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Henry Carrigan

THE READING ROOM: Finally, A Book About Leon Russell — But Only For Devoted Fans

THE READING ROOM: Finally, A Book About Leon Russell — But Only For Devoted Fans

Leon Russell appeared Zelig-like in almost every scene in American popular music from his earliest days of performing in his native Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the late 1950s to his performances at the 2015 Mad Dogs & Englishmen reunion engineered by the Tedeschi Trucks Band at the Lockn’ Festival in Virginia.

ALBUM REVIEW: Ally Venable Rocks the Blues on ‘Real Gone’

ALBUM REVIEW: Ally Venable Rocks the Blues on ‘Real Gone’

On her smokin’ new album, Real Gone, blues guitarist Ally Venable tears up the joint with her scorching leads and gritty vocals. Her straight-to-the-bone playing and songwriting show why Guitar World named her as one of the Top 15 Young Guns Making the Gibson Les Paul Cool Again in 2022.

ALBUM REVIEW: Serious Song Power Propels The War and Treaty’s ‘Lover’s Game’

ALBUM REVIEW: Serious Song Power Propels The War and Treaty’s ‘Lover’s Game’

Every single song on The War and Treaty’s Lover’s Game is alone worth the price of the album. Husband-and-wife duo Michael and Tanya Trotter follow up last year’s Blank Page EP with a stunning collection of songs that explore the vulnerability and incandescent passion of love. The

THE READING ROOM: Critic Stanley Crouch’s Essays Think Deeply About Music and Culture

THE READING ROOM: Critic Stanley Crouch’s Essays Think Deeply About Music and Culture

Toward the end of James Baldwin’s story “Sonny’s Blues,” the narrator, Sonny’s brother, visits the jazz club where Sonny is playing. Through much of the story, the narrator struggles with his brother Sonny’s deep passion for jazz and has difficulty understanding Sonny’s love of and

ALBUM REVIEW: Humanity Shines Through on Jaimee Harris’ ‘Boomerang Town’

ALBUM REVIEW: Humanity Shines Through on Jaimee Harris’ ‘Boomerang Town’

On her sophomore album, Boomerang Town, Jaimee Harris weaves spellbinding tales, wrapping stories of home, grief, loss, addiction, and love into deeply moving atmospheric music. The title track tells the story of two people longing to leave their small town where people “spin in circles, round and round” but constantly

THE READING ROOM: Details and Dedication Make the Argument for ‘Why Patti Smith Matters’

THE READING ROOM: Details and Dedication Make the Argument for ‘Why Patti Smith Matters’

As longtime music journalist Caryn Rose points out in the preface to her little gem of a book, Why Patti Smith Matters (Texas), the list of Smith’s contributions to art, photography, poetry, and rock and roll is so extensive that just her poetry and her influences on a generation

ALBUM REVIEW: Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams Electrify on ‘Live at Levon's!’

ALBUM REVIEW: Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams Electrify on ‘Live at Levon's!’

Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams’ live shows transport listeners to another realm. Campbell creates a multilayered sonic atmosphere with his never-miss-a-note, emotionally freighted guitar playing while Williams’ soaring vocals lift listeners and can turn tender in a moment. Live at Levons!, recorded Sept. 20 and 21, 2019, at Levon Helm