Twangville


Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell- Old Yellow Moon

Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell- Old Yellow M…

"We’ve both grown tired/ Of running from each other/ Here we are/ Darling, here we are"- Rodney Crowell

Old Yellow Moon feels lived in. The record feels instantly comfortable, like an…

Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell- Old Yellow M…
Eastbound Jesus – Northern Rock

Eastbound Jesus – Northern Rock

Click, whirrr.  Click, whirrr.  Like some aural Polaroid the recently released third album from upstate New York band Eastbound Jesus spits out snapshots of life in northern rural America that…

Eastbound Jesus – Northern Rock
Randall Bramblett – The Bright Spots

Randall Bramblett – The Bright Spots

Randall Bramblett is generally known as much for his associations as he is for his own body of work. That is largely due to the innate talent that made him…

Randall Bramblett – The Bright Spots
3 EP Gems; Wicked Saints, Western Youth, Shawn Nelson

3 EP Gems; Wicked Saints, Western Youth, Shaw…

 Shawn Nelson and The Good Buds - Enough

Back in 2011 I reviewed San Juan Street from Shawn Nelson and was enamored of the protagonist perspective in many of his songs…

3 EP Gems; Wicked Saints, Western Youth, Shaw…
With the Radio On: A Special Boston Playlist

With the Radio On: A Special Boston Playlist

It is only May and it has already been an amazing year for Boston music. Below are some of the highlights from some of the impressive releases making for a…

With the Radio On:  A Special Boston Playlist
Shinyribs – Gulf Coast Museum

Shinyribs – Gulf Coast Museum

Kevin Russell is an enigma.  As lead singer and songwriter for The Gourds, he led one of the biggest party bands in Texas history.  Just try to find someone in…

Shinyribs – Gulf Coast Museum
Patty Griffin – American Kid

Patty Griffin – American Kid

It is hard to describe songs that leave you speechless. The breathtaking tracks on “American Kid” mesmerize from beginning to end. This is Patty Griffin’s first album of original material…

Patty Griffin – American Kid
PreviousNext


Caitlin Rose- The Stand-In

1361219468-caitlin-rose-the-stand-in

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 in Americana, Country, Downloads, Features, Folk, Indie, Jazz, Pop, Reviews, Rock, Roots, Soul

Lisa Biales – Singing In My Soul

Lisa Biales

Lisa Biales (pronounced “Be-Alice”) has a uniquely clear voice reminiscent of Patsy Cline, whom she once portrayed in a community theater musical production. That clear, soothing voice of hers is a fresh change from the scorching vocals of many country and blues singers today. The Oxford, Ohio based Biales has independently released seven previous albums [...] more »

by in Americana, Blues, Country, Folk, Reviews, Roots

Mayer’s Playlist for March/April 2013, Part 2

ALBUMS OF THE MONTH The Other Life, by Shooter Jennings I’ll admit that I haven’t spent much time with Shooter’s previous releases. No real explanation, his music just never made it into my rotation. My bad. His latest is one of the most refreshing country records that I’ve heard in quite some time. Shooter and [...] more »

by in Acoustic, Americana, Country, Downloads, Indie, Playlists, Pop, Reviews, Rock, Streams, Videos

Kim Richey – Thorn In My Heart

Here’s a question for you.  Who’s the female John Hiatt, or Randy Newman, or Willie Nelson?  All are people who were super well-known in the music business for the quality of their songs long before they hit the public eye.  I’ll be the first to admit that  it’s maybe pointless to discuss the sex of [...] more »

by in Americana, Country

Monday Morning Video: Reader’s Picks, Part 2

Here is part two of our Reader’s Pick series, the up-and-coming artists that you told us about as part of our Joe Pug give-away. This week’s video playlist includes: Communist Daughter Rayland Baxter Ryan Bonner Drew Holcomb Cat Beach Gaslight Anthem more »

by in Acoustic, Americana, Rock, Videos

Duke Robillard – Independently Blue

Robillard IndependentlyBlue

Duke Robillard, a founding member of Roomful of Blues and the first great guitarist to emerge from the band, has a long track record of superb guitar work.  Unlike his fellow Roomful alumnus Ronnie Earl, Robillard is a colorful singer as well as a guitarist, and Robillard’s music usually frames his vocals, although he has also [...] more »

by in Blues, Reviews

Mayer’s Playlist for March/April 2013, Part 1

ALBUMS OF THE MONTH The Beast In Its Tracks, by Josh Ritter It’s easy to be angry after a break-up. You want to grab a bottle of whisky and crank some classic angry Bob Mould songs (Black Sheets of Rain, anyone?). I suppose that Josh Ritter had a few of those moments when his marriage [...] more »

by in Acoustic, Americana, Downloads, Indie, Playlists, Pop, Rock, Soul, Streams

Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters – Just For Today

Ronnie lemon

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 in Blues, Jazz, Reviews

Tom’s Picks: Best of Winter 2013, a Playlist

Here’s a handful that caught my attention in the same season that brought us the Harlem Shake. Pay close attention to the full releases from Mount Moriah, Frontier Ruckus, Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison, Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite, Kingsley Flood, The Stone Foxes, and Holly Williams among others. Album of the Season Mount Moriah, [...] more »

by in Best of Year, Playlists, Reviews, Streams

Monday Morning Video: Reader’s Picks, Part 1

Last month we asked you to tell us about your favorite up-and-coming artists. Well, you didn’t disappoint, sharing an impressive array of artists. For the next two weeks, we will highlight the bands that you told us were the ones that we should be watching, er, listening to, in the years to come. This week’s [...] more »

by in Acoustic, Americana, Videos

Sons Of Fathers – Burning Days

Sons of Fathers cover

My first listen to the latest release from Sons Of Fathers, Burning Days, and I was tempted to just label it sophomore slump and be done with it.  I so liked their first release, though, that I had to go back and listen again and I realized it was my pre-conceived notions at fault and [...] more »

by in Alternative, Americana, Indie

Lori McKenna & Mark Erelli – Church Coffeehouse

Photo by Suzanne Davis McMahon

On a chilly night in March, I ventured out to what I thought was the “Rose Garden Coffeehouse” in Mansfield, MA. Little did I know that the term “coffeehouse” had been reappropriated. After a lovely sushi dinner out in the burbs, my wife and I got to the show only to find out that the [...] more »

by in Reviews

Wednesday Morning Video: SXSW 2013 Highlights, Part 3

We wrap up our SXSW 2013 coverage with a final set of videos. This collection features several up-and-comers that we’ll be hearing great things from in the years to come. Dawes performing their brilliant song “When My Time Comes” You Won’t playing a song whose title I don’t know (can someone help me and Shazam [...] more »

by in Americana, Indie, Pop, Rock, SXSW, Videos

Tuesday Morning Video, SXSW 2013 Highlights Part 2

We continue our celebration of SXSW 2013 with a special Tuesday edition of our Morning Video series. We’ll call this the SXSW classic rock and country showcase, led off by a three-fer featuring Alejandro Escovedo. The True Believers let their guitars do the talking on “She’s Got” and “All Mixed Up” Bobby Bare Sr., joined [...] more »

by in Americana, Rock, SXSW, Videos

Monday Morning Video: SXSW 2013 Highlights, Part 1

This week and next week I’ll be featuring some videos from SXSW. We’ll start with a mostly acoustic set, featuring: Steve Earle performing “Someday” The Waterboys performing “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” Billy Bragg performing “Handyman Blues” Chuck Ragan and friends performing “Revival Road” Frank Turner covering Blink 182′s “Dammit” Josh Ritter and Emmylou Harris [...] more »

by in Acoustic, Americana, Folk, SXSW, Videos