ALBUM REVIEW: Observations Shimmer on Mya Byrne’s ‘Rhinestone Tomboy’
In an interview published last year in The Advocate, Mya Byrne spoke about how coming out as trans has impacted her music: “When people come out, not only is it a political act, it’s also modeling for other people what they can be. So, for me, what really changed
ALBUM REVIEW: Tommy Emmanuel and Friends Take Flight on ‘Accomplice Two’
Tommy Emmanuel is a guitarist’s guitarist, and Accomplice Two is another master class in hot licks and crisp guitar stylings put on by Emmanuel and his “accomplices” — some of the best guitarists and string instrument musicians playing today. (Accomplice One came out in 2018 and featured Jason Isbell, Ricky
ALBUM REVIEW: Hope Hangs Around on Josh Ritter’s Atmospheric ‘Spectral Lines’
In the last nearly 25 years, Josh Ritter has produced an oeuvre defined by thoughtful metaphors that ring truer than truth, all while expressing the constant sense that he is searching for something bigger than the self, and maybe bigger than the world. With his 11th album, Spectral Lines, Ritter
Amanda Shires Announces Album of Classics with Bobbie Nelson
Amanda Shires’ next collaborative project isn’t with husband Jason Isbell or supergroup The Highwomen, but rather with one of her personal heroes, the late Bobbie Nelson.
Loving You, coming June 23 on Silver Knife/ATO Records, is the culmination of years of friendship between Nelson — the piano-playing sister
ALBUM REVIEW: Joy Oladokun Levels Up Her Sound But Stays True to Herself on ‘Proof of Life’
There’s a strong temptation to frame Proof of Life, Joy Oladokun’s follow-up to her self-released breakthrough album in defense of my own happiness (ND review), as a pop-oriented major label makeover.
On in defense, there was a certain level of homespun charm to the proceedings,
Jens Kruger on Doc Watson’s Appalachian American Dream
EDITOR’S NOTE: To mark what would have been the year of Doc Watson’s 100th birthday, we asked Jens Kruger, who knew Watson personally and professionally, to tell us about his friend and what he has meant to music. The Kruger Brothers will host a set at MerleFest this