Henry Carrigan

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’

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

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,