Henry Carrigan

Magic happens when the first notes of “Funny How Time Slips Away,” the opening track on Dr. John’s final studio album, glide out of the speakers. Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack Jr.’s velvety, bluesy piano trills provide the swaying musical gait for his smoky vocals. By the second verse,

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.

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

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’