Some albums have lyrics with an emotional impact, but more often than not, the music impacts me more than the lyrics. So it is always special to find an album that does both. Then there is Lucinda Williams’ new project Blessed , which has great musicianship delivering a Soulful Blues with deep roots. Even More impressively, the […]
Hayes Carll – KMAG YOYO
Producing some stellar, if not downright seminal, works can be a real pain for an artist. Ask Lucinda Williams what’s it been like to answer questions about why each of her albums can’t be Car Wheels on a Gravel Road? Ryan Adams has tried for years to overcome the “Where’s the next Heartbreaker?” stigma. Classic […]
Cee Lo Green/The Lady Killer
I realize Mr. Mayer included the tune “Fuck You” (or “Forget You” for you pop radio listeners out there) in his Best of 2010, but I was a little late to the party, as usual, and just got a copy of The Lady Killer a couple of weeks ago. I have to say I wasn’t […]
The Drive-By Truckers- Go Go Boots
We here at Twangville have always loved us some Drive-By Truckers. So rather than limit ourselves to a single reviewer giving you his take, we’ve teamed together to give you this monster review. Hope you enjoy….. “In Muscle Shoals the love the Swampers, They’ve been gone to pick a song or two”, are familiar words […]
Susan James – Highways, Ghosts, Hearts and Home
Susan James has gained a lot of well known fans over the last few years. Bob Weir and Rob Wassrerman heard her, and asked her to open for Ratdog. She has also opened for for Son Volt, Rufus Wainright, Richard Thompson and Lindsey Buckingham among others. She has been playing guitar since she was eight. […]
Readers’ Pick: The Decemberists, “The King Is Dead”
READERS PICK: JANUARY 2011 Twangville readers recently picked The Decemberists‘ The King is Dead as their favorite album of January 2011. To record album number six The Decemberists shacked up in a remote barn outside of their Portland, OR base. For this release, the band shied away from their common concept album format to do […]
Mayer’s Playlist from January 2011
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Heart of a Dog, by Kasey Anderson and the Honkies If last year’s Nowhere Nights stood out for the down-tempo songs, this time it’s all about the rockers. “Kasey Anderson’s Dream” and “Revisionist History Blues” are driven by heavy classic blues rock guitar riffs while “My Baby’s a Wrecking Ball” and […]
Leeroy Stagger- Little Victories
Leeroy Stagger has been one of my favorite singer-songwriters for a couple years now. He makes rock and roll music, but is more easily lumped into the alternative country bin. He’s been on an incredible stretch of astonishingly good releases dating back to 2006’s Depression River. Just last year, he released Acoustic Volume One, an […]
Ben Nichols (Lucero) Talks to Twangville
Twangville sat down with Ben Nichols back in early November as he and the boys were tearing up the East Coast with Social Distortion and Frank Turner. The fruits of said interview are displayed below. Enjoy and catch Lucero on tour, out West right now and touring with the Vans Warped tour this summer. So […]
Carrie Rodriguez and Ben Kyle – We Still Love Our Country
Every now and then you get a reminder you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Â I downloaded the Carrie Rodriguez/Ben Kyle collaboration, We Still Love Our Country, with a little trepidation. Â I’m thinking, are they going to try to outdo Toby Keith by gushing on an entire album? Â Never fear, it should really be […]