Jim Lauderdale and the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys Create Bluegrass Alchemy
Even if bluegrass isn’t your thing, don’t let this new Jim Lauderdale LP slip by without a listen. He’s a true master of the songwriting craft at work.
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Self-Deprecating Nonchalance: ‘Prine on Prine’
The “interviews and encounters” in Prine on Prine reveal John Prine’s care for others, and his self-deprecation and nonchalance about his accomplished career.
Brent Cobb Searches the Sky to Find the ‘Southern Star’
Southern Star succeeds because country’s Brent Cobb is more interested in telling a story and having a good time than pontificating.
DeYarmond Edison’s ‘Epoch’ Is a Box Set Bildungsroman for Bon Iver
Bon Iver emerged from the ashes of DeYarmond Edison along with Megafaun. Epoch is an archaeological endeavor documenting the eventual success through devotion to craft.
Mick Flannery Knows ‘Goodtime Charlie’ Has Still Got the Blues
Mick Flannery uses his gravel-edged voice to full effect on his latest album, Goodtime Charlie. He cultivates the nuances of his limits.
Hiss Golden Messenger Find Reasons to ‘Jump for Joy’
Hiss Golden Messenger’s Jump for Joy switches up the mood considerably, offering a bouncy set of tracks of youthful enthusiasm and maturing gratitude.
Old Crow Medicine Show Celebrate a ‘Jubilee’ After 25 Years
Old Crow Medicine Show have never really changed their old-timey style and show that keeping one’s roots exposed in the musical world can be a smart decision.
Country’s Mamma Coal Has a “Dance Hall Crush” (premiere)
Country singer-songwriter Mamma Coal delivers a soulful, swinging tune with “Dance Hall Crush”. It’s an ode to her time in packed honky-tonks.
Bonnie “Prince” Billy Gets Domestic on ‘Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You’
Bonnie “Prince” Billy suggests the strangeness of life comes in how people silently consent to mainstream conformism like marriage without revision or reinvention.
The Nearly Lost World of American Folk Music
If not for two eccentrics, Harry Smith and Moses Asch, American popular music wouldn’t have so many roots in folk music and we’d all be the poorer for it.
Buck Meek Steals Away to the Lo-fi ‘Haunted Mountain’
Reality is much scarier than special effects. Big Thief guitarist, Buck Meek’s music on Haunted Mountain has its charms thanks in part to its purposeful flaws.
Rhiannon Giddens Tackles Multiple Styles for ‘You’re the One’
Rhiannon Giddens’ exploration of the extensive history of American music continues to be compelling and enlightening on You’re the One.