I looked up the word “cinematic” and, not surprisingly, all the definitions center around visual elements. Yet, it’s one of the first words that came to my mind as I listened to the new record from Grant-Lee Phillips, In the Hour of Dust. The album’s title is taken from an 1800’s painting of cattle being […]
The Twangville 2025 Album Preview-Side B
Here are some albums that we’re looking forward to hearing in the back half of 2025… Americana Radio by J. Isaiah Evans and the Boss Tweed (11 July) Evans and the Boss Tweed make a raucous entrance with their debut album. Evans pairs his booming voice with his fierce guitar for ten tracks of what […]
Mayer’s Picks – the Best of 2022 (So Far), the Albums
Twilights by Jesper Lindell Sweden’s Lindell makes true Americana that channels the spirit of the Band, a point he emphasizes with a great cover of that group’s “Twilight”. It’s Lindell’s own compositions and the arrangements that bring the songs to life, however, that make Twilights such a memorable experience. How Long Will It Take Them […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2022, Part 2
Westcoast Rain, Jesper Lindell (from the Rootsy Music release Twilights) I’ll say it up front – Jesper Lindell’s latest plays like a long lost album by The Band. It’s more – much more – than the fact that he covers that group’s wonderful “Twilight” or that Amy Helm makes a guest appearance on the album. […]
Mayer’s Picks – More Favorites from 2020
Here, in no particular order, are more favorites from 2020.
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2020, Part 1
Remember It, The Northern Belle (from the Die With Your Boots On Records release We Wither, We Bloom) You’d never know from their music that The Northern Belle hails from Norway. Their brand of Americana is bathed in Southern California sunshine in more ways than one. This is music warm and lavish, not to mention […]
Socially Single – A Special Twangville Playlist
It is times like these where we most need artists. And they are rising to the occasion. Many a music fan has watched some of the flood of online streaming shows that have – and continue – to occur. While these events are a crucial source of income to artists in an era where most […]
Mayer’s Picks – Best of 2018
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 2018. #10. KIRBY BROWN, Uncommon Prayer There’s a restlessness that permeates Uncommon Prayer, a point that Brown makes quite clearly in the opening track – […]
Mayer’s Picks – the Best of 2018 (So Far), the Albums
It’s been a good year for music so far this year (and the rest of the year is looking quite nice, too). Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite releases from the first half of 2018. HOW TO BE OK ALONE by BRENT COWLES Cowles shares a debut solo full-length that is […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Winter 2018, Part 1
Time Will Be the Healer, Glen Hansard (from the Anti- Records release Between Two Shores) Songwriting is arguably a numbers game. For many artists, the quantity of songs released is a fraction of those that are written. It’s a shame, really, as some quality songs can get left on the shelf gathering dust. For his […]