With Gold on the Horizon, Alex Ellis, a.k.a. Our Man in the Field, builds on the lyrical proficiency and vocal depth displayed on his 2020 debut, The Company of Strangers. Frequently addressing the prerequisite subjects of love and heartache, Ellis […]
Loosely intended as a sequel to 2002’s All Hail West Texas, The Mountain Goats’ 22nd LP, Jenny From Thebes, brims with John Darnielle’s quirky vocals, lit-savvy lyricism, and heartfelt melodies. Unlike the stripped-down and lo-fi West Texas, though, Jenny is […]
On his fifth album, Coyote, Dylan LeBlanc continues to mine and integrate rock, blues, folk, and country templates. His voice, per usual, is compelling. His lyrics are evocative, inspired by Southern lit as much as the tones and textures of […]
With his latest release, Empire Electric, Julian Saporiti — aka No-No Boy — hones the narrative and eulogistic approaches of his first two albums. While previous work, however, leaned toward opaque mixes that evoked a distinct melancholy, Saporiti’s newest songs […]
Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno’s exceptional self-titled debut from 2021, as well as Leva’s 2018 solo foray, leaned in a notably rustic direction. The duo’s new album, produced by Alex Bingham, largely backburners the old-timey tells as they embrace a […]
With her third album, Psychopath, Morgan Wade steps more fully into her rock and pop leanings while remaining loyal to her country roots. As with her previous LP, 2021’s Reckless (ND review), Psychopath touches on eager love, doomed love, and […]
With his new album Blood Brothers, Dallas Burrow offers folk ditties, country anthems, and campfire singalongs. Throughout the 13-song set, he shifts effortlessly from airy vocals appropriate for a Sunday-morning church service to gritty deliveries more congruent with a Saturday-night […]
Written in 2021 during the COVID epoch, while the Timmins family was navigating their father’s worsening dementia, Such Ferocious Beauty unflinchingly addresses impermanence and the ways we strive to find meaning and connection. While Cowboy Junkies draw from the bluesy […]
Whether forging original work, including on her stellar 2006 debut, 2011’s Queen of the Minor Key, and 2015’s Sundown Over Ghost Town, or offering cogent interpretations as with 2010’s Butcher Holler: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn and 2017’s Down Hearted […]
With his latest album, Henry St., Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson, aka The Tallest Man on Earth, offers another heartfelt set. Over 11 songs, he employs some of his most lavish production approaches while exploring the ephemerality of life, the redemptive […]
