Rhett Miller Goes It Alone for the Tenth Time
How responsible we are for our own happiness depends on our individual circumstances. In the final reckoning, Rhett Miller vacillates.
alternative country
Jesse Welles Sings Out for Truth and Justice
Jesse Welles is being hailed as the new voice of a generation and his milestone tour stop at San Francisco’s legendary Fillmore Auditorium shows why.
Brandi Carlile Reaches Out in ‘Returning to Myself’
Brandi Carlile has returned to herself, but it doesn’t mean isolation; she is her own awareness, embracing community, knowing what to treasure, and making sure to speak it.
Emmylou Harris Live Reissue Yields Welcome Discoveries
One of Emmylou Harris’s most unusual releases, Spyboy expands her catalog, offering many revelatory glimpses into a unique facet of her artistry.
Bill Callahan Gets Busy Living on “The Man I’m Supposed to Be”
Bill Callahan’s “The Man I’m Supposed to Be” is a call to action, a carpe diem for the advanced middle-age malaise that will eventually come to us all.
Boy Golden Finds Love in His “Cowboy Dreams”
Alt-country’s Boy Golden duets with newcomer Cat Clyde in the search for the meaning of love.
Terry Klein Melds Texas Hill Country Music and Folk
Is this folk or is this country music? Terry Klein doesn’t choose as much as he shows the connections between the two. Suffice it to say, this is Texas music.
The Ruen Brothers Keep It Dark on ‘Awooo’
While nothing on the Ruen Brothers’ Awooo sounds explicitly like bluegrass, it’s infused with a dark mood that could clearly have been influenced by Appalachia.
Rhett Miller Reflects on ‘A Lifetime of Riding By Night’
Rhett Miller’s A Lifetime of Riding by Night isn’t an instant attention-grabber; it likely suits its titular setting. It is a deep and rewarding meditation.
Arkansas Traveler Dylan Earl Takes Us for a Ride
Dylan Earl needs a friend or more friends or even a lover, but he seems like the character one’s parents warned about. He may waste your time, but he would be a good pal.
Jeff Tweedy Fends Off the Darkness on ‘Twilight Override’
Jeff Tweedy’s courageous triple LP, played with a consistent set of musicians, serves as a meditation on his current mood and the state of the world.
Amanda Shires Shares Personal Moments on New LP
With the lyrically direct and musically bisected Nobody’s Girl, Amanda Shires tells her side of the story of her divorce from Jason Isbell.