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Mark W. AdamsFeatures
Kenny Roby [Raleigh, NC]It would be easy to assume that every decent-sized town has their own version of Raleigh, North Carolina's Kenny Roby -- a hard-working singer-songwriter and an engaging performer. But Roby is the cut above. [27 September 2007] Reviews
Roman Candle: Oh Tall Tree in the EarHere are 11 refreshingly earnest and brazenly straightforward anthems that both rattle your floor and stick in your head. To this reviewer's ears, Roman Candle happily play non-hyphenated, non-adjective-ized Rock and Roll. [4 November 2009] 
Cyro Baptista: Banquet of the SpiritsFar-reaching, yet efficiently crafted, Banquet of the Spirits reigns in "world" music to refine and define its own distinctive world. [18 September 2008] 
Stanton Moore Trio: Emphasis (on parenthesis)This album glimmers and glows, sputters and stirs. If this music were a mood, it would be movin'. [13 August 2008] 
Various Artists: Assemblage 1998-2008Cryptogramophone's triumphant 2-CD retrospective is highly listenable, accessible, and immensely engaging. What is the opposite of under the radar? Cryptogramophone is headed there. [18 July 2008] 
Various Artists: Phantom GuitarsThough it seems these songs could all have been recorded with the same tremolo-heavy guitar rig, each group manages to present their own thematic variation of the "same" sound. [14 July 2008] 
Steve Reid Ensemble: DaxaarThe Steve Reid Ensemble has taken a geographic and sonic trip to make Daxaar. [7 April 2008] 
Tony Scherr: Twist in the WindWhen seeking insight into what an in-demand sideman's solo album sounds like, the sensbile first step is to survey the liner notes to see which sidemen said sideman enlists to help with his project. [12 March 2008] 
House of Stone by Christina LambThis succeeds not as a narrative tour de force, but in the way it uses a simple story to illuminate the complexity and paradoxes of present-day Zimbabwe. [7 February 2008] 
Susanna: Sonata Mix Dwarf CosmosThe landscape created by these 48 minutes is not a wholly distinctive or sonically-varied vista, but it is one of serene and delicate beauty. [15 January 2008] 
Wrinkle Neck Mules: The Wicks Have MetRichmond, Virginia's Wrinkle Neck Mules have returned with their third album, The Wicks Have Met -- thirteen songs that meld bluegrass and rock n' roll in country anthems and twangy, slow-burn ballads. [6 November 2007] 
The Red Stick Ramblers: Made in the ShadeHere's to a foot-tappin', energetic standout. The Red Stick Ramblers offer you a drink and tug you onto the dance floor. [30 October 2007] 
Twinemen: TwinetimeIt's impossible not to reminisce about Morphine while listening to Twinetime, Twinemen's third album. [25 October 2007] 
Golden Arm Trio: The Tick Tock ClubThese 12 captivating pieces practically project themselves from your speakers. Every listen conjures up a new 37-minute flick in your head. [23 October 2007] 
Club dElf: Perhapsody: Live 10.12.06This evening of recorded music offers a welcome mix of dissonance and harmony, abstract subtraction, and wonderfully skilled improvisation. [12 October 2007] 
The Hackensaw Boys: Look OutAdmire the Crooked Jades or Old Crow Medicine Show? The Hackensaw Boys are akin to a rough-hewn former and less-ambitious, but equally irreverent, latter. Look Out won't disappoint you, or any fan of spirited oldtime music. [10 October 2007] 
Chick Corea and Bèla Fleck: The EnchantmentThis ain't simply bluegrass banjo, and it's certainly more than "just" jazz piano. [20 September 2007] 
Maserati: Inventions for the New SeasonThroughout Inventions for the New Season, Maserati builds a decently admirable wall of sound, but ultimately, they hang very little on it. [14 September 2007] 
Nathaniel Mayer: Why Don’t You Give It to Me?By the end of these 40 minutes you can almost smell the cigarette smoke, cheap scotch, cologne and sweat emanating from Mayer's powder-blue polyester suit. [13 September 2007] 
Earthless: Rhythms from a Cosmic SkyOne can't help but describe Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky without adjectives of lofty and extraterrestrial magnitude. The good news is that the music is worthy of such celestial praise. [20 August 2007] 
Scott Miller & the Commonwealth: ReconstructionSince Scott Miller's turn as frontman of seminal 1990s alt-country luminaries the V-Roys, he's been perfecting -- in both sound and lyric -- the South-as-microcosm template. [30 July 2007] 
Sara Bareilles: Little VoiceLittle Voice is comprised of 12 vibrant, neatly-crafted songs performed by a singer-songwriter-pianist with a powerful voice that is well-versed in soul, rock, jazz and pop. [19 July 2007] 
Gonzales: Solo Piano CD and From Major to Minor DVDFor both a DVD and a CD, Gonzales sheds his pink suit and dance routines to display his mastery of the ivories. 
