ALBUM REVIEW: Fruit Bats Mark the Power of Place on ‘A River Running to Your Heart’
“We all want a home / metaphorical or real / some place to make us feel whole,” Eric D. Johnson sings on the latest record — his tenth — under his Fruit Bats moniker, A River Running to Your Heart. As has always been the case in his more than 20-year career, Johnson
ALBUM REVIEW: The Wood Brothers’ ‘Heart Is the Hero’ Puts Compassion in Charge
Through their songwriting, roots music vanguards The Wood Brothers exemplify what we gain when we heed our senses: We learn, we grow, and at the baseline, we live. But the title of their eighth studio record — Heart Is the Hero — encourages us upfront to ponder the role the heart, not
ALBUM REVIEW: Robert Earl Keen Follows a Laidback Trail on ‘Western Chill’
While Robert Earl Keen may be officially retired from touring, Western Chill makes it quite clear he’s not retired from writing songs and making music.
Western Chill tracks the travels of a troubadour who’s not heading off into the sunset but who’s heading to the cool climes
Sisterhood on the Long Road: Rissi Palmer and Miko Marks in Conversation
Over the past few years there has been an ongoing conversation about the lack of diversity in country music and what, if anything, should be done about it. Most of what the industry has seen has been simply that: a conversation. But two women in particular have put this conversation
ALBUM REVIEW: The Tallest Man on Earth Hones Craft and Wisdom on 'Henry St.'
With his latest album, Henry St., Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson, aka The Tallest Man on Earth, offers another heartfelt set. Over 11 songs, he employs some of his most lavish production approaches while exploring the ephemerality of life, the redemptive nature of love, and the angst that inevitably accompanies
ALBUM REVIEW: William Prince Builds Big Choruses on ‘Stand in the Joy’
William Prince is a descendant of preachers, and in his own way, he is carrying on that legacy in his music. With his singular velvet baritone, Prince envelops in his songs messages of forgiveness and acceptance, even amid inner turmoil and when the world feels like too brutal a place.