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Henry Carrigan

THE READING ROOM: The Best Music Books of 2025

THE READING ROOM: The Best Music Books of 2025

As the end of the year rolls around, so do the “best-of” lists. Overall, 2025 has been a good year for music books, with several outstanding biographies and autobiographies as well as some thoughtful critical analyses of music history. There is a book for everyone on this list of

ALBUM REVIEW: Amy Speace Delivers on Emotional New Album, 'The Blue Rock Sessions'

ALBUM REVIEW: Amy Speace Delivers on Emotional New Album, 'The Blue Rock Sessions'

Over the summer, Amy Speace did a weeklong songwriting residency at the Blue Rock Artist Ranch and Studio in Wimberly, Texas. During the week, she had access to a recording studio for three hours with engineer Hayes Howard. She emerged from that collaboration with the sparsely arranged songs on her

THE READING ROOM: The Dead’s Epic Wall of Sound in Minute, Exquisite Detail on Brian Anderson’s ‘Loud and Clear’

THE READING ROOM: The Dead’s Epic Wall of Sound in Minute, Exquisite Detail on Brian Anderson’s ‘Loud and Clear’

Once upon a time, the Grateful Dead hung out in trees, dropping acid, and leading bands of Merry Pranksters dreamily along that golden road to eternal devotion. The darlings of psychedelic rock—or the pioneers of space bluegrass—the Dead opened their shows to the faithful: dancers with faraway eyes

ALBUM REVIEW: Tommy Talton Rides Again in ‘Seven Levels’

ALBUM REVIEW: Tommy Talton Rides Again in ‘Seven Levels’

Guitarist and songwriter Tommy Talton died on December 28, 2023. Fortunately for us, he and his band had gathered at Capricorn Studios in Macon, Georgia, in April 2022 to lay down seven tracks that became his final recordings, now collected on Seven Levels. These songs feature Talton’s never-miss-

THE READING ROOM: Six Fall and Holiday Music Books To Read

THE READING ROOM: Six Fall and Holiday Music Books To Read

Fall is the big season for book publishers when they release books in large print with aspirations for low returns and blockbuster sales. Publishers also have the holidays in mind, and they’re hopeful that buyers will purchase a big biography or tell-it-all autobiography or gripping thriller for

THE READING ROOM: A Fresh Twist on Jimmie Rodgers in Paul Burch's 'Meridian Rising'

THE READING ROOM: A Fresh Twist on Jimmie Rodgers in Paul Burch's 'Meridian Rising'

Like much of his music, Paul Burch’s new album Cry Love carries its listeners on a rambunctious, sometimes mellow, tour of the back roads and highways of Americana music. From the slip and sliding rockabilly of “Glencoe,” the hip-shaking jukebox country pop of “One If by Land,” and

ALBUM REVIEW: Honoring Cindy Walker with ‘It’s All Her Fault’ Tribute Album Grey DeLisle and Friends Lift up One of Country’s Greatest Songwriters

ALBUM REVIEW: Honoring Cindy Walker with ‘It’s All Her Fault’ Tribute Album Grey DeLisle and Friends Lift up One of Country’s Greatest Songwriters

Prolific country songwriter Cindy Walker certainly deserves to be celebrated. In 1970 she became a charter member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 1977 Walker was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. From the 1940s through the 1980s, Walker penned hits for artists ranging from