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Henry Carrigan

ALBUM REVIEW: Dan Tyminski Gets Back to Bluegrass on ‘God Fearing Heathen’

ALBUM REVIEW: Dan Tyminski Gets Back to Bluegrass on ‘God Fearing Heathen’

On 2017’s Southern Gothic, Dan Tyminski headed down the roots music trail, and on last year’s One More Time Before You Go (ND story), he paid tribute to one of his dear friends and one of bluegrass and roots music’s greatest guitarists, Tony Rice. On God Fearing

ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘King of a Land,’ Yusuf/Cat Stevens Reigns Familiar Territory

ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘King of a Land,’ Yusuf/Cat Stevens Reigns Familiar Territory

Perhaps there is some small comfort in knowing that musicians whose voices haunted your youth and whose songs drove your idealism are still making music that sounds like the music they made 50 years ago. Cat Stevens (now Yusuf/Cat Stevens) became — and remains — the soundtrack for many idealistic young,

THE READING ROOM: Jeff Fasano Shoots for the Soul in ‘Americana Portrait Sessions’

THE READING ROOM: Jeff Fasano Shoots for the Soul in ‘Americana Portrait Sessions’

When he is shooting photos of musicians and other artists, Jeff Fasano is looking through his lens for that decisive moment — “a moment I feel in my heart and soul,” he says. Fasano’s exquisite first book of photography, Americana Portrait Sessions, is filled with such moments, via photos that

THE READING ROOM: ‘Why Tammy Wynette Matters’ Considers Her Life Hand-in-Hand With Her Work

THE READING ROOM: ‘Why Tammy Wynette Matters’ Considers Her Life Hand-in-Hand With Her Work

Tammy Wynette sang some of the saddest songs in country music: “D-I-V-O-R-C-E,” “Apartment No. 9,” “I Don’t Wanna Play House.” Wynette’s vocals waver on the edge of breaking as they wring deep emotions from listeners. When Wynette modulates her vocal in the second line of the final chorus

ALBUM REVIEW: Tanya Tucker Makes Herself at Home on ‘Sweet Western Sound’

ALBUM REVIEW: Tanya Tucker Makes Herself at Home on ‘Sweet Western Sound’

With 2019’s While I’m Livin’, her first new album in 17 years, Tanya Tucker declared to the world that she was ready to ride her stallion down Broadway, Nashville’s main drag, once more. That album, co-produced by Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings, won a Grammy for Best

ALBUM REVIEW: Songwriter Layng Martine Jr. Steps Into the Spotlight

ALBUM REVIEW: Songwriter Layng Martine Jr. Steps Into the Spotlight

Although this is Layng Martine Jr.’s debut album, he’s no stranger to the country music scene. The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer’s songs have been recorded by Reba McEntire (“The Greatest Man I Never Knew”), Elvis (“Way Down”), and Trisha Yearwood (“I Wanna Go Too Far”), among

THE READING ROOM: Chicago’s Central Role in Shaping Roots Music

THE READING ROOM: Chicago’s Central Role in Shaping Roots Music

Describing Chicago, Saul Bellow once wrote, “Provinciality is not altogether a curse, we gain from our backwardness.” Chicago wears the mantle of the Second City, taking a back seat to New York in almost every category including theater, cuisine, and music. Chicagoans see the phrase as a tongue-in-cheek description, often