Sign in Become a member

Jim Shahen

ALBUM REVIEW: Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed Brings His Genre Blend to the Songs of Merle Haggard

ALBUM REVIEW: Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed Brings His Genre Blend to the Songs of Merle Haggard

Since releasing his first record in 2005, Eli “Paperboy” Reed has worked primarily at the intersection of gospel, soul, and the blues. In that time, he’s become one of the finest vocalists any of those genres currently have to offer. On his latest LP, Down Every Road, he makes

‘Get On Board’: Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder Together Again for Tribute to Their Blues Heroes

‘Get On Board’: Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder Together Again for Tribute to Their Blues Heroes

It’s been a long time since 1965. Back then, Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder were kids, plucky upstarts playing together in the band Rising Sons with a mutual love of the deeply rhythmic Piedmont style of the blues. The Rising Sons split up in 1966 after recording an album

Freakwater and The Mekons Unite as Freakons for Rich Vein of Songwriting About Coal

Freakwater and The Mekons Unite as Freakons for Rich Vein of Songwriting About Coal

Freakons is a supergroup of sorts, a pairing of Jon Langford and Sally Timms from long-running UK punk rockers The Mekons and pioneering Kentucky-based alt-country outfit Freakwater’s Catherine Irwin and Janet Beveridge Bean. After first connecting nearly a decade ago, Freakons is releasing its eponymous debut studio album this

Jason Boland and The Stragglers Combine Cowboys, Aliens, and Big Questions of the Universe

Jason Boland and The Stragglers Combine Cowboys, Aliens, and Big Questions of the Universe

The light. Some people spend their whole lives seeking out the metaphorical light in the hope that finding it will help bring a sense of clarity to their lives. For others, the light is literal and comes from an alien spaceship that abducts them and plunges them 100 years into

Retro and Modern Pair Perfectly on Nick Waterhouse’s ‘Promenade Blue’

Retro and Modern Pair Perfectly on Nick Waterhouse’s ‘Promenade Blue’

EDITOR'S NOTE: As album releases slow down in December, we like to catch our breath and write about albums that came out earlier in the year that we didn't get a chance to review but we think are worthy of your attention. Promenade Blue was released

Curtis Harding Offers Appealing Bouquet With ‘If Words Were Flowers’

Curtis Harding Offers Appealing Bouquet With ‘If Words Were Flowers’

There’s a lot out there that alienates and isolates people. Between a toxic political discourse, the (also toxic) social media bubble, and the COVID-19 pandemic, disconnection and apathy can become appealing options. Well, Curtis Harding is here to tell you that connections don’t just matter; they’re more

Jason Isbell Highlights Political Change and Powerful Songs with ‘Georgia Blue’

Jason Isbell Highlights Political Change and Powerful Songs with ‘Georgia Blue’

Never let it be said that Jason Isbell doesn’t keep his promises. Back in November 2020, Isbell promised to record a cover album of songs from Georgia-born artists if the electoral results from the Peach State came out in favor of Democrat Joe Biden, or, in the parlance of