My favorite album of last year was Jason Isbell’s Southeastern. Â It was an exploration of a man’s demons, some of them intense enough to sometimes weigh in on my decision whether to hit play or go for something a little lighter on the mind. Â Levi Lowrey, with his second, self-titled, album, has also chosen to […]
Mass Ave – A Special Boston Playlist
FEATURED ALBUMS Good Luck, by Girls Guns and Glory Girls Guns and Glory have always been a fun live band, mixing up originals with choice covers ranging from Elvis Presley to Hank Williams. They’ve captured that energy – and then some – on their latest release. The Boston quartet traveled to Brooklyn to record the […]
Clay McClinton – Bitin’ At the Bit
“I started out the night with good intentions, but ended up getting sideways drinking wine…”  Clay McClinton does a cover of his dad’s most famous song, Victim Of Life’s Circumstances, about halfway through his latest release, Bitin’ At the Bit.  It’s not only a welcome bit of deja vu, it also serves as a convenient […]
Steve Dawson – Rattlesnake Cage
Canadian roots music master Steve Dawson’s Rattlesnake Cage showcases Dawson’s astonishing guitar skills as they should be – intimate and acoustic. Dawson, whose passion for roots music prompted him to found the Black Hen Music label in 1995, has been a force in the Canadian music scene and now, having relocated to Nashville, his star […]
Mayer’s Playlist for January 2014, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Alexandria, by Chris Mills “I have wandered in the wild places,” sings Mills in the opening track of his latest release. It is a fitting line for a musician whose music continues to evolve in exquisite fashion. Mills has always impressed on many levels. His songwriting has always had a romantic […]
Kathryn Caine And The Small Band
From the opening chords of the first song on Kathryn Caine’s latest album, Kathryn Caine And The Small Band, there’s a definite throwback feeling. Â That song, Beacon, has a rock feeling that’s rooted in the style of soaring vocals set to guitar ala the Wilson sisters in Heart or LInda Ronstadt when she was topping […]
Damon Fowler – Sounds of Home
Damon Fowler’s music captures his Southern roots as well as any up-and-coming artist today. A native of Brandon, Florida, Fowler’s sound encompasses swampy soul, blues, country and a measure of rockabilly. For his sixth and latest solo album, Sounds of Home, Fowler enlisted prominent Louisiana blues-rocker Tab Benoit to help produce a tasty helping of […]
The Twangville 2014 Release Preview, Boston Edition
This is shaping up to be a great year of music in Boston. All the albums below will be unleashed to the world in January and February. Here’s hoping the following ten months are just as fruitful. RADIO SWEETHEART by SARAH BORGES If there’s such a thing as a rock star quality then Sarah Borges […]
The Twangville 2014 Release Preview
If the releases below are any indication, 2014 is shaping up to be a musical embarrassment of riches. What releases, whether on this list or not, are you most excited to hear? HARD WORKING AMERICANS by HARD WORKING AMERICANS(21 January on Melvin Records/Thirty Tigers Records) What happens when a group of musicians — Todd Snider, […]
The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash – New Old Story
With the increasing popularity of the various genres of music loosely grouped under the label “Americanaâ€, there has been a proportionate increase in the number of Honky-Tonk and traditional Country bands. The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash are best described by the former. Although Honk-Tonk music is on the rise, the true Country bar is […]