Light a Candle, The Suitcase Junket (from the Renew Records / BMG release The End Is New) Matt Lorenz – aka The Suitcase Junket – has always had a penchant for great melodies, but he rachets it up a notch with a particular focus on sing-alongs with The End Is New. As notable, he continues […]
Mayer’s Picks – Best Songs of 2020, Part 2
I posted my list of favorite from the first half of 2020 back in July (here). Rather than replicate that list for my full year review, consider this a continuation — the best songs from the second half of the year. I Remember Everything, John Prine I Don’t Want This (Job Interview), Jackson Emmer (from […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2020, Part 5
The Contractor, John Calvin Abney (from the Black Mesa Records release Familiar Ground) Familiar Ground, like John Calvin Abney’s previous albums, possesses a beautiful spirituality that is comforting and uplifting. Case in point – he opens this latest release with the heartening “When This Blows Over”, a song that serves as a quiet anthem for the […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2020, Part 4
Called Out Your Name, Terra Lightfoot (from the Sonic Unyon Records release Consider the Speed) If you’re anything like me – especially in a year like this one – sometimes you just want a healthy dose of electrifying rock and roll. Thankfully Terra Lightfoot is back to fulfill that desire and, perhaps, melt a few faces […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2020, Part 3
When You’re Gone, Lydia Loveless (from the Honey You’re Gonna Be Late Records release Daughter) Daughter isn’t an easy album. Sure, the album has some strong and engaging melodies, not to mention the wonder that is the singer’s commanding voice. Yet it is also a lyrically and musically dense album, one that finds Loveless continuing […]
Bonus Monday Video – Celebrating Tom Petty
The late Tom Petty would have celebrated his 70th birthday last week. Nashville-based musician Dylan Sevey decided to mark the occasion by inviting a few friends to share some of their favorite Petty songs. I guess things got a little carried away – just look at the list of participating artists below, more than 100 […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2020, Part 2
Fine, Bonnie Whitmore (from the Aviatrix Records release Last Will & Testament) Bonnie Whitmore lulls you in with a chorus of harmonies on the opening track to her latest album. But before one can settle into the lushness, a fuzzy bass, quickly joined by ominous strings and a resonating electric guitar, interrupts to create a […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2020, Part 1
Remember It, The Northern Belle (from the Die With Your Boots On Records release We Wither, We Bloom) You’d never know from their music that The Northern Belle hails from Norway. Their brand of Americana is bathed in Southern California sunshine in more ways than one. This is music warm and lavish, not to mention […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2020, Part 4
She’s a Self-Made Man, Larkin Poe (from Tricki-Woo Records Self Made Man) Rebecca & Megan Lovell pull no punches on their latest release. Self Made Man, their follow-up to 2018’s Grammy nominated Venom & Faith is a bruising rock album pure and simple. The sisters are old souls possessed by the spirit of the legendary […]
Broke Down South of Dallas – A Special Playlist
Voices, Joshua Ray Walker (from the State Fair Records release Glad You Made It) Joshua Ray Walker sure seems like he’s having fun on Glad You Made It. Sure, the album opens with the stunning “Voices”, a song of loneliness and despair. Yet as the album progresses, Walker leans into the country side and showcases […]