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Henry Carrigan

THE READING ROOM: New Greenwich Village Book Spotlights 1950s-'00s

THE READING ROOM: New Greenwich Village Book Spotlights 1950s-'00s

Walk along most streets in Greenwich Village these days, and you’re more likely to see banks, high-end clothing shops, and upscale restaurants than small clubs full of folk singers or jazz musicians. In the late 1950s through the late 1980s, though, the scene would have looked and sounded very

ALBUM REVIEW: The Vulnerable, Invincible Amy Helm

ALBUM REVIEW: The Vulnerable, Invincible Amy Helm

Amy Helm dwells in the songs she writes, turning her phrases and words in and out. She delivers little masterpieces of folk and soul that plumb the depths of human emotion. On Silver City, her fourth album, Helm tells the stories of various women, reclaiming their voices, naming their struggles,

THE READING ROOM: Daniel Levitin Goes Back Inside the Brain for ‘Music as Medicine’

THE READING ROOM: Daniel Levitin Goes Back Inside the Brain for ‘Music as Medicine’

Most musicians recognize the transformative power of music and the ways it can stir up listeners’ emotions. During a concert, a band might play a defiant anthem that has the crowd jeering angrily about the song’s subject; at another moment, a different song might send waves of harmony through

ALBUM REVIEW: Morgan Wade Puts Full Vocal Power Behind ‘Obsessed’

ALBUM REVIEW: Morgan Wade Puts Full Vocal Power Behind ‘Obsessed’

As she did on her 2021 debut album, Reckless (ND review), and on last year’s Psychopath (ND review), Morgan Wade showcases a vocal power that combines the clarity and aching vulnerability of Patty Loveless and the vibrant, soaring phrasing of Stevie Nicks on her third album, Obsessed. Shimmering guitars

ALBUM REVIEW: Amanda Anne Platt and the Honeycutters Process the Pleasure and Pain of Looking Back

ALBUM REVIEW: Amanda Anne Platt and the Honeycutters Process the Pleasure and Pain of Looking Back

There’s an emotional yearning in Amanda Anne Platt’s crystalline voice, whether it’s for a person, a place, or a time. Her vocals come across with drenching clarity and vibrance, leaving the listener with their own desire to look back, to set things straight, to love purely, or

THE READING ROOM: Mavis Staples Bridges All Ages, All Audiences With Children’s Book

THE READING ROOM: Mavis Staples Bridges All Ages, All Audiences With Children’s Book

Inspiring soul and gospel singer, civil rights activist, Bob Dylan’s crush: Mavis Staples can now add children’s book author to her resume. Partnering with award-winning children’s book author Carolyn Boston Weatherford (Unspeakable; Moses) and illustrator Steffi Walthall (Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ’Round), Staples tells

ALBUM REVIEW: Zeshan B Lays Out a Soulful Vision for Social Justice on ‘O Say, Can You See?’

ALBUM REVIEW: Zeshan B Lays Out a Soulful Vision for Social Justice on ‘O Say, Can You See?’

Like Marvin Gaye, Jerry Butler, Curtis Mayfield, and gospel singer James Cleveland, Zeshan B combines soaring vocals with swaying rhythms that inspire the soul and move the feet to action. On his third album O Say, Can You See? he adds lush layers of orchestration to his searing lyrics, transporting