Ken Tucker

Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson returns with his first solo album. Ken Tucker says Wilson has held onto the innocence associated with his old bands' early album. That said, it's impossible to separate the music from the bizarre media narrative of Wilson's personal life.

Ken Tucker recommends the home video release of Near Dark, a vampire movie directed and cowritten by Kathryn Bigelow. Dark Eyes and Wall Street are also worth watching.

Patti Smith returns with Dream of Life, her first album in nearly a decade. Rock critic Ken Tucker says her mix of avant-garde lyrics and working-class populism may make her America's John Lennon, but she uses up her best ideas too quickly.

Rock critic Ken Tucker has seen most of the heavy metal acts on the package tour's bill. He admires Metallica and the Scorpions; Van Halen has its merits, but he says Dokken and Kingdom Come are bland. Collectively, the bands' popularity shows that metal is a genre that should't be ignored -- though Tucker prefers to enjoy it from the comfort of his own home.

Critic Ken Tucker's disappointment in a VHS guide to blackjack dashed his dreams of becoming a professional gambler. At least he can recommend some solid home video releases to watch this summer.

Critical darling Marti Jones's new album is a clear, straightforward declaration of her talents, says rock critic Ken Tucker. Yet it's her vagueness that makes her so interesting.

Rock Critic Ken Tucker reviews "I'm Real," the new album by JAMES BROWN, the self-proclaimed "Godfather of Soul."

Ken Tucker reviews a new series of video cassettes that solve the problem of watching subtitled foreign films at home. The series is a joint venture by Sony and the Japan Society, and the films are classics of Japanese cinema, including the thriller "Stray Dog" and the comedy of manners "Early Summer."

Rock Critic Ken Tucker reviews "Vivid," the debut album by the black rock group Living Colour.

Rock Critic Ken Tucker reviews "Down in the Groove," the new album by Bob Dylan.