I’m generally a fan of debut albums. Without the pressure to follow up an earlier record, or put something out to satisfy the label, an artist can cull from their life’s best work. Sometimes that can go awry, though, when a musician has worked their way through a variety of styles on their way to […]
Dave Murphy Song Premiere – If I Could Fly
Not a lot of Twangville artists call New Jersey home. They may hail from there, but they make their way to Nashville or Austin or LA. For Dave Murphy though, the life and events that inspire the best country and folk songs had no problem finding him in the Garden State. Over the last couple […]
Everett Wren – Cascades
Something I’ve noticed lately is how many musicians identify now as multi-instrumentalists. The idea isn’t new–every professional musician I’ve ever known plays multiple instruments. What is new perhaps is the willingness to showcase those talents in a more public way, whether to play them in a live show or highlight them on a record. An […]
The Twangtown Paramours – The Wind Will Change Again
You’re no doubt familiar with the idea that two people know each other so well they can finish each other’s sentences. In the case of Nashville couple MaryBeth Zamer and Mike T. Lewis, also known as The Twangtown Paramours, they know each other so well they can finish each other’s songs. As MaryBeth notes, “I […]
Shawn’s 25 Favs of 2024
1) Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well She raised her game to a new level. The insight and emotion in some of the songs on this record really do make me think that cardinal was John Prine. I’m not sure there’s been a better song ever about growing up than the title track. 2) Billy Strings […]
Ben Chapman – Downbeat
Road house, honky tonk, dive bar. It doesn’t matter what you call the place, across rural America they’re the name for a drinking establishment with live music, frequently located near the crossroads of a couple of (sort of) major highways. The music can be from a few different genres, but the characteristics of the set […]
Effie Zilch – Multitudes
We are all, to some extent, a product of our environment. When it comes to music that frequently manifests itself in a favored genre. But what if you’ve worked with artists from Leon Bridges to John Legend to the Rolling Stones? And you’ve scored and acted in a Sam Shepard play and written a movie […]
Schmoon Song Premiere – Not A Girl
Remember when people asked kids what they wanted to be when they grew up, like they would have a single career, maybe even a single job? At this point in society’s arc that seems more nostalgic than realistic, witness the career of Portland, Maine (by way of Connecticut and NYC), artist Matt Cascella. His first […]
Iain Matthews – How Much Is Enough
A lot of the albums I review are from artists still early in their arc. Part of that is to try to expose less well known acts, but some of it is because what new are you going to say about someone who has 20+ records out in the public for people to hear. So […]
Warren Haynes – Million Voices Whisper
Although younger than Willie by almost 30 years, Warren Haynes is maybe the last leaf on a different tree. With the recent passing of Dickey Betts, Haynes is now the elder statesman in a large group of southern rock and jam band musicians building on the legacy of The Allman Brothers Band. He just released […]