It has been seven years since we heard from Romantica. Of course we have heard from front man Ben Kyle in the meantime. He has done two acclaimed albums. One was a duet with Carrie Rodriguez and the other was a solo project. The wait for new material from Romantica was well worth it. The […]
Readers’ Pick: Livin’ On A High Note by Mavis Staples
MAVIS STAPLES, Livin’ On A High Note beats out CARRIE RODRIGUEZ, Lola as your favorite for the week of February 19, 2016. Poll Results New Releases Did we miss something? If you feel a new release is missing from our current poll, please let us know in the comments. Readers’ Tops Winter 2016 THE CACTUS […]
Mayer’s Playlist for January 2013
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Battles, by Kingsley Flood Battles is the sound of a band hitting stride. Kingsley Flood have always delivered rock solid songs and performances. Their latest release, however, packages their most potent songwriting to date with some equally powerful arrangements. There’s a real edge to the songs across this release. The title […]
Carrie Rodriguez – Give Me All You Got
I’ll get straight to the point here. Â Carrie Rodriguez has finally captured the energy, or spirit, or je ne sais quoi, or whatever you want to call it, of seeing her live, on a record. Â I’ve enjoyed Carrie’s previous records. Â But they tended to be sort of introspective. Â Go to a live show, though, and […]
Mayer’s Picks: Best Albums of 2011
#1. JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT, Here We Rest (Lightning Rod) I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t hoping for a full-on rock assault from Isbell and crew. What I got was something better — a nuanced musical tour of his home state of Alabama. From the back porch acoustic sway of […]
Mayer’s Picks: The Best of 2011, So Far (The Albums)
Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorites from 2011. Here’s to more great music in the back half! HERE WE REST, JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT Isbell continues to mature as a songwriter, exploring the more soulful and acoustic side of his Alabama music heritage. Which isn’t to say that he […]
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 […]
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 […]
Readers’ Picks: Best Albums of 2010 (Plus a Giveaway)
Twangville readers rallied to give Paul Thorn‘s ‘Pimps and Preachers’ an overwhelming victory for album of the year. An interesting fact about the album is that Thorn himself painted the album cover. He painted the preacher to be his father and the pimp to be his uncle. You don’t have to look much further to […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2010, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE SEASON: Midnight Souvenirs, by Peter Wolf Graceful is the first word that jumps to mind upon hearing Peter Wolf’s latest. That and “what the hell took you so long.” It has been eight years since his last solo album, and Wolf makes up for lost time with an impressive song collection. Although […]