Jim Shahen

There are two different Nathaniel Rateliffs. One is a powerhouse singer who leads the gritty rock ‘n’ soul styling of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats. The other is an introspective singer-songwriter who in recent years has helmed tributes to Harry Nilsson and Leonard Cohen. On his new LP with

It’s probably not surprising to know that Andrew Bird possesses a fondness for midcentury jazz and the Great American Songbook. Given his ability to explore different genres and styles, it should also come as no surprise that he can play the hell out of this material. On his latest,

When was the last time Ani DiFranco got weird with her music? After the free-flowing eclecticism of her 2003 record Evolve, DiFranco settled into a comfortable, acoustic-folk groove. With the release of Unprecedented Sh!t, her 23rd album, she shakes things up again and presents 11 tracks that are marked

You almost certainly know this already, but life is full of ups and downs, transcendent highs and profound lows. Or as Leyla McCalla puts it on “Scaled to Survive,” the second track on her excellent new LP Sun Without the Heat, “life is not a straight line.” “Scaled to Survive,

Helmed by vocalist and bandleader Joey Quinones, SoCal outfit Thee Sinseers has been steadily cultivating its style over the past five years, an approach that blends ’60s R&B with smooth Chicano soul. The group makes the jump from singles to full-length projects with the release of Sinseerly Yours.

On their past few albums under the Hurray for the Riff Raff moniker, Alynda Segarra has focused their gaze on the outside world and the sociopolitical forces that move us. It’s an approach that’s worked, as their 2017 record The Navigator and 2022’s Life on Earth are