Breaking a Heart/The Wind’s Just Gonna Blow, Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, and Jon Randall (from the Sony Music Nashville release The Marfa Tapes) If you thought their song “Tin Man” was achingly beautiful, they’ve got a few more from their time in Marfa that just might make your eyes a little misty. I couldn’t decide […]
Mayer’s Picks – the Best of 2021 (So Far), the Albums
J.T. by Steve Earle & The Dukes Steve Earle’s moving tribute to his late son Justin Townes Earle is an emotional gut punch. Yet beyond the tragedy of the younger Earle’s passing, the elder Earle’s performances of his son’s songs highlight their shared gift of songwriting and storytelling mastery. Be warned, though, that the closing […]
Monday Morning Video – True Believers
The feels like a week that calls out for rock and roll. One of the great shoulda been huge rock purveyors were Austin, Texas’s True Believers. Three singer-songwriters, three guitars, and a pounding rhythm section – it doesn’t get much better. Here’s a vintage clip of the group performing “The Rain Won’t Help You When […]
Quit Breaking My Heart – A Premiere from Chris J. Norwood
Chris J. Norwood has been known to tackle some serious and personal topics in his songs. He takes a slightly different tack on the latest single from his forthcoming I Am Not Cool. Well, sort of. “I Need You (To Quit Breaking My Heart)â€, a duet with his wife Carrie, captures the back and forth […]
Monday Morning Video – Bill Withers
Let’s start the week with some classic soul, courtesy of the late, great Bill Withers. This 1973 performance for the BBC includes “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lean on Me”.
Monday Morning Video – Shooter Jennings “4th of July”
Sure, the holiday weekend is behind us. That doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy this Shooter Jennings holiday gem.
“Don’t See The Light” – A Premiere from Kevin Daniel
After a number of years spent living in New York City, singer-songwriter Kevin Daniel decamped for Asheville last year. One listen to his forthcoming album Been Here Before and one can hear the influence of both locations. The collection of songs combines the rootsy mountain air of Asheville with the gritty edge of NYC, with […]
Monday Morning Video – Hothouse Flowers “Give It Up”
Long-time readers may recall that I like to listen to my iPod on shuffle. I love the surprise when it randomly reminds me of a favorite song from years gone by. Last week it pulled out this gem from Ireland’s Hothouse Flowers. I’m particularly enamored with this live version circa 2014, complete with a horn […]
Monday Morning Video – Smokey Robinson
Artists who cover Smokey Robinson’s “The Tracks of My Tears” have a tendency to slow it down. I’m partial to the more upbeat original, which more accurately captures the song’s tale of hiding heartbreak behind a veneer of happiness. People say I’m the life of the party‘Cause I tell a joke or twoAlthough I might […]
Monday Morning Video – Ben de la Cour
Ben de la Cour’s 2020 album Shadowland overflowed with stark tales and flawed characters, none the more so than “Anderson’s Small Ritual”. De la Cour has just announced a planned follow-up, no doubt as dark – and wonderful – as the last. Learn more about the album here.