Mark Olson (The Jayhawks) and Ingunn Ringvold share a 20-minute performance video that highlights their new album, Magdalen Accepts the Invitation. "This was an opportunity to perform the new songs and pretend in a way that we were still going on tour because we had been so looking forward to that."
Best friends and longtime musical collaborators Merideth Kaye Clark and Jenn Grinels team up as Siren Songs for the uplifting folk of their eponymous LP.
Born from personal pain, "Mojave" is evidence of Sarah Peacock's perseverance and resilience. "When we go through some of the dry seasons in our life, when we do the most growing, is often when we're in pain. It's a reminder of how alive you really are", she says.
Inspired by John Prine, Dustbowl Revival's latest single, "Queen Quarantine (A Home Recording)", approaches the COVID-19 pandemic with wit and good humor.
Bluegrassy Chatham County Line expand their sound into alternative country with a natural fluidity on Strange Fascination.
A cross-country move, new love, and a sense of home provide the basis for the Harmed Brothers' new LP, Across the Waves. Hear the new single, "Picture Show", while co-founder Ray Vietti tells the Americana band's story.
Folk artist Jack Grelle's "To Be That Someone" is a sweet, plaintive song that sets its sights on love—not in its grandest moments, but in the simple enjoyment of each other's company.
Jarrod Dickenson's rootsy, broad-ranged Americana draws deeply from tradition while forging all-new sounds on Ready the Horses.
No one living in America today can escape the blast radius of the questions raised in Wendy A. Woloson's Crap.
On Ghosts of West Virginia, Steve Earle chronicles the lives, hopes, dreams, and regrets of families who've lived for generations in coal country with a masterful song cycle that's long on empathy and short on judgment.
On Lamentations, Americana band American Aquarium address these hard times, the sins of the South, and those that want the band to just shut up and sing.
Jason Isbell both subverts and embraces country and rock tropes on Reunions, his new album with the 400 Unit.
Jaime Wyatt's Neon Across arrives on 29 May with production from Shooter Jennings and guest appearances by Jessi Colter and the late Neal Casal. Today, we present Wyatt and her mother in "Desert Rose", along with a Q&A about her new music.
Ahead of his new album, Spider Tales, Tui's Jake Blount presents a searing, fiddle-centric interpretation of the traditional roots song, "Boll Weevil".
An old tale is retold with a different take and Americana band Satin Nickel prove heavy is a state of mind on "Shadow of Doubt".
The music world has been conquered by women like Whitney Rose, whose guitar based-sounds on We Still Go to Rodeos recall the splendors of the past and move them forward with a kick in the butt.
Nashville up-and-comer Stephie James navigates old-school roots-rock with her dusky soul on the new single, "Sin City".
Expecting financially devastated artists to produce during the coronavirus shutdown is akin to handing a condemned man a typewriter on his way to the gallows. To hell with that.
Americana duo Darling West focus on the good more than the bad when looking at life's struggles on We'll Never Know Unless We Try. Like Walt Whitman, they hear America singing.
"Hushabye", like much of the Okee Dokee Brothers' work, finds comfort in simple, singalong melodies and sweet harmonies that recall earlier times.
Able to write and sing the blues, gospel, folk, rock and alt-country with the same amount of true grit and passion, Lucinda Williams comes out swinging while discussing her explosive new album during these troubled times.
Country music's Ingrid Andress proves herself on the smart album, Lady Like, which lives up to her breakout single, "More Hearts Than Mine".
Americana's Jarrod Dickenson is joined by his wife, Claire, for a subtly sweet duet that recalls their story of long-distance love.
On her new searing album, Good Souls Better Angels, Lucinda Williams rages against the darkness of our era and seeks the strength to get through it.
Although it was written two years ago, Americana artist Nathan Kalish's "Pam & Tim" is strikingly relevant today in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Country artist Logan Ledger's low vocal tones reinforce the experience of feeling alone in the world. His songs are often melodramatic and sentimental, full of yearning for something just out of reach.
Folk artist Julian Taylor's video for his powerfully nostalgic song, "The Ridge", sets a soundtrack to scrapbooked childhood memories showcasing growing up as an Indigenous person of color.
Hiss Golden Messenger offer up a welcome serving of musical communion, and in the service of others, during a time when we all need consolation and reassurance. Forward, Children is a PopMatters Pick and aids a worthy cause: education.
Christian Lopez reflects on his top five favorite live venue experiences alongside the premiere of a live rendition of "Who You Really Are" accompanied by a string quartet.
Daniel Romano's Outfit would be the perfect act for a club outside the industrial park on a Friday night when paychecks are cashed, hard drinks flow, and all one wants to do is get lost in the loud music.
Willie Nile moves forward with a message of unity and love in the wake of COVID-19 and remembers friends, John Prine and Hal Willner.
The always inventive Cajun musician, Louis Michot, recalls a recent New York City residency with his latest recording, Le String Noise 2, a trip where the Big Apple and the Bayou meet.
On John Prine's first album of the 1990s, the legendary singer-songwriter invited a few Heartbreakers, some ace session players, an Everly, Bonnie Raitt, and the Boss to help make the best album since his classic debut.
Journey to 2010, a splendid year for Americana. Then again, that’s something you can say just about any year given the sprawling range of sub-genres under Americana's vast umbrella.
Returning with his first album under his own name since 2011, Teddy Thompson remains the king of heartbreak. "I just don't know how to write about anything else. I don't see that there is anything else really impactful to write about."
The Waco Brothers' Jon Langford talks about politics, the social climate, and being a musician in the wake of COVID-19. "It's the political equivalent of prog rock!"
© 1999-2020 PopMatters.com. All rights reserved.
PopMatters is wholly independent, women-owned and operated.