Scharpling and Wurster: The Best of Scharpling and Wurster on The Best Show on WFMU Vol. 4Although modern popular entertainment values the immediate and the visual, these three hours spent with only two voices are hilariously rewarding. [3 July 2007] 
Nathan Oliver: Nathan OliverDue to its brevity, Nathan Oliver feels a bit like a lengthy, unedited EP, but the power of its best tracks offers a welcome punch. [18 June 2007] 
Clouds: Legendary DemoThe album is an inspired throwback to memorable decades of heavy music. [20 April 2007] 
The Old Ceremony: Our One MistakeThe sleek, catchy, and often beautiful sounds of Our One Mistake make for an album with very few faults. [13 April 2007] 
Do Make Say Think: You, Youre a History in RustDo Make Say Think's albums are full of glorious anthems to the inexplicable. [12 March 2007] 
The Last Town Chorus: Wire WaltzIt's not twangy enough to be country, it's too languid to be called pop -- it's just, well, dreamy. [8 March 2007] 
Zach Galifianakis: Live at the Purple Onion [DVD]Zach Galifianakis's comedy is bizarrely literate. [5 March 2007] 
Various Artists: Bloodied But Unbowed [DVD]Bloodied but Unbowed further enhances Bloodshot’s 12-years-and-still-strong reputation as the premier documentarian of the diversity of twang. [18 January 2007] 
Club dElf: Now I UnderstandNow I Understand is a hybridization of the night musics one might find club-hoppin' downtown: jazz, funk, drum n' bass, some dub and turntables. [9 January 2007] 
Doc & Merle Watson: Black Mountain RagAny reissue that recalls the telepathy of this father/son combination is monumentally worthwhile. [5 January 2007] 
The Carolina Chocolate Drops: Dona Got a Ramblin MindThis young trio is dedicated to carrying on the traditions of the African-American fiddle and banjo music that hails, as they do, from the piedmont of North Carolina. [8 November 2006] 
The Be Good Tanyas: Hello LoveHello Love is cozy and enveloping, like a big, hand-woven blanket on the first brisk winter day. [7 November 2006] 
The Avett Brothers: The GleamThough this release finds the band exploring quieter territory, there's a tangible intensity throughout many of these songs. [24 October 2006] 
Riley Baugus: Long Steel RailA traditional music fan will appreciate Baugus' interpretations; but if you are new to this genre, you'd best find another introduction. 
Chatham County Line: Speed of the WhippoorwillWhile Chatham County Line is certainly a traditional bluegrass band, they aren't afraid to provide creative variations to an established theme. [2 October 2006] 
Bobby Bare Jr.s Young Criminals Starvation League: The Longest MeowBare's newest release is comprised of 11 songs recorded with 11 friends in 11 hours. And though The Longest Meow is tagged as a release with the Young Criminals Starvation League, it's more of a return to the amped-up sound of his first band, Bare Jr. [28 September 2006] 
Josephine Foster: A Wolf in Sheeps ClothingA free folk release that transcends even that label to acheive true freedom. [13 September 2006] 
Chris Berry & Panjea: DancemakersDancemakers attempts an uplifting mishmash of hip-hop beats and groovy vibes over a world-music pastiche. It fails spectacularly. [28 August 2006] 
Buckshot Boys: Buckshot Boys [DVD]Sporting camouflage, hunting orange, and exaggerated redneck accents, Chuck B. Weegan and DJ Jerry Clancy invite you to "come along while we scour the English countryside for tail, white tail..." [24 August 2006] 
Darol Angers Republic of Strings: Generation NationA variety of genres come together in Generation Nation. But I should mention one unfortunate genre addition that you, PopMatters readers, aren't likely to appreciate… [14 August 2006] 
Wrinkle Neck Mules: Pull the BrakeThe strongest feature of Pull the Brake is its everyman appeal -- you can sing along from your Prius, your pickup, your Porsche, or the paddy wagon. And that's what country music is about, yes? [11 August 2006] 
Various Artists: Sail AwayAlthough some artists are labeled "best" with surprising ease and frequency, others need a bit of advocacy on their behalf. Here's a well-deserved salute to Randy Newman. [10 August 2006] 
Roman Candle: The Wee Hours RevueThe Wee Hours Revue is a bright album, in the connotation of both intellect and luminescence. This is the debut of an experienced band that you should have heard years ago... [7 August 2006] 
The Tango Saloon: The Tango SaloonYou'd expect the descriptor cinematic to be applicable here, and the term certainly fits. The album also evokes a majestic and wide-screened collision between jazz, experimental, and ethnic folk music. 
Bryan Sutton: Not Too Far from the TreeThis album gives Sutton the justifiable opportunity to step to the forefront of an album, while presenting a tribute to -- and celebration of -- bluegrass guitars and guitarists. [19 July 2006] 
The Crooked Jades: World’s on FireThere's a depth of quality, performance, and passion that makes this release a cross-generational, cross-genre charmer. [21 June 2006] Jenny Scheinman & FriendsA thank you note to a Cryptogramophone wonder. [12 June 2006] 
The Avett Brothers: Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsville SessionsYou need to hear The Avett Brothers, but perhaps this album isn't the best place to find your first impression. [13 April 2006] 
South Filthy: Crackin UpIf you admire blues and Budweiser more than booksmarts and would readily forgo lyrical prowess for rough and ready swagger... you might just classify Crackin' Up in the category of Great Works. [10 April 2006] 
Hooverville: Follow That Trail of Dust Back HomeA celebration of good Southern music: ya'll listen up... [24 March 2006] 
Saxon Shore: The Exquisite Death of Saxon ShoreAn instrumental concept album that explores the "hypothetical death" of Saxon Shore -- lively or lifeless? [16 March 2006] |
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