For Ron Pope, American Man, American Music is as advertised. The album even kicks off with Pope singing a jaunty bro country-inflected song about picking up “a brown-skinned doll” in Panama. The song swaggers with an easy-going attitude even as […]
If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. There will always be a place for Americana bar bands, bands that faithfully serve up that magical combination of melancholy and dogged determinism that feels most at home in small basement venues. […]
To listen to Swimming, the new album by Sam Moss, is to be confronted by beautiful contradictions. Moss and his ensemble spin a gossamer web of instrumentation around Moss’ earthy voice, at once hopeful and a deliverer of weary wisdom. […]
Jim White and Trey Blake present a layered composition in their intriguing project, Precious Bane. As complex as the music itself is, the album will require some context. White is an Americana outsider, “discovered” by David Byrne in the ‘90s […]
I don’t think any album could have better timing than Crys Matthews’ Reclamation. Matthews does not shy away from politics, as all too many artists have, nor does she shrink from naming specific social issues and crafting thoughtful songs […]
Ethan Samuel Brown paints gorgeous character portraits on his stunning sophomore album Small Actors. Brown, based in Nashville, has played quite a few supporting roles in the ten years since his solo debut, The Outset Lament. He’s worked as a […]
A famous bard once asked, “What is love?” and Humbird seeks to answer that on her quirky EP Astrovan: The Love Song Vignettes. Clocking in at just about 15 minutes, one would think these 10 songs might be a one-off […]
Garrett Owen’s guiding force on Memoriam seems to be: expect the unexpected. Owen spent five painstaking years writing this album – the majority of which were devoted to end-of-life care for his grandmother, who lived her last few years with […]
It seems Flamy Grant has been defined more by her media controversy than her music. This is unjust but understandable – these days, a country music-slinging Christian drag queen is bound to draw ire from all the wrong people. But, […]
Contradictions form the foundation of Joy Clark’s musical life: was bandleader at the church her family ran while still a closeted teenager. She made her mark as a singer-songwriter in New Orleans, a town best known for funk and jazz. […]
