Album Reviews

[rating=7.00] Colin Hay, best known for his role as the singer for the immensely popular Australian pop rock band Men At Work (“Down Under”, “Who Can It Be Now?” and “Overkill”) is back with a new solo album – Next Year People. It is crafty, well constructed and seemingly quite introspective. Produced by Hay and […]

[rating=8.00] “Quirky” is a word that has often been used to describe the North Carolina-based chamber/pop band, Bombadil. But their fifth studio release, Hold On (Ramseur Records), doesn’t include the kind of characters who have inhabited their previous releases. There are no circus animals like “Oto the Bear” from Tarpits and Canyonlands or a philosophizing […]

[rating=9.00] Ol’ Glory provides vigorous affirmation—as if any was needed—of the level  of sophistication to which JJ Grey and Mofro have progressed from their days as an earthy little swamp blues band. Collaboration with long-time producer Dan Prothero, a road-honed band with real muscle and some contributions from kindred spirits in the form of Luther […]

[rating=8.00] There’s timelessness in the music of Appalachia: the haunting sonnets of lost love, the revenge-fueled murder ballads that resonate across the ages. From the English maritime shanties that birthed them, through the 20st century collections of Harry Smith and Alan Lomax and into the present day, these songs have remained relevant. On Seasonal Hire, […]

[rating=9.00] The bombastic new record from The King Khan and BBQ Show is a thrilling blast, and will definitely make you realize how much you missed this whacky, dynamic duo. Canadian punk rockers with a deep appreciation for vintage soul, garage rock and doo-wop, King Khan and BBQ (Mark Sultan) have been making music together […]

[rating=7.00] It has been seven years since Swedish songwriter Jose Gonzalez’s last solo album, though he has been far from idle in the meantime. Recording two albums with Junip – his duo with Tobias Winterkorn – and touring with both acts, Gonzalez has continued to hone his craft.  Vestiges & Claws, Gonzalez’s third solo album, […]

[rating=9.00] If you’re familiar with Water Liars, than you know the sheer power of their gorgeous vocal harmonies. And one of those voices is the supremely talented songwriter and musician Andrew Bryant. Bryant’s planted his roots in Mississippi, where the landscape and lifestyle clearly influence his sound. As the drummer for Water Liars, he is […]

[rating=9.00] Using his trademark acoustic guitar as his canvas, Texas singer-songwriter James McMurtry dabs banjo, mandolin, slide guitar, organ and harmonies throughout the tracks making his ninth studio release, Complicated Game, perhaps his best. The album is the perfect mix of stark, dark ballads, toe-tapping ditties and magical musical tours. Lyrically McMurtry’s words beautify the […]

[rating=8.00] Even though Bob Dylan’s Shadows in the Night may not wholly please die-hard fans or satisfy the curiosity of dilettantes, his latest studio album is already one of the most noteworthy records in his lengthy discography. Comprised of material closely associated with the archetypal crooner Frank Sinatra, these ten tracks are the definition of […]

[rating=6.00] Martin Sexton never does anything that doesn’t come naturally. Mixtape of the Open Road is as intuitive and organic as anything he’s done in his career of over two decades, yet the album is unique among his works. Sexton’s sound has remained essentially unchanged since the Clinton years, so it’s nice to hear him […]

[rating=8.00] Thanks to the new record from Phosphorescent, you can experience his live show from the comfort of your own home. Live at the Music Hall was recorded over four sold out nights at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY in December 2013, following the release of his last record, Muchacho. 19 tracks […]

[rating=8.00] 2015 is shaping up to be a pretty big year for Steve Earle, with both a forthcoming memoir and his new record Terraplane, recorded with frequent collaborators The Dukes. Terraplane is an almost full-on foray into the blues, an area in which we know Earle is comfortable, but which we haven’t seen him delve […]

[rating=8.00] The easy going picking that begins “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” on Jorma Kaukonen’s latest solo album, Ain’t No Hurry, is perfectly in keeping with its title even as it belies how prolific Kaukonen has been in recent years. This is the guitarist’s fourth record under his own name since the […]

[rating=10.00] To those who have not yet jumped on the high-speed train that JD McPherson is driving, don’t waste one more minute. We were pretty certain he was a force to be reckoned with after 2012’s Signs and Signifiers, but with his new record Let the Good Times Roll, there’s no question. A modern soul […]

[rating=7.00] Near the close of the 1990’s and at the peak of their success, the gentlemen of 6 String Drag packed up their instruments and called it a day. Although respectively hailing from various Southeastern locales, the group called Raleigh, North Carolina their home, and for a few years proved to be one of the […]

[rating=8.00] Until fairly recently only fans of the Carolina Chocolate Drops knew that the group’s multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Rhiannon Giddens had one of the most amazing voices in the contemporary music world. That all started to change in 2013 when Giddens sent jaws dropping with her stand out performance at a star studded New York City concert […]

[rating=8.00] Once the Dodos wrapped recording on 2013’s Carrier, the San Francisco duo realized that they still had a lot more to say. Wanting to capture the momentum, they immediately began laying tracks for their sixth album, Individ. After spending their first several years crafting their distinct and instantly recognizable sound and the last few […]

[rating=8.00] On his debut album for Paradise of Bachelors label, North Carolina’s Jake Xerxes Fussell has assembled a fascinating and often sublime collection of songs adapted from the songbook of obscure, near-forgotten and amazing old-time music. A native of Georgia, Fussell has spent a thorough portion of his life discovering and unearthing these old tunes. […]

[rating=8.00] As somewhat of a chameleon, Josh Tillman can be a daunting character for fans and critics to examine. His snarky quips and blunt provocations contrast often with his gleaming sincerity and rapt attention to the complexities and confusion of our 21st century lives. “White people problems” as the kids these days say, can often […]

[rating=8.00] Paul Kelly’s extraordinary gifts as a songwriter are rooted in a musical expertise, virtues that  turn what was originally a series of 7-inch singles released into a full length album that’s deeply affecting from start to finish. On The Merri Soul Sessions, a gracious humility allows Kelly to become part of a band populated […]