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.
Americana's Pokey LaFarge performs music in front of an audience as a way of conquering his personal demons on Rock Bottom.
Every track on Lilly Hiatt's Walking Proof shines with imaginative playing, spirited vocals, and sensitive, literate lyrics. It's truly a kick ass record.
The new solo album by the Deslondes' Sam Doores is a beguiling brew of old rock 'n' roll and New Orleans R&B, with a hint of Berlin experimentalism.
Deslondes member Sam Doores goes solo during down time from the band. His new album upsets expectations about the nature of Americana music in 2020 and yet maintains strong ties to Doores' roots.
Caroline Rose's Superstar is often quite grand in a DIY-kind of way. Think of 1980s era MTV rock performed on a Casio keyboard with a sampler in your bedroom as recreated on modern technology.
There are a lot of good elements on Out of the Blue. Kentucky rockers Dan Luke and the Raid might make some great music in the future, but they aren't quite there yet.
Corb Lund delivers a batch of new country-inspired songs that highlight his strength as a songwriter, and remembers a hunting trip that quickly went off course via "90 Seconds of Your Time".
Ahead of her new album Walking Proof, Americana's Lilly Hiatt shares "P-Town", where jangle and twang intermingle with loud, flesh-raising rock 'n' roll and lyrical forthrightness.
Folk duo Kacy & Clayton explore the power of geographic connection and the awareness they develop when separated from their roots on Carrying On, their Jeff Tweedy-produced sixth studio album.
Big Band of Brothers is a truly remarkable and imaginative take on the music of the legendary Allman Brothers Band, rendered with affection and imagination, it asks us to appreciate the true genius of Macon, Georgia's finest.
