ALBUM REVIEW: Will Hoge Right at Home on Muscular ‘Wings on My Shoes’
What you hear is thankfully what you get with Will Hoge. There were seasons with a full band and others on his own, some Southern flavors and country influences, but Hoge’s long obedience to barroom rock and roll has long been his calling card, and that wasn’t bound
ALBUM REVIEW: Jim Lauderdale at the Top of His Country Music Game
Jim Lauderdale is at it again, writing songs that belong in the pantheon of country music alongside those of George Jones, Ray Price, and Conway Twitty. With his signature twangy vocals and his often wry wit, Lauderdale sings on Game Changer about broken hearts, wistful dreams, mending fences, and honky-tonkin’
ALBUM REVIEW: Marcus King Bares an Old Soul on Scorching ‘Young Blood’
Tired of feeling menaced by reality? Sick of fretting over the fate of the world? Sometimes the best antidote to the stresses of modern life is a blast of purifying electric noise. If that seems inviting, take a shot of Marcus King’s blazing Young Blood. Blending bluesy turbocharged guitar,
ALBUM REVIEW: Thee Sacred Souls Blend Past Sounds for New Direction
Last year, Daptone Records celebrated its 20th anniversary. But while taking a victory lap on its past, the label was looking ahead to its future: the recently launched California-based Penrose imprint and its promising young act, Thee Sacred Souls.
With the release of their eponymous debut LP, Thee Sacred Souls
ALBUM REVIEW: At 17, Nora Brown Taps Into Past Generations With Her Banjo
From the instruments Nora Brown plays and company she keeps, to the research and knowledge enabling her to fully occupy the music she interprets, it’s evident the bloodlines of banjo lore run thick in this young prodigy’s veins. Just 15 when she recorded Long Time to Be Gone,
ALBUM REVIEW: Valerie June Gives Her Imagination Full Rein on ‘Under Cover’
Valerie June’s sonic alchemy has been on the global radar since Dan Auerbach got involved with her trad/modern song fusions as producer on 2013’s Pushin’ Against a Stone. Black gospel flair and East Tennessee folk leanings came together on that recording with riveting pop ideas, and June