Ruthie Foster Embraces Joy and Life on ‘Just Say Yes’
Ruthie Foster’s new LP succeeds because its optimism is carried by a voice that remains one of the most expressive instruments in contemporary roots music today.
folk
Americana’s Pieta Brown Is Dreamin’ in the Dark
Pieta Brown sounds less like someone dreaming of somewhere else than someone who has learned how to stay awake inside the dream.
‘A Strange Light From the East’ Sounds Beautiful, Provokes Thought
Strange Light explores many permutations of mostly English and American folk, rock, and pop, laced with modes, rhythms, and philosophies derived from the “East”.
Joan As Police Woman Reimagines the Past and Present
Joan As Police Woman revisits her 2009 debut Real Life with warm, retro-modern arrangements, showcasing her skill as a songwriter and producer.
Andy Irvine, the Balkans, and the Long Road to ‘EastWind’
Irish musician Andy Irvine worked hard to learn the challenging musical vocabulary of Balkan folk music, while his colleagues feared being invited to play the music with him.
Elanor Moss Accepts Contradiction on ‘The Knife, The Needle’
Elanor Moss’ The Knife, The Needle shows what the songwriter set out to answer: you can live with contradiction. Indeed, love is a knife and a needle.
Corb Lund’s ‘Dark Horses’ Is a Fan’s Dream
These new acoustic renditions on Dark Horses illuminate the solitude, humor, and moral weight that have shaped Corb Lund’s Western storytelling
Eliza Carthy and the Restitution – “Mr Sits in the Dark”
Eliza Carthy’s “Mr Sitting in the Dark” is a wonderfully observed and lyrical tribute to her father, the songwriter, singer and guitarist Martin Carthy.
Park Hills Circle Embraces Sophisticated Folk on Solo Debut
It’s a turbulent, often crazy world, but under the Park Hills Circle name, Maris O’Tierney is a warm, engaging respite from the world’s harsh realities.
John Prine’s Heartfelt Storytelling Made Him a National Treasure
John Prine’s songwriting blends down-home storytelling, thumbnail portraiture, deep compassion, bitter cynicism, absurdist humor, and offbeat rhymes.
Heading Down the Same Bob Dylan Road
Although How Many Roads isn’t an essential Bob Dylan biography, not all books have to be necessary to be effective and rewarding.
Rob Smith Unspools Mesmerizing Psychedelic Folk on ‘Salt Star’
Rob Smith’s Salt Star is a brief, bright light of emotion and musical interplay, highlighting his unique, consistently engaging vision.