MANDO SAENZ, Bucket (Carnival) Official Site | MySpace | Stream His first radio single “Pocket of Red” off of new album, ‘Bucket’, is co-written with Kim Richey and offers a flipside point of view of the lead off song “Wrong Guy” about a person admittedly difficult to be in a relationship with. From Texas to […]
Willie Nelson + More, Releases 1/29/08
WILLIE NELSON, Moment Of Forever (Lost Highway) Official Site | MySpace | Stream In a reminiscient of Johnny Cash’s remake of the Nine Inch Nails single “Hurt”, Willie Nelson has taken a crack at singing Dave Matthews’ “Gravedigger”. His latest album ‘Moment of Forever’ shows us that his bio-diesel fueled career in music has no […]
Drive-by Truckers + More, Releases 1/22/08
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark (New West) Official Site | MySpace | Spinner Oh glory! The mother truckin’ Alabama hammers are back and they’ve got something to say. About 19 different things to say if you count the number of songs on their latest release ‘Brighter Than Creation’s Dark’. They may be without Jason […]
Mayer’s Picks for 2008
As 2007 fades from memory, there’s a wealth of great music on the horizon in 2008. I’ve listed a few of my most eagerly awaited arrivals below, ordered by expected release date. Most of the artists have preview tracks available via MySpace; click on the artist name to link there. Check the Twangville Release Calendar […]
Mayer’s Picks from 2007: The Songs
Dress Blues, Jason Isbell Potent in its simplicity, Isbell reflects on the loss of a high school friend in the Iraqi War. Even after hundreds of listens, I still get a chill in my spine when Isbell sings “You never planned on the bombs in the sand, or sleeping in your dress blues.” If I […]
Mayer’s Playlist for October 2007
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: What Is Love For, by Justin Currie Justin Currie sets the tone for his long-awaited solo debut with his opening line, “What is love for?” Over twelve intense tracks, Currie explores broken relationships with a studied but captivating eye. Lyrics filled with tinges of regret and resignation abound, often with an […]
Beth Whitney + More, Album Previews
Beth Whitney, Leave Your Shoes (Partial CD) [MySpace] At this point in the year there’s less new music to talk about. Its that time for the record companies to start releasing the records that they know we’ll buy for the holiday season like our beloved Christmas albums and “best of” records for our friends and […]
Roman Carter + More, Album Previews
Roman Carter, “Never Slow Down (Full CD) [MySpace] In a year that graced us with a new album from Bettye Lavette, now we get Roman Carter of the famed Carter Brothers (Albert, Jerry, Roman) bringing us some funked up blues. The album is a collaboration with LA producer Tom Rothrock (Beck, Elliott Smith, R.L. Burnside). […]
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss + More, Album Previews
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, ‘Raising Sand’ (Full CD) Ever since Robert Plant formed the Honeydrippers and sang the cover “Sea of Love”, I’ve forgiven him for ever being anything but Led Zeppelin. Now with the help of T-Bone Burnett, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have teamed up to produce the best collaboration since last […]
Neil Young + More, Album Previews
Neil Young, ‘Chrome Dreams II’ (Partial CD) [MySpace.com] One listen to ‘Spirit Road’ a track off of Neil Young‘s new album Chrome Dreams II and you will be reminded why he’s one of the greatest rockers of all time. Its rockin’. Its soulful. It reminds us that we’re all human and a part of our […]