
ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘El Cabron’, Pug Johnson Cuts a Fun, Deviant Caper
If Townes van Zandt’s Pancho and Lefty got away with it, their lives might have ended up something like Texas singer/songwriter Pug Johnson’s outlaw, El Cabron. The titular character from his latest album, El Cabron, runs on swagger and split-second choices, often thriving in the liminal moments

ALBUM REVIEW: On 'Forever is a Feeling' Lucy Dacus Falls in Love, Deeply
An imprint of text from a dedication plaque on a bench, pressed into skin. Friends in a kind of beautiful freeze frame of mundanity, playing Grand Theft Auto, ripping a bong, snacking on popcorn. A hypnotic fixation on the gap between a lover’s teeth. A boardroom full of men

ALBUM REVIEW: Palmyra Builds Something Big on Debut Album ‘Restless’
Palmyra, the historic site in modern-day Syria, is known for its ruins of a once mighty ancient city. Palmyra the band has seen its share of hardship and destruction, too, but the Virginia trio is using those experiences to build something awe-inspiring.
With a sound that can swing from tender,
![SPOTLIGHT: Music Is A Service Industry [ESSAY]](/content/images/size/w720/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/oel-spotlight.jpg)
SPOTLIGHT: Music Is A Service Industry [ESSAY]
Editor’s Note: Olivia Ellen Lloyd is No Depression’s Spotlight Artist for March 2025. Learn more about her life and new album, Do It Myself, released March 21, in this feature, and this video, and keep an eye out for more all month long.
It is 8:47 AM.

ALBUM REVIEW: Alison Krauss and Union Station’s 'Arcadia' Is Worth the Wait
Even with a fourteen-year gap between albums with Union Station, Alison Krauss has remained a musical force. Her duo albums with Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant serve as an indicator of her versatility. With the release of Arcadia, her tenth studio album since her debut at 16, Krauss returns—

THROUGH THE LENS: Willie Nelson’s Texas Luck Reunion & Australia’s Blue Mountains Music Festival
There is simply too much going on in the roots music world. This week, the column goes from Texas to Australia. In the former, Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion (Spicewood, Texas, March 13, 2025) showed the world how to put on a one-day festival, with some surprise guests. The latter,