One might be tempted to say that the My Black Country album, released in conjunction with Alice Randall’s memoir of the same name, is timed well. Close on the heels of Beyoncé’s first foray into country music with the release […]
Teenagers are basically just giant toddlers. Usually we say this with a chuckle. It helps us wrap our heads around the baffling, illogical things teenagers say and do (or forget to do … ). Will Hoge, however, sees the toddler […]
Discovering a performer with a big voice can be a special kind of thrill. Think young Connie Smith in the ’60s, early Neko Case in the ’90s, or whoever gives you a buzz. There’s something uniquely exhilarating about encountering a […]
Alex Harris’ shoes don’t fit in the footprints of most soul singers. His steps have led him into philanthropist territory as well as singer-songwriter domains with his nonprofit Arts Conservatory for Teens, which helps prepare at-risk young people for higher […]
You almost certainly know this already, but life is full of ups and downs, transcendent highs and profound lows. Or as Leyla McCalla puts it on “Scaled to Survive,” the second track on her excellent new LP Sun Without the […]
This has been a Sabbath season of sorts for John Moreland. Moreland, often referred to as a “songwriter’s songwriter,” is a prolific bard with a steady stream of releases, which made his need to get off of the grid recently […]
After 30 years, Old 97’s came in more unprepared than ever. On their 13th album, American Primitive, the Dallas-born band holed up with producer Tucker Martine to celebrate three decades as a musical brotherhood with zero pre-production for the first […]
Cedric Burnside has his head and his heart in the hills. On his latest, Hill Country Love, the music is a little grittier than on his previous Grammy-winning release, 2021’s I Be Trying, for which he took home the Best […]
Game recognizes game: On their new album, All This Time, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams borrow from another prominent Americana couple, Buddy and Julie Miller. Their searing take on the Millers’ “I Love You” matches the almost scarily intense devotion […]
You are your own worst critic, so the saying goes. It’s a near universal truth of humanity that it’s far easier to see all the bad than any of the good in moments of self-reflection. Nashville-based singer-songwriter Katie Pruitt started […]
