James Elkington’s ‘Wintres Woma’ is a Mystical Delight
This collection tethers Elkington’s mystic yet matter-of-fact worldview to labyrinthine guitar lines as strong and supple as a serpent’s spine
The Suitcase Junket’s ‘Pile Driver’ Finds the Junkyard Virtuoso Better Than Ever
Junkyard virtuoso’s DIY approach is heartfelt and intense
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Album Review: George Thorogood’s ‘Party of One’ (Rounder)
Boogie King’s acoustic and resonator guitars shine on true solo album Musical trends and fads come and go, but 40 years after the release of his still-fresh-sounding debut album, George Thorogood continues to play pretty much what he’s always played: blues in every shade, from raunchy to delicate; screaming slide;…
Todd Albright’s ‘Detroit Twelve String: Blues & Rags’ Hollers “Vintage”
The character and emotional vibe of the performance are delicious
Pieta Brown’s New Album ‘Postcards’ Gets a Little Help from Friends Mark Knopfler, Calexico, and More
Each of the ten tracks features a special guest, including Rodriguez, Mason Jennings, David Lindley, and others.
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FIRST LISTEN: New Music from Country Hitmakers Kelly & Ellis
Before recording The Long Road to You, Casey Kelly and Leslie Ellis’ debut as Kelly & Ellis, the husband-and-wife duo had each scored a stream of accomplishments, including country hits, a showstopper from the musical CATS, and a contribution to the Academy Award-winning film Titanic.
Becky Warren Turns Personal Hell into Poetic Song on New Album ‘War Surplus’
“I found it really freeing, to be able to think about these things as characters instead of as myself,” says Warren, talking by phone just before hitting the road with the Indigo Girls.
New Holiday Music from Tommy Emmanuel, Laurence Juber, Loretta Lynn & More: VIDEO
The holiday season has inspired thousands of artists, from Will Ackerman and Elvis to John Prine and Emmylou Harris, to record their seasonal favorites, novelty songs, and everything in between (have you heard the Christmas Jug Band’s “Daddy’s Drinking Up Our Christmas”?). Many of us have a favorite set of…
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Album Review: Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer’s ‘Off-Grid Lo-Fi’ Is Chock Full of Roots-Rich Gems
Tracked at a secluded wind-and-solar powered cabin on an uninhabited Washington State island in the dead of winter...
Ramseur Reissues Folk Legend Josh White Classic 1956 Album on Hi-Def Vinyl
It’s a treasure trove of cool folk-blues and hellfire spirituals.
Dolly Parton, Bryan Sutton, and More Revive Appalachian Tunes on ‘On Top of Old Smoky’
Album focuses on simple, direct folk versions that hew close to the heart of these tunes.
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Album Review: ‘Live Book’ Highlights Andy McKee’s Sonic Storyteller Brilliance
Live Book is a must not only for Andy McKee fans, but those who love the diverse sounds of the acoustic guitar presented with a sonic storyteller’s brilliance.
Jug Band Cohorts Jim Kweskin & Geoff Muldaur Reunite on a Collection of American Roots Classics, ‘Penny’s Farm’
It’s been nearly 55 years since two of the folk revival’s best guitarists, Jim Kweskin and Geoff Muldaur, first played together. Now they've reunited on Penny's Farm, a collection of American roots classics.
The Earls of Leicester Combine Standards and Rarities on ‘Rattle & Roar’
They’re not trying to recapture these Flatt and Scruggs songs, they’re trying to keep them alive
Todd Snider’s Hard Working Americans Offer a Sobering Vision of Life on ‘Rest in Chaos’
Snider is still brilliantly unpredictable, still sharp as a broken bottle.
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John Gorka’s ‘Before Beginning’ Revisits His Earliest Studio Recordings
These early versions, appearing as kind-hearted sketches and confessionals filtered through a perpetual outsider’s spyglass, are no less solid than their better-known variants.
REVIEW Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist Andy Ferrell: At Home and in Nashville [VIDEO]
Midway through At Home and in Nashville, Andy Ferrell sashays out onto the dance floor with the jostling “Nobody to Answer To” and declares it’s time to move on.
Sarah Jarosz’s ‘Undercurrent’ Charts a New Course
Layered, textured tunes, some sparsely arranged with little more than solo acoustic guitar, retain the flavor of roots music
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Album Review: Eric Bibb Demonstrates No-Frills Virtuosity on ‘The Happiest Man in the World’
With the inviting sentiment, “walking side by side, hand in hand,” Eric Bibb kicks off The Happiest Man in the World, and it’s the key to why his latest collection works so well.
Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle Join Forces on ‘Colvin & Earle’
For this first album as a duo, they’re collaborating as songwriters
All the Feels for the Avett Brothers’ New LP, ‘True Sadness’: Listen to Single ‘Divorce Separation Blues’
Though their roots lie in hoot-and-holler bluegrass and folk, the Avett Brothers also embraced big guitar rock early in their career. Both strains of raising Cain thread through their latest, True Sadness. With thundering drums, rubbery bass, and Seth Avett’s cyclical acoustic guitar, opener “Ain’t No Man” is hand-waving gospel…
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Review: ‘You and I,’ Recently Discovered Demos by Jeff Buckley
You and I, a cache of recently discovered demos by Jeff Buckley, offers a tantalizing glimpse into the artist’s subconscious.
Freakwater Returns with Songs that Feel Old and Grim and Magical on ‘Scheherazade’
Their first album in 11 years is at least as good as anything they’ve ever done, and probably better.
Del McCoury Band Breathes Life into Unrecorded Woody Guthrie Songs
In McCoury’s hands, these songs sound like they were born to be bluegrass.
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Review: Ryan Shupe, We Rode On
Briskly galloping out of the gate, the title track of Ryan Shupe’s self-released eighth album, We Rode On, announces the former country-chart-topper’s transition to alternative artist. This collection is bright clangoring pop-rock, focused on moving forward, but it’s grounded in the building blocks of Shupe’s bluegrass past—his earnest everyman vocals…