Writing this review is difficult for me, and not because my feelings about the album are ambiguous. I almost uniformly adore the record. The difficulty arises in attempting to write about the record. Because, despite my adoration of The Stand-In, I can’t really put my finger on the reason why. Every thought comes across as [...] more »

by Eli Petersen

Unless you are a die-hard blues enthusiast, Ronnie Earl is probably the best guitarist you’ve never heard of.  A sensitive, masterful guitarist, he has been laying down magical licks for close to 35 years.  He is totally in love with his instrument, and, as evidenced by his expressive playing, he has a special connection to [...] more »

by Bill Wilcox

Over the last 6 months or so I’ve come across a few albums or EP’s that I enjoyed, but for one reason or another didn’t do a full review.  As the year winds down I figured it’s a good time to collect a few of those into a single post. Wasabi – Wide Open An [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

At some point in just about everyone’s life you meet someone, usually of the opposite sex, who you realize is just so sophisticated and charismatic that you have to readjust your scale for those qualities.  At that point the cold hard truth hits you that no matter how much you practice and work at your [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

The best find for me in September’s AMA awards was a couple of live discs from the Wood Brothers that were included in the swag bag.  Volume 1 is entitled Sky High, and Volume 2 is Nail & Tooth.  Regardless of the separate names and release dates, these discs are like, well, two brothers.  Chris [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

It’s been my experience that bands who do a Led Zeppelin cover in an album are walking a dangerous line.  As Yoda says, “do or do not, there is no try”.  Tackling an interpretation of Plant and Page requires not just sharp musical insight, but a lot of skill to then pull off the execution. [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

Having won three past Blues Music Awards for her saxophone playing and a trunkful of Wammies (Washington Area Music Awards) in a fertile Washington, DC blues scene that included the likes of the Nighthawks, Tom Principato, Jimmy Thackery, Cephas & Wiggins, John Jackson, and Saffire – the Uppity Blues Women, multi-instrumentalist Deanna Bogart focuses her attention on her magical piano [...] more »

by Bill Wilcox

Daydreaming.  I had trouble getting this review of the latest release from MilkDrive, Waves, together because every time I would start writing I put the album on to play and next thing I knew I was staring out the window, mind completely lost in other thoughts.  They paint such immersive pictures it’s as if you’re [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

Chocolate covered bacon.  Spam sushi.  Over easy eggs on pizza.  I’m a fan of things that, at first, don’t seem to go well together, and yet when you actually try it’s pretty darn good.  That’s the kind of surprise I got when listening to Katie Glassman’s latest release, Snapshot.  It’s bluegrass and vintage jazz.  A [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

 1) R.E.M. – Collapse Into Now: OK, I’m willing to admit maybe this was a little bit of a sentimental choice for me since it may be their last album.  But darn it, I still think this is their best effort since the 80′s and 91′s Out Of Time.  The jangly guitars, the inexplicable Stipe [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

As the old Monty Python line goes, “and now for something completely different.”  A few weeks ago I happened to catch Suzanna Choffel at Old Settlers Music Festival.  She was playing to an Austin crowd that knew her and my notes say something to the effect of “country meets jazz”.  Fast forward to last week [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

Being able to pigeonhole a band’s sound is useful to a music reviewer.  It lets you describe them quickly before a blog reader clic….  But for those of you still with me, MilkDrive, and their latest album, Road From Home, spans not just 3-4 genres of music, but 3-4 eras of music. The first cut, [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

Busting out of Oklahoma, The Turnpike Troubadours are here to breathe new life into what is too often a stale environment in the world of Red Dirt music. Sure, this quintet does their fair share of rocking out, why wouldn’t they? It’s the added country (shocking!) dimensions of their tunes that lend the album, and [...] more »

by Kelly Dearmore

Running on all cylinders. In the groove. Hitting the sweet spot. All are descriptors about when everything comes together and suddenly the sum is greater than the parts. They’re also good descriptions of the latest album from the queen of San Marcos, Texas, Terri Hendrix. Her latest release, Cry Till You Laugh, with long-time collaborator [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

I found myself a little torn about whether to post a review of the new Alex Hargreaves album, Prelude, to Twangville.  It does have fiddle and banjo and mandolin, but rarely does it even come close to twangy.  It’s much more a jazz album.  But this is a path that’s been blazed already by Bela [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood