Every fall, The Americana Music Association gathers members, artists and music fans together in Nashville for its annual conference. Starting with the annual Americana Music Awards and continuing through four days of showcases and panel discussions, it is a tremendous celebration of Americana music. LUCINDA WILLIAMS The Americana Conference instituted a new tradition this year: […]
Walter Rose Drives South With Lucinda
There aren’t many voices out there that are fair or worthy companions to the singular, sultry and smokey groan of Lucinda Williams. The California-dwelling Walter Rose released Cast Your Stone last month, and while it’s a solid album to be sure, it’s tough to deny the magic this song has. Want proof of said magic? […]
Americana 2011: The Awards
The hands-down highlight of the Conference was the annual Americana Music Awards. In this instance, the words for such a magical evening are hard to come by. Set aside any the speeches and performances, the event was held in the legendary Ryman Auditorium. Originally built for religious revivalist meetings, it achieved great fame as the […]
Readers’ Pick: Lucinda Williams, “Blessedâ€
READERS PICK: MARCH 2011 Twangville readers recently picked Lucinda Williams Blessed as their favorite album of March 2011. It seems like each time Williams releases a new album critics call it the best since Car Wheels On A Gravel Road. I guess that’s the consequence of having a Grammy-winning album. While comparisons will forever be […]
SXSW 2011: The Scene, Part 2
DAY PARTIES EVERYWHERE Unofficial day parties have exploded in the past several years to the point that they now outnumber the official showcases. By my count there were over 120 day parties taking place on Saturday and I know that my list wasn’t complete. With that many shows it takes some creativity to stand out, […]
Tom’s Picks: Best of Winter 2011
My favorite albums from the Winter of 2011. Links will lead you to Twangville reviews. Also, be sure and check out the video companion below. Enjoy! Top 10 THE DECEMBERISTS, The King is Dead [★★★★★/4.700]Album number 6 for the Portland, OR based group. A slight departure from previous concept albums featuring cameos by Peter Buck […]
Mayer’s Playlist from February 2011
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Blessed, by Lucinda Williams Ah, Lucinda, you lost me a bit with your last couple of releases. Not that I can hold it against you. Car Wheels and some of the earlier works set the bar so high that it would be hard to imagine being able to sustain that momentum. […]
Lucinda Williams – Blessed
Some albums have lyrics with an emotional impact, but more often than not, the music impacts me more than the lyrics. So it is always special to find an album that does both. Then there is Lucinda Williams’ new project Blessed , which has great musicianship delivering a Soulful Blues with deep roots. Even More impressively, the […]
Coming Soon: 2011 Release Preview, Part 3
We’ll wrap up this go-around with a few more promising releases scheduled for early 2011. This is shaping up to be a mighty fine year for music. EDDIE SPAGHETTI, Sundowner (Release date 15 February 2011) This is a record that overflows with personality. Not that anyone should be surprised given the reputation Spaghetti has established […]
Amos Lee – Mission Bell
On January 25th, Amos Lee is going to release Mission Bell on Blue Note Records. Mark your calendars, this early January release will remain on many best of lists by the end of 2011. Characteristically, Lee’s soulful voice is the focal point of the album. However, the sound of Mission Bell exhibits more texture than his previous […]