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Henry Carrigan

ALBUM REVIEW: Martha Spencer Makes Traditional-Tinted Magic on ‘Wonderland’

ALBUM REVIEW: Martha Spencer Makes Traditional-Tinted Magic on ‘Wonderland’

Wonderland, Martha Spencer’s second solo album, is aptly titled; it carries us through a magical musical landscape via old-time Appalachian tunes, Django jazz, bluegrass, country, American songbook-style tunes, and ambling blues. Spencer’s high mountain vocals dip and swerve, providing the thread around which harmonies and instruments wrap themselves.

ALBUM REVIEW: Dan Navarro Drives Forward on ‘Horizon Line’

ALBUM REVIEW: Dan Navarro Drives Forward on ‘Horizon Line’

Some albums are beautiful little gems, every facet glimmering with dazzling light; the lyrics shine, and the music shimmers. Horizon Line, Dan Navarro’s first album since 2019’s Shed My Skin (ND review), is one of those albums. Navarro writes, sings, and plays with such emotional intensity that every

THE READING ROOM: Andrew Duhon on Reading and the Affliction of Writing

THE READING ROOM: Andrew Duhon on Reading and the Affliction of Writing

New Orleans-based songwriter Andrew Duhon wears his literary heart on his sleeve. His lyrics on his new album, Emerald Blue (ND review), cast a little Faulknerian shade, a bit of Thoreauvian shadow, and a touch of spiritual insight with glances from both Buddha and Jesus. Duhon is never far from

ALBUM REVIEW: Jim Lauderdale at the Top of His Country Music Game

ALBUM REVIEW: Jim Lauderdale at the Top of His Country Music Game

Jim Lauderdale is at it again, writing songs that belong in the pantheon of country music alongside those of George Jones, Ray Price, and Conway Twitty. With his signature twangy vocals and his often wry wit, Lauderdale sings on Game Changer about broken hearts, wistful dreams, mending fences, and honky-tonkin’

THE READING ROOM: Billy Joe Shaver Lives Forever in Stories From Friends

THE READING ROOM: Billy Joe Shaver Lives Forever in Stories From Friends

Ray Wylie Hubbard once said that “Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, and Billy Joe Shaver are the three guys who form the Holy Trinity of Texas songwriters.” Shaver’s one of those songwriters who’s admired by many, but recognized by few. Although he’s credited by some with inventing

ALBUM REVIEW: Amanda Shires Shines Through on ‘Take It Like a Man’

ALBUM REVIEW: Amanda Shires Shines Through on ‘Take It Like a Man’

Reverberating guitar chords open the haunting, minor-chord “Hawk for the Dove,” the first track on Amanda Shires’ new album, Take It Like a Man. Shires’ vocals, with Brittney Spencer adding backup, drip with sexual longing, and the roving, stalking rhythms of the song evoke the lover’s own passion and

ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘In the Country,’ Richie Furay Finds Emotional Core of Country Favorites

ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘In the Country,’ Richie Furay Finds Emotional Core of Country Favorites

Richie Furay — founding member of Buffalo Springfield, Poco, and Souther-Hillman-Furay — has been singing country music all his life, of course, so his new album of classic country tunes is a natural fit. Furay’s soaring tenor vocals are on full display on In the Country, and, for the most part,