea that I would somewhat systematically make sure I’d heard every late, great album I’d missed on the first pass. The big hit of this album was Ain’t No Sunshine, but it’s also the source of Hope She’ll Be Happier. I never got [...]

It’s got a plot that’s rolling paper thin, but in some ways, that works in its favor. The boy meets girl story of “Across the Universe” is just a stringing device to link every 60’s cultural and political touchstone imaginable. But the (generally) well-done Beatles covers and whacked-out staging save it from being just [...]