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Jon Young

ALBUM REVIEW: North Mississippi Allstars’ Cody Dickinson Sticks Close to Home on Solo Debut

ALBUM REVIEW: North Mississippi Allstars’ Cody Dickinson Sticks Close to Home on Solo Debut

“No problem! Only solution! Love riot!” exclaims the irrepressible Cody Dickinson near the end of Homemade, summing up this supremely satisfying album quite nicely. On his first solo outing, the co-pilot (along with brother Luther) of Americana mainstays North Mississippi Allstars makes a joyful noise as he celebrates the restorative

ALBUM REVIEW: Pokey LaFarge Strives for Higher Ground on ‘Rhumba Country’

ALBUM REVIEW: Pokey LaFarge Strives for Higher Ground on ‘Rhumba Country’

Pokey LaFarge displays such easy grace when he sings that it’s tempting to consider him a supplier of light entertainment. Don’t believe it. The stirring, deceptively fraught Rhumba Country presents vivid vignettes of restless hearts gripped by desire and loneliness, and yearning for higher ground. If this smooth

ALBUM REVIEW: Nicolette and the Nobodies Arrive Via ‘The Long Way’

ALBUM REVIEW: Nicolette and the Nobodies Arrive Via ‘The Long Way’

Discovering a performer with a big voice can be a special kind of thrill. Think young Connie Smith in the ’60s, early Neko Case in the ’90s, or whoever gives you a buzz. There’s something uniquely exhilarating about encountering a singer who has the firepower to rattle windows. Now,

ALBUM REVIEW: The Secret Sisters Offer a Warm Hug in a Scary World on ‘Mind, Man, Medicine’

ALBUM REVIEW: The Secret Sisters Offer a Warm Hug in a Scary World on ‘Mind, Man, Medicine’

The world is pretty scary these days, but The Secret Sisters are here to comfort on Mind, Man, Medicine. Reaching out to family, friends, and complete strangers — aka you, the listener — Alabama-bred siblings Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle confront a variety of troubles, from social dysfunction to interpersonal strife, with

ALBUM REVIEW: The High Hawks Radiate Good Vibrations on ‘Mother Nature’s Show’

ALBUM REVIEW: The High Hawks Radiate Good Vibrations on ‘Mother Nature’s Show’

Expect good vibes when you encounter Mother Nature’s Show, the sophomore outing from The High Hawks. This easygoing sextet exhibits the kind of special team spirit that can’t be faked, working like an efficient, albeit nicely scruffy, groove machine as it spans a variety of roots styles to

ALBUM REVIEW: William Elliott Whitmore Dispenses Hard Wisdom on ‘Silently, The Mind Breaks’

ALBUM REVIEW: William Elliott Whitmore Dispenses Hard Wisdom on ‘Silently, The Mind Breaks’

Troubled souls who need an ally on the rocky road of life may find a kindred spirit in Iowa’s William Elliott Whitmore. Continuing to dispense hard wisdom more than two decades after his debut, this plainspoken country-folk troubadour ponders existential angst and other primal issues on the compelling Silently,

ALBUM REVIEW: Jacob Aranda’s ‘War Planes’ Reaches for Healing After Trauma

ALBUM REVIEW: Jacob Aranda’s ‘War Planes’ Reaches for Healing After Trauma

EDITOR’S NOTE: As the end of the year approaches, we’re taking a look back at albums we weren’t able to review when they first came out. War Planes was released in September. Trauma and sadness cut deep on War Planes, the gently devastating Americana gem from Jacob