Iris DeMent Returns With a Mission on New Album ‘Workin’ on a World’
Songs like the ones Iris DeMent writes don’t come in a flash, but rather are a slow dawn, big enough to light the whole world. Which may explain why the new album she announced today, Workin’ on a World, comes eight years after her previous release, the translated Russian
THROUGH THE LENS: Steve Earle Leads 'A Celebration of Justin Townes Earle' at the Ryman
On what would have been Justin Townes Earle’s 41st birthday last Wednesday, his father, Steve Earle, hosted a tribute to him at the Ryman Auditorium. Billed as “A Celebration of Justin Townes Earle,” Steve Earle began the night by saying, “Just like the album I never wanted to make
Taj Mahal to Pay Tribute to the Classics on New Album ‘Savoy’
Living legend Taj Mahal has announced a new album, Savoy, which finds the groundbreaking blues and roots icon taking a musical trip back in time.
The title comes from “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” a swing jazz standard honoring the famed Harlem ballroom that has personal relevance for Taj, as he
BONUS TRACKS: Zach Bryan Hates on Ticketmaster and More Music News
Zach Bryan was hating on Ticketmaster before Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen fans made it cool. And he hates them a lot — so much that he titled his new album, recorded live at Red Rocks and surprise-released on Christmas Day, All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster. That’s a quote
THE READING ROOM: The Rise of Chuck Berry and Rock and Roll
Chuck Berry’s straight-ahead bluesy, rhythmic romps “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “Johnny B. Goode,” and “Maybellene” lie deep in the DNA of American popular music. A savvy entrepreneur, Berry cannily cashed in on the shift in musical styles from rhythm and blues to even looser, more spontaneous songs about cars,
What Is Roots Music?
“Roots music” is often used to describe different styles of American music. The mind jumps to the American South, or to the folk lyricism of acoustic artists like John Prine or (the Minnesotan) Bob Dylan. That is not completely wrong, though it is important to first distinguish between roots music