ALBUM REVIEW: Vieux Farka Touré and Khruangbin Team Up for Tribute to Malian Legend Ali Farka Touré
Ali Farka Touré is one of the greatest guitarists of all time. The Malian singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist is credited with helping create what’s now (somewhat controversially) referred to as the “desert blues” sound — a guitar-based style that is at once propulsive and meandering, local and global, and ultimately
ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Things Happen That Way’ Offers One Last Blast From Dr. John
Magic happens when the first notes of “Funny How Time Slips Away,” the opening track on Dr. John’s final studio album, glide out of the speakers. Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack Jr.’s velvety, bluesy piano trills provide the swaying musical gait for his smoky vocals. By the second verse,
ALBUM REVIEW: Nikki Lane Returns With Hard-Won ‘Denim & Diamonds’
Nikki Lane needed a break. The grind of a road warrior like Lane is not for the faint of heart, and after the release of her third album, 2017’s Highway Queen, she wasn’t sure another go-round was in the cards. Still, she kept busy, continuing to play shows,
THE LONG HAUL: When You Lose One of Your Own
I hadn’t spoken to Luke Bell in years, there were only a few people who had. Sometime after his big professional break, he absconded to North Carolina and largely disappeared from the spotlight. He stopped playing shows and releasing records, and stopped posting on social media. Here and there
ALBUM REVIEW: Kendell Marvel Goes Right to What’s True on ‘Come On Sunshine’
When Harlan Howard first called country music “three chords and the truth,” he never could have predicted how those three chords would transform into something as ringing and rowdy as it is rugged and righteous. Kendell Marvel is the embodied version of a songwriter with a gift for finding the
ALBUM REVIEW: Chris Canterbury Offers a Country-Folk Trifecta on ‘Quaalude Lullabies’
Building on the anecdotal style of 2017’s Refinery Town, Chris Canterbury releases Quaalude Lullabies, delivering a country-folk trifecta: tales of struggle and life on the road, melodies brimming with hooks, and vocals that exude authenticity.
Opener “The Devil, the Dealer & Me” pairs Canterbury’s evocative drawl and a