ALBUM REVIEW: The Clements Brothers’ Harmonies Float on ‘Dandelion Breeze’
With the release of their debut full-length album, Dandelion Breeze, The Clements Brothers add a new dimension to the concept of blood harmony. Identical twins George and Charles Clements, formerly of The Lonely Heartstring Band, have created a collection of songs that make the most of the uncanny blend
ALBUM REVIEW: Morgan Wade’s Voice Punches Through on ‘Psychopath’
With her third album, Psychopath, Morgan Wade steps more fully into her rock and pop leanings while remaining loyal to her country roots. As with her previous LP, 2021’s Reckless (ND review), Psychopath touches on eager love, doomed love, and faded love, among other archetypal themes, each song carried
ALBUM REVIEW: Hiss Golden Messenger Celebrates Creativity and Community on ‘Jump for Joy’
Jump for Joy is a work about the work.
For the last two decades or so, Hiss Golden Messenger (comprised of MC Taylor and his bandmates) has followed a sonic calling to craft earnest, meaningful songs rooted in authentic experiences. Whether questioning the meaning of life, pondering the finality of
ALBUM REVIEW: Turnpike Troubadours Ride Again, Renewed
Halfway through Turnpike Troubadours’ A Cat in the Rain we meet a cowboy.
He rides among backcountry aspens, lost in thought. He was younger, wilder once, for which he’s paid dearly. “I don’t miss the taste of liquor / or really anything about it, but / The temporary shelter was
Mipso Lets Go of Expectations for ‘Book of Fools’
Just behind the stage at the North Carolina Museum of Art’s amphitheater is a rectangular block of concrete offering a giant inscription to the sky:
TO BE RATHER THAN TO SEEM
It’s North Carolina’s state motto (often rendered in Latin: Esse quam videri), generally attributed to Cicero
ALBUM REVIEW: Old Crow Medicine Show Celebrates Its Own Traditions on ‘Jubilee’
Ketch Secor’s Old Crow Medicine Show started out as a hip retro stringband/bluegrass amalgam, playing traditional music with a reverent irreverence, and/or an irreverent reverence, depending on which side of the holler you were staring down. That was 25 years ago, though, and the band is now