ALBUM REVIEW: Swamp Dogg Stays True to Own Sound on ‘I Need a Job … So I Can Buy More Auto-Tune’
The last thing Swamp Dogg needs is Auto-Tune. The Dogg has enough power and bombast on his own to get him out of any vocal situation that should arise. And who really gives a damn if he's in tune or not? He's always in the neighborhood,
ALBUM REVIEW: Steve Poltz Explores Life’s Moving Parts on ‘Stardust and Satellites’
A master of full disclosure, Steve Poltz outs himself as an unrepentant entertainer on Stardust and Satellites, stuffing “Wrong Town,” the peppy leadoff track, full of memorable one-liners. Cocky and self-deprecating at once, this witty folk vet with the engaging everyman voice declares himself “Americana if you wanna, I’m
ALBUM REVIEW: Strong Content but Weak Connection on Sarah Shook and The Disarmers’ ‘Nightroamer’
Nightroamer, the new release from Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, builds on the classic country sounds and outlaw themes of the North Carolina-based quintet’s first two albums. While Shook, who uses they/them pronouns, remains a charismatic presence, their delivery throughout this sequence often sounds distracted, The Disarmers’ instrumentation
Anna Ash on Grieving, Listening, and Being ‘In Service’ as a Songwriter