James Taylor’s Cult of Sadness on ‘JT’ at 45
The autobiographical songwriting that carried James Taylor to international pop stardom laid a blueprint for songwriters today to blend their romantic and public endeavors through confessional writing.
folk rock
Mt. Joy Bask in the Present Moment on ‘Orange Blood’
Orange Blood expands the range of Mt. Joy’s psychedelic-tinged folk, moving from reflective acoustic to stadium anthems, cross-pollinating laid-back LA sounds with Philly soul.
Various Artists Ride on the ‘Americana Railroad’ Covering Classic Train Songs
Americana Railroad‘s interpretations of old material reveal the depth and breadth of railroad songs and their various styles, R&B to country, folk, and Americana.
Neko Case Creates a Retrospective with ‘Wild Creatures’
Neko Case’s career retrospective Wild Creatures includes a new song, “Oh, Shadowless”, which adroitly blends the pretty with the abrasive.
Thomas Dollbaum Launches Impressive Debut with Folky, Textured ‘Wellswood’
New Orleans singer-songwriter Thomas Dollbaum fuses vivid lyric imagery with eclectic musical choices on his impressive debut album, Wellswood.
Wilco’s Wisdom in ‘Sky Blue Sky’ Resonates 15 Years After Release
Is there such a thing as middle-aged rock? If so, it would sound like Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky with its measured simplicity and reflective intensity.
Steve Forbert Goes ‘Moving Through America’ Past and Present
The 11 tracks on Steve Forbert’s Moving Across America show his skills as a songwriter and a performer are as sharp and strong as ever.
The Waterboys’ Mike Scott on the Delightfully Strange ‘All Souls Hill’
The Waterboy’s songs are often deemed religious, neopagan, or spiritual. Mike Scott’s inspiration behind 2021’s All Souls Hill might be more earthy.
Fox and Bones Celebrate Love on Folk-Rock Anthem “Never Give Up on It” (premiere)
Folk-rock duo Fox and Bones celebrate an evergreen love on the anthemic, horn and harmony-driven “Never Give Up on It”.
Joan Osborne Is So Much More Than “One of Us”
Joan Osborne is known for a generational hit she didn’t even write, but all these decades later, she is still finding a new audience for her folk-pop charmers.
Joan Osborne Takes a Well-Deserved Victory Lap with ‘Radio Waves’
Joan Osborne’s Radio Waves is a career retrospective inside a live album inside a rarities compilation, a turducken of a music anthology and the result is tasty.