Grant-Lee Phillips has been doing this for a while, and he knows it. “I may not be young / A lot of songs are sung,” he concedes calmly on the leadoff track of Lightning, Show Us Your Stuff, hastening to […]
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An album of cover songs can serve all sorts of purposes. For a veteran, it might be a chance to take stock of your roots and salute those who provided inspiration way back when (or merely a way to tread […]
Depending on your state of mind, Cinder Well could be either the best or worst thing to listen to in a lockdown. The brainchild of Amelia Baker, a native Californian lately residing in Ireland’s County Clare, the absorbing No Summer […]
Difficult realities and long-cherished values collide with a bang on Canadian Corb Lund’s first album of original material in five years. Eloquent and plainspoken, the excellent Agricultural Tragic finds the affable country rocker exploring his roots as a rancher and […]
She’s appeared on records by Lera Lynn, Mercury Rev, and Tracy Bonham. She’s performed songs of Bruce Springsteen, David Byrne, and Scott Walker. She’s written with Old 97’s and Replacements alum Tommy Stinson. And she’s made vibrant albums of her […]
Like a superhero called to the scene of a crisis, The Mammals have returned with encouraging words of compassion and hope just when they’re needed most. While Mike Merenda and Ruth Ungar, the leaders of this unassuming collective, wouldn’t presume […]
A strong debut album can offer a special kind of pleasure. However familiar the style, the emergence of a promising young talent is an exciting reminder of the subtle ways art can surprise and intrigue, raising great expectations for what […]
Love is a Pandora’s box of trouble on the unsettling fifth album from Canada’s Basia Bulat. Not just a source of heartbreak, it can be an illusion that keeps you from seeing clearly, and perhaps a cruel trick played by […]
Sibling harmonies: Is there anything finer? From The Everly Brothers back then to Lily & Madeleine or Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer today, this graceful blending of voices can feel like magical rapture. And few cast a more powerful spell […]
Tweaking familiar sounds with refreshing twists and turns, the vibrant “debut” of Marcus King delivers an invigorating buzz without straining for effect. After three albums fronting — what else? — The Marcus King Band, the South Carolina native makes a […]
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