When asked by No Depression to review this album, my initial reaction was “Bluegrass again? What more can you say about it?” Plinking banjo, thumping bass, and a good deal of yee-haw. Good fun, but often not much difference between one song/band […]
Having seized the figurative mic with 2015’s bluegrass take on The Who’s rock opera Tommy, The HillBenders continue their run of larceny on their 11-track follow-up by stealing the show. The Springfield, Missouri quintet’s eponymous fourth album further highlights the […]
Amy Ray’s new album Holler is meant to be played loud. Some of the tunes fly right out of their grooves, propelled by raucous, joyous, straight-ahead, guitar-fueled rhythms. Others shout, even amidst their gentle country vibe, about injustice and shake […]
Mike Farris is a soul man. And like all good soul men, his gospel roots show through. After a three-record run with The Screaming Cheetah Wheelies in the ’90s, Farris launched a gospel career in 2002. He fully exposed his […]
Mike Farris is a soul man. And like all good soul men, his gospel roots show through. After a three record run with the Screaming Cheetah Wheelies in the ’90s, Farris launched a gospel career in ’02. He fully exposed […]
Smack dab in the middle of Nicki Bluhm’s new album, To Rise You Gotta Fall, comes her slow-burning, plain-spoken, yet powerfully punchy version of Dan Penn’s soul-wrencher “I Hate You.” It’s the perfect moment on an album filled with reflections […]
The best prescription any doctor could write would require 30 days of daily doses of soul music (as the Young Rascals knew so well when they gave us “Good Lovin’ ”). The last couple of years have been great ones […]
Shannon McNally has been to hell and back, and her latest record Black Irish is a deeply personal account of that. Her bluesiest record yet, Black Irish shows McNally’s range as an artist – her ability to be soulful, sultry, […]
How does he love thee? Let us count the ways. Ron Sexsmith opens The Last Rider (out April 21 on Compass Records) knowing that whether it’s love or loss, “It Won’t Last for Long,” offering wistful, bittersweet solace. He loves […]
It’s been more than 30 years since the breakup of Men at Work, the band that brought Colin Hay global fame and a formidable number of hits. Their quirky new wave panache and goofy MTV videos aside, it was Hay’s […]
