ALBUM REVIEW: Joy and Friendship Fuel Michael Cleveland’s ‘Lovin’ of the Game’
If people are judged by the company they keep, the musicians on Lovin’ of the Game, Michael Cleveland’s sixth solo album, are fine company indeed. Cleveland co-produced the project with Sean Sullivan and Jeff White, who also provides guitar and harmony vocals. On the album, Grammy and IBMA-
ALBUM REVIEW: The Nude Party Steers Through Heaviness on ‘Rides On’
How do all the members of a seven-piece band get to actively collaborate and have their voices heard in the making of a new album? For The Nude Party, it came down to space and time, and, maybe most importantly, self-producing. Over the past several years, they’ve
ALBUM REVIEW: Serious Song Power Propels The War and Treaty’s ‘Lover’s Game’
Every single song on The War and Treaty’s Lover’s Game is alone worth the price of the album. Husband-and-wife duo Michael and Tanya Trotter follow up last year’s Blank Page EP with a stunning collection of songs that explore the vulnerability and incandescent passion of
No Depression Sessions at Rootsy Winter Fest: Johan Örjansson
Johan Örjansson played our final day of No Depression Sessions at Rootsy Winter Fest in Falkenberg, Sweden, offering three brand new songs, including "California Tide," which was written just a few days prior to this session. This new batch represents Örjansson's move back toward the folk
ALBUM REVIEW: Matt Andersen’s ‘The Big Bottle of Joy’ Lives Up to Its Name
When you name your band and your album The Big Bottle of Joy, roots music fans should expect to be transported, at least for a little while, to a place that will distract them from their troubles and the state of the world. Thankfully, singer-songwriter-producer Matt Andersen understands
ALBUM REVIEW: The Cold Stares Make a Cathartic Racket on ‘Voices’
Consumed by regret, loneliness, and desperation, Chris Tapp is a forlorn traveler on the rocky road of life, weary yet resilient, fierce yet vulnerable. On the electrifying Voices, the frontman for The Cold Stares constantly seems to be on the verge of a meltdown – if he never quite loses it,