Rachel Cholst

For Ron Pope, American Man, American Music is as advertised. The album even kicks off with Pope singing a jaunty bro country-inflected song about picking up “a brown-skinned doll” in Panama. The song swaggers with an easy-going attitude even as Pope reminds us of its title: "Nobody’s Gonna

If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. There will always be a place for Americana bar bands, bands that faithfully serve up that magical combination of melancholy and dogged determinism that feels most at home in small basement venues. After twenty years, Massy Ferguson perfected their version of

To listen to Swimming, the new album by Sam Moss, is to be confronted by beautiful contradictions. Moss and his ensemble spin a gossamer web of instrumentation around Moss’ earthy voice, at once hopeful and a deliverer of weary wisdom. With a band like Isa Burke on virtually every string

Jim White and Trey Blake present a layered composition in their intriguing project, Precious Bane. As complex as the music itself is, the album will require some context. White is an Americana outsider, “discovered” by David Byrne in the ‘90s and the subject of a 2002 BBC4 documentary about his

I don’t think any album could have better timing than Crys Matthews’ Reclamation. Matthews does not shy away from politics, as all too many artists have, nor does she shrink from naming specific social issues and crafting thoughtful songs about them. (We have let far too many artists get

Ethan Samuel Brown paints gorgeous character portraits on his stunning sophomore album Small Actors. Brown, based in Nashville, has played quite a few supporting roles in the ten years since his solo debut, The Outset Lament. He’s worked as a concert promoter, talent buyer, audio engineer, and his latest