Sign in Become a member

John Amen

ALBUM REVIEW: Laura Veirs Looks Forward on ‘Found Light’

ALBUM REVIEW: Laura Veirs Looks Forward on ‘Found Light’

Laura Veirs’ new album, Found Light, shows the Oregon-based singer-songwriter drawing musically from the folk, pop, and rock stylistics of her previous work. Lyrically, she reflects on her personality and default patterns, embracing newfound freedom while acknowledging the loneliness that perhaps inevitably accompanies the authentic life. “Ring Song”

ALBUM REVIEW: With 'The Spur,' Joan Shelley Accesses Another Creative Plane

ALBUM REVIEW: With 'The Spur,' Joan Shelley Accesses Another Creative Plane

2019’s Like the River Loves the Sea was a pivotal release for Joan Shelley. Recorded in Reykjavik, adeptly produced by James Elkington, and benefiting from the violin and cello contributions of Icelandic sisters Þórdís Gerður Jónsdóttir and Sigrún Kristbjörg Jónsdóttir, the album forged a traditionally grounded yet avant-garde

ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘Sing to the Walls,’ Chastity Brown Goes Full Power

ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘Sing to the Walls,’ Chastity Brown Goes Full Power

Refining the infectious rhythms, melodies, and vocals of her previous album, 2017’s Silhouette of Sirens, Chastity Brown releases her new set, Sing to the Walls. The project stands as a culmination of Brown’s journey, a sequence that marks her evolution from a rootsy troubadour to a meticulous songwriter,

ALBUM REVIEW: With ‘Gold Country / Country Gold,’ Secret Emchy Society Revels in Audacity and Style

ALBUM REVIEW: With ‘Gold Country / Country Gold,’ Secret Emchy Society Revels in Audacity and Style

With Gold Country / Country Gold, Cindy Emch, aka Secret Emchy Society, releases another set of boisterous, heartfelt, and frequently tongue-in-cheek songs, her freewheeling persona belying a well-honed songcraft, including hook-infused tunes and soundscapes that integrate a wide range of country and rock sources. The album opens

ALBUM REVIEW: Kamara Thomas Weaves Past and Present Into Debut ‘Tularosa: An American Dreamtime’

ALBUM REVIEW: Kamara Thomas Weaves Past and Present Into Debut ‘Tularosa: An American Dreamtime’

Throughout Tularosa: An American Dreamtime’s 11-song sequence, Kamara Thomas — activist, multidisciplinary artist, and singer-bassist for blues-rock trio Earl Greyhound — debuts with her own brand of historically based mythology, depicting the lives of various figures as they navigate love, tragedy, and displacement in the 19th-century American

ALBUM REVIEW: Abigail Lapell Displays Depth and Versatility on 'Stolen Time'

ALBUM REVIEW: Abigail Lapell Displays Depth and Versatility on 'Stolen Time'

With her fourth album, Stolen Time, Abigail Lapell builds on the folk and folk-rock templates of her previous three albums while strategically employing instrumental effects and moody atmospherics. Her versatile voice, however, defines the project, the Canadian singer-songwriter’s dreamy yet cogent delivery bringing to life a mix

ALBUM REVIEW: Paul Cauthen Brings Wit and Wide Range to ‘Country Coming Down’

ALBUM REVIEW: Paul Cauthen Brings Wit and Wide Range to ‘Country Coming Down’

Paul Cauthen offers a sequence of catchy, humorous, and heartfelt songs on his latest album, Country Coming Down. Overall, the sound is unmistakably country, though Cauthen and his band draw from and recontextualize a variety of playbooks. While previous projects, including the raconteurial Room 41 and sermonic Have Mercy, revealed