Johnny Cash’s ‘American IV’: A Farewell to the Man in Black
Johnny Cash’s American IV: The Man Comes Around was the final album released while alive, and contains some of Cash’s best and most crucial work.
folk
Ellen McIlwaine Made Music For ‘We the People’ 50 Years Ago
By combining multiple styles, playing techniques, and cultural influences, Ellen McIlwaine challenged notions of genre classification and embraced music as a “universal language”.
Reissues of Tinariwen’s Early Albums Recall the Saharan Group at Their Most Iconic
Unimpeachable in both technique and sincerity, Aman Iman and Imidiwan are potent assemblages of the qualities that make Tinariwen’s music evergreen.
Songs of the Earth: Woody Guthrie to Neil Young
How American folk songs of the Earth, from Woody Guthrie to Neil Young, tilled the soil for the rise of ‘Green Pop’.
Hiding in Plain Sight: Bob Dylan’s ‘Good As I Been to You’ at 30
Good As I Been To You was warmly received by critics, but a Bob Dylan album of covers with a stripped-down, rough-edged acoustic aesthetic did not satisfy fans’ hunger for new Dylan material.
Margo Price ‘Strays’ Down Many Musical Paths in Search of Meaning
Strays shows Margo Price’s willingness to try new things and seek new ways of experiencing the world, and her strong talents as a musician and a human being.
Joan Kelsey’s Grief Inspires the Astonishing ‘Standing Out on the Grass’
Joan Kelsey’s Standing Out on the Grass is a minor miracle, with unforgettable melodies and unique arrangements colliding softly into a dreamlike gem.
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The 10 Best Folk Albums of 2022
The Best Folk Albums of 2022 give a broad taste of the year’s most ingenious, brought to us by long-time notables, indie greats, and newcomers alike.
Bob Dylan Remains Hard to Pin Down with ‘The Philosophy of Modern Song’
In The Philosophy of Modern Song, Bob Dylan conveys his thoughts in his signature styles, as in his lyrics, he can be plainspoken, gnomic, and over the top.
Natalia Lafourcade Finds the Heart in Darkness
Mexican pop-rock and folk singer-songwriter Natalia Lafourcade releases her first album of original songs in seven years and tells PopMatters all about it.
The Joke’s on You: Bob Dylan’s ‘The Philosophy of Modern Song’
Bob Dylan’s The Philosophy of Modern Song is an awful book, awash with misogyny and crusty old man rants like a drunken, MAGA hat-wearing uncle.
Ruthie Foster Sings to the Choir and with Them on ‘Healing Time’
The desire for personal love, secular community, and religious redemption make for a powerful package on Ruthie Foster’s Healing Time.
