Here it is the end of the year and I was going back through all the great music I’ve heard this year and found 3 CDs that never worked their way up to a full review, but for one reason or another they hung around in my playlist. Â So as you sit there turkey-drunk and […]
Mayer’s Picks – More Favorites from 2017
Here, in no particular order, are a few more favorites from 2017. New MistakesTerra Lightfoot Letters Never ReadDori Freeman Other Love SongsFront Country Boy Crazy and Single(s)Lydia Loveless Transient LullabyThe Mastersons The World We BuiltThe Wild Reeds Youth DetentionLee Bains III and the Glory Fires Tomorrow ForeverMatthew Sweet Life Is FinePaul Kelly This Is My […]
Mayer’s Picks – Best of 2017
Another year is winding down, which means that it is time for the ubiquitous best of year lists. Without further ado, here are my picks for the best albums of 2017. #10. BAND OF HEATHENS, Duende The Heathens plugged in their guitars more so than previous albums without losing any of their Texas Americana allure. […]
Monday Morning Video – Roger Clyne
How about some good ol’ rock and roll to start the week. As the man says, “Baby, I do love Rock and Roll.”
True North – Open Road, Broken Heart
Kris Kristofferson famously wrote that “freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” Â Kristen Grainger, lead singer & songwriter for True North, writes a corollary, “you call it leaving, but she calls it freedom”, on One Way Ticket, the opening track on their latest album. Â While Me And Bobby McGee was about the journey […]
Monday Morning Video – Leeroy Stagger
Leeroy Stagger has been consistently putting out some fine releases for nearly 15 years. He’s never been one to pull his punches and Love Versus, his latest album, is no exception. He pays tribute to the “prophets” of punk (“Joe Strummer and Joey Ramone”), contemplates racial disharmony and violence (“Living in the Future”) and questions […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2017, Part 3
(This Ain’t) An Original Sin, Will Hoge (from the EDLO Records release Anchors) Nashville-based singer-songwriter Will Hoge possesses the twin powers of lyric and melody, a talent that is finely displayed on Anchors. From a lyrical perspective, the album overflows with yearning, disappointment and self-reflection. “You can try to fight the truth, but time will […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2017, Part 2
No Heart Left Behind, Hannah Aldridge (from the Rootsy Music release Gold Rush) “I take my heartache with a little bit of ice,” announces Muscle Shoals-raised Hannah Aldridge on “Burning Down Birmingham,” one of several stand-outs from her latest release. Electric guitars lead the charge, sometimes chugging with an insistent stoicism and other times unleashing […]
Monday Morning Video – Justin Currie
Justin Currie continues to quietly — really too quietly — put out exceptional albums. He could teach a masterclass in how to write a song with blunt honesty and emotional punch. Here is a favorite from This Is My Kingdom Now, released earlier this year.
Monday Morning Video: Todd Thibaud
I spend so much time listening to new music that it’s easy to forget about the classics and old favorites, so I love it when a casual conversation sends me back into the archives. Boston’s Todd Thibaud has one of the most consistent — and consistently good — catalogs of any in my music collection. […]