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Henry Carrigan

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

On ‘The Chicago Sessions,’ Rodney Crowell Finds Friendship and Fresh Setting with Jeff Tweedy

On ‘The Chicago Sessions,’ Rodney Crowell Finds Friendship and Fresh Setting with Jeff Tweedy

Rodney Crowell working with Jeff Tweedy seems like a match made in musical heaven. Both are meticulous songwriters who spin dazzling tales of despair, loss, joy, and hope, and they both deliver just the right music the lyrics demand. Those strengths combine for something special on Crowell’s new album,

ALBUM REVIEW: Ana Popovic Melds Rock, Blues, and Jazz for Fiery ‘Power’

ALBUM REVIEW: Ana Popovic Melds Rock, Blues, and Jazz for Fiery ‘Power’

Ana Popovic careens around the tight curves of blues and jazz as easily as she rockets down the rock-and-roll highway. On her new album, aptly titled Power, she funks it up with crunchy guitar riffs, lays down a soul ballad with her shimmering rhythm strums, and rocks it off the

ALBUM REVIEW: Alison Brown Carves New Contexts for Banjo

ALBUM REVIEW: Alison Brown Carves New Contexts for Banjo

On her new album, On Banjo, Alison Brown devotes her usual careful attention to the sonic architecture of tunes. On these 10 tunes, she dwells in the spaces between the notes, listening for ways that her banjo and various other instruments can pick up a pattern and coalesce into grander

ALBUM REVIEW: Tommy Emmanuel and Friends Take Flight on ‘Accomplice Two’

ALBUM REVIEW: Tommy Emmanuel and Friends Take Flight on ‘Accomplice Two’

Tommy Emmanuel is a guitarist’s guitarist, and Accomplice Two is another master class in hot licks and crisp guitar stylings put on by Emmanuel and his “accomplices” — some of the best guitarists and string instrument musicians playing today. (Accomplice One came out in 2018 and featured Jason Isbell, Ricky