Album Reviews

To celebrate their twentieth year the Lost Bayou Ramblers went big by releasing a documentary On Va Continuer! and an accompanying live album ASTEUR as they revel in their past but point towards the future via a mix of western swing, avant-garde sounds and of course their classic Cajun style. Recorded at a host of […]

Grammy-nominated Janiva Magness, rather surprisingly to many, covers John Fogerty, with songs from both Creedence Clearwater Revival and his solo career on Change in the Weather. Magness, who in recent years, became a songwriter in addition to a song interpreter, the latter of which built her storied career as one of today’s’ top singers in […]

The pairing of eight-time BMA-nominated, Indianapolis-based soul-blues singer Tad Robinson and Memphis’ Hi Rhythm Section just seemed inevitable. Few fits are more natural. On Real Street the singer/harmonicist Robinson tapped producer Scott Bomar (The Bo-Keys) and the legendary trio of Reverend Charles Hodges (Hammond B3), Leroy Hodges (bass), and Howard Grimes (drums). The unit is […]

The Lumineers obviously have a lot to live up to. Ever since they released their eponymous break-out album in 2012, they have been able to further their reputation as a mainstream folk-pop outfit with a decided penchant for garnering populist appeal. Their early hit “Ho Hey” practically lit up the airwaves, not to mention its […]

Multi-instrumentalists and indie-folk duo Mandy Fer and Dave McGraw are adventurous, exploring remote areas and islands of British Columbia while they reside in an off-the-grid kind of place themselves, San Juan Island in Washington. Their wanderlust and thirst for something new have resulted in a rather appropriate name for their new musical project, Sway Wild. […]

To those that know his work somewhat distantly or perhaps only through an occasional encounter, Gruff Rhys may appear to be a bit of an eccentric. Those more familiar with his past proceedings will recognize the fact that he tends to dig deeply into his Welsh roots. Both tendencies stem from his seminal efforts with […]

In 1989, Soundgarden hit the studio with an uncertain future. The band was dissatisfied with its full-length debut Ultramega OK and its lack of creative control over the final mix of the songs. After several failed attempts to rework the material, the band decided to cut its losses and focus on the next album, for […]

If you look at the history of music from blues to country, a lot of artists trace their musical beginnings to gospel music. The strange thing is that classic gospel music isn’t always easy to come by. You can probably find some on streaming services, but it’s harder to find albums of classic gospel sounds. […]

The debut full length from the Chicago based psych rockers Dead Feathers is a fantastic exploration of desert/retro rock as All Is Lost drips with trippy vibes. While other bands (Radio Moscow, Dead Meadow, Black Angels, etc) work in these same hazy realms, Dead Feathers has an ace up their sleeve. Frontwoman Marissa Allen breaks […]

The desert blues rebellion music of the Tuareg people of Saharan Africa has garnered its fair share of attention in recent times, and deservedly so. It’s fascinating, if tragic, political conflict in its own right; the Tuareg people seeking independence from the French Colonial states of Mali and Niger, and on that takes on an […]

The Milwaukee-based Altered Five Blues Band impressed enough of the right people with 2012’s Gotta Earn It to enlist Grammy-winning producer Tom Hambridge for the follow-up, and now the third straight time for Ten Thousand Watts, their fifth album beginning with their debut in 2002. Unlike many Hambridge projects, though, this band writes their own material. This original, contemporary group includes […]

Folk-rock singer-songwriter Ashley Sofia releases her sophomore album Shades of Blue, a thoughtful collection of songs on our common struggles and victories that connect us. Having been raised in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains, she now resides in Nashville and gathered some 17 musicians, according to the credits, for an album, long in the […]

In the latest Wannabe, artist Chris Prunckle offers his illustrated commentary on Love & The Dark, the new album from Americana rocker Jason Hawk Harris, in his signature six-panel comic strip form. Click on the image for full resolution (best viewed on desktop):

It does not in any way disparage Those Pretty Wrongs to state the band is channeling the spirit of the late lamented Big Star. After all, the drummer for that influential band, Jody Stephens, is one of the two principals of TPW, along with kindred spirit Luther Russell, the prolific West Coast musician/ producer. On […]

You could say that saxophonist, bandleader, and Joey DeFrancesco (Joey D.) sideman Troy Roberts is on a roll. He’s been busy but still found the time to issue his eleventh album as a leader, Days Like These. The album also marks a first for Roberts as a label owner, calling his brand Toy Robot Music. […]

The 20th Anniversary Edition of The Tennessee Fire features a markedly different My Morning Jacket lineup than the one in existence today (and since 2003’s It Still Moves). In fact, only chief composer, lead singer and guitarist Jim James and bassist Two-Tone Tommy (Blankenship) were present in the quartet for the group’s Darla Records debut […]

The legendary Canadians Ian Tyson and Sylvia Fricker met to years ago and thus began a storied career, both as a duo and as individuals. This project, Ian & Sylvia The Lost Tapes will be issued on September 6th, the day following their much anticipated induction as individual songwriters into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of […]

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chrissie Hynde decided to change up genres for her newest release. The cover album, titled Valve Bone Woe, finds her diving into one of her earliest loves, Jazz. Her voice and song selection work well, going over the top at times to nail the tune with all the requisite […]

Just two months before their iconic At Fillmore East, The Allman Brothers Band were at Bill Graham’s Fillmore West for an epic weekend, as the middle act between headliners Hot Tuna and the 24-piece opener Trinidad Tripoli Street band. The cover depicts a never seen photo of Duane Allman taken at these shows, from the […]

Somehow this concept seemed inevitable. The name itself conjures up the male supergroup of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson. These four ladies, though yet to the extent of those men, have attained plenty of stature in today’s country and Americana circles. The HIghwomen are a new collaborative movement formed by Brandi […]