[rating=8.00] In his day job as front man for The Hold Steady, Craig Finn has fashioned himself as a performer flush with verbosity and the art of persuading all the
[rating=8.00] With twenty — yes, twenty! — releases to his credit thus far, Dan Bern somehow remains an undiscovered talent, a singer/songwriter whose music is so honest and evocative, it
[rating=8.00] Debut albums can be a tricky proposition. On the one hand, it’s essential to make an immediate impression. On the other, you don’t want to raise the bar too
[rating=7.00] Despite the somewhat ubiquitous handle — does a White Buffalo roam the musical plain or simply serve as some sort of monumental figurehead worthy of high praise? — Jake
[rating=6.00] Forlorn troubadours never seem to go out of vogue. Whether it’s a teen sensation wailing about losing a lover and crying in the chapel, or a forever downtrodden folkie
Make no mistake. Jackie Greene’s been very busy of late. Never mind the fact that the auspiciously named Back to Birth is his solo first album in five years. That’s
[rating=7.00] Sippie Wallace, Big Mama Thornton and Billie Holiday were among the female forebears who transformed the blues from a genre dominated mostly by men into a gender-breaking experience that
There’s an old show biz axiom that suggests there’s no such thing as an overnight success. However Dawes are in a good position to dispute that notion, and for good
[rating=7.00] Americana is a crowded field these days, as much or more so when it comes to those purveying tales of wonderment or woe while attempting to emulate the calico
[rating=7.00] There’s a good chance that most of the people reading this review have never heard of the bluegrass band that calls themselves Cornmeal. Weird band names seem to be
