Sultans of String’s ‘Subcontinental Drift’ has a Swirl of Worldly Influences
Sultans of String succeeds brilliantly, thinking like classical musicians and listening like jazzmen
New CD Offers Kurt Cobain Acoustically & Otherwise
Three songs into the 13-track Montage of Heck, a compilation of raw, lo-fi home demos and other recordings Kurt Cobain made, is a happy little acoustic instrumental titled, appropriately, “Happy Guitar.” Its Gypsy-jazz chording and fingerpicking reveal a perhaps unexpected fascination the late Nirvana front man seemed to have had…
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Album Review: The Cactus Blossoms, ‘You’re Dreaming’
On "You’re Dreaming," the Cactus Blossoms revitalize music from the dawn of rock and country for a contemporary audience, and celebrate an era before genre boundaries calcified, and when possibilities seemed endless.
Allmans Show Their Acoustic Side on ‘Idlewild South’ Reissue
by Mark Kemp Forty-five years ago, the Allman Brothers Band went acoustic. Sure, Idlewild South was only the group’s second album, but from Duane Allman’s joyous strumming that kick-starts “Revival” to his ominous acoustic riff that drives the mournful “Midnight Rider,” the record was quite a departure from the sustained…
James Taylor Reconnects with His Muse on ‘Before This World’
"I like the idea of slow evolution and practice, the way the Japanese revere their masters and pass their technique down to subsequent generations,” says singer-songwriter James Taylor, whose recently released hit album, Before This World (Concord), marks the second-longest wait between an artist’s debut on the Billboard charts and the coveted No. 1 spot.
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Album Review: James McMurtry Strips Down to Acoustic Guitars on ‘Complicated Game’
There’s not a better living American songwriter than James McMurtry, whose literary bloodline—son of Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Larry McMurtry (The Last Picture Show, Lonesome Dove)—makes a damn good case for a genetic predisposition for telling great stories.
Rodrigo y Gabriela Roar Back to Life On ‘9 Dead Alive’
These nine songs represent Rodrigo y Gabriela’s attempt to eulogize the dead by reviving their spirits in fiery instrumentals