John Amen

With their new album, Manticore, husband-and-wife duo Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent, aka Shovels & Rope, continue to hone their integrations of bar-room Americana, heartland rock, and a DIY sensibility. Their signature vocals, as with previous releases, remain an exhilaratingly seductive calling card. On melodic opener “Domino” — overflowing with

Despite the rock and alt-pop trappings of their 2016 debut, Masterpiece, Big Thief displayed a clear proclivity for stripped-down, acoustic-driven cuts, including “Lorraine” and “Paul.” With their next three albums, and particularly 2019’s U.F.O.F. and Two Hands, Big Thief honed their sound, offering a distinct brand

With The Light at the End of the Line, her first collection of new material in 15 years and, apparently, her farewell project, Janis Ian moves seamlessly between activistic declarations and descriptive verse, her melodies crystalline, her voice imbued with hard-won wisdom. On the album’s guitar-and-vocal opener, “I’m

With their latest album, Time in the Sun, SUSTO release their most pop-infused and rhythmically adventurous album to date. Replete with ebullient sounds, the project arrives at the onset of autumn, providing a reminder that lightheartedness and a sense of buoyancy, often associated with summer, are perennially accessible, regardless of

Mostly a solo guitar venture, Laurel Premo’s new album Golden Loam is an austere set compared to 2019’s The Iron Trios, which highlighted the Michigan-based artist’s multi-instrumental prowess and skills as a collaborator. While Premo’s latest release underscores her talents for arrangement and composition, listeners may

Over a 40-plus-year career, David Ferguson has engineered projects for Johnny Cash, John Prine, and Sturgill Simpson, among other luminaries. Now producing and contributing lead vocals to his own album, Nashville No More, the Grammy Award-winning Ferguson is supported by an impressive ensemble of back-up singers and instrumentalists, his 10-song