Ken Tucker

After a series of flops, David Bowie returns with a new band called Tin Machine. Rock critic Ken Tucker says they've succeeded in making some very dumb music. He suggests passing on their debut album and checking out the Royal Crescent Mob's Spin the World instead.

Critic Ken Tucker reviews a three-tape release of The Milton Berle Show, a classic variety program known for featuring prominent jazz musicians, among others. Tucker says that some of the humor doesn't hold up, but it's easy to see why Berle was successful.

Rock critic Ken Tucker says the group's first collaboration with country artists, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, breathed new life into their music. The second volume of that effort is less focused, with a strange and haphazard assortment of collaborators.

The Fresh Air critic reviews a new home video called Incredible Self-Confidence, which claims it can inspire viewers through hypnotism. Tucker says it doesn't quite succeed, but is relaxing nonetheless.

Critic Ken Tucker, a big fan of rap music, missed the theatrical release of Run D.M.C.'s film. He had high hopes it might capture the spirit of black action movies of the 1970s; but after watching the home video release, Tucker says the movie failed to live up to its promise.

Rock critic Ken Tucker says the pop star rails against commercialism -- despite the fact that his success depends on it. But it's the music on Big Daddy -- moreso than the lyrics -- that best coveys Mellencamp's anti-pop message.

There has been spate of recent albums from artists who've long been out of the public eye. Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews new efforts by Dion, Phoebe Snow, and Donny Osmond.

Critic Ken Tucker says the new video Bugs & Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons is a delightful reminder of the wry ways Americans dealt with their emotions during World War II.

Ken Tucker says Petty's first album without his backing band, Full Moon Fever, makes him proud to be an American -- it's a fine, mainstream rock album.

Ken Tucker returns with his latest countdown of noteworthy songs. His list features Roachford, Peter Case, Tim Finn, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Elvis Costello.