When I think back to the pivotal artists that cemented my lifelong love of music, Sam & Dave rank high on the list. I stumbled across the Atlantic Records R&B Anthology and was immediately drawn to Sam and Dave’s magic. The energy, the songs, the voices – they were all something special. Sam Moore passed […]
Mayer’s Picks – Best Songs of 2024, Part 2
I posted my list of favorite from the first half of 2024 back in June (here). Rather than replicate that list for my full year review, consider this a continuation — the best songs from the second half of 2024. Rosemary and Thieves, Garrett Owen (from the self-released Memoriam) Owen’s tale of fractured relationships is […]
Mayer’s Picks, More 2024 Favorites
Here, in no particular order, are more favorites from 2024.
Mayer’s Picks – Best of 2024, the Albums
11. Our Time in the Sun by Jeremie Albino Bursting with raw emotion, swaggering grooves, and a touch of grit, Jeremie Albino’s Our Time in the Sun is a joyous revival of classic soul. Albino may sing about “Rolling Down the 405” in California, but one listen and you’ll imagine yourself cruising down Highway 72 […]
Effie Zilch – Multitudes
We are all, to some extent, a product of our environment. When it comes to music that frequently manifests itself in a favored genre. But what if you’ve worked with artists from Leon Bridges to John Legend to the Rolling Stones? And you’ve scored and acted in a Sam Shepard play and written a movie […]
Warren Haynes – Million Voices Whisper
Although younger than Willie by almost 30 years, Warren Haynes is maybe the last leaf on a different tree. With the recent passing of Dickey Betts, Haynes is now the elder statesman in a large group of southern rock and jam band musicians building on the legacy of The Allman Brothers Band. He just released […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2024
Give It To Me One Last Time, Jeremie Albino (from the Easy Eye Sound release Our Time in the Sun) Canada’s Jeremie Albino traveled to Nashville to record an album steeped in Memphis and Muscle Shoals soul. In Nashville, Albino teamed with Dan Auerbach to create an outstanding album that has a retro feel without […]
Americana 2024, Mayer’s Picks (Part 2)
LYDIA LOVELESS Loveless played two shows to celebrate a new album, Something Else, a reimagined version of her 2014 release Somewhere Else. The new release is nearly entirely Loveless solo on piano and was the focus of a stunning Thursday appearance at Todd Snider’s Purple Building. The next afternoon Loveless and John Calvin Abney brought […]
Steve Cropper on Soundchecks, Sock Hops, and Selling Groove
Legendary guitarist and songwriter Steve Cropper talks about touring with the Blues Brothers, getting better tables at restaurants, and the experience of hearing your work played on the radio for the first time.
Mayer’s Playlist for Summer 2024, Part 2
The Money or the Time, Goodnight Texas (from the 2 Cent Bank Check Records release Signals) Goodnight Texas have built a career around storytelling. Their early albums were thematic period pieces, snapshots of time vividly captured in song. Later albums, including the recently released Signals, may lack an overarching narrative but are no less compelling […]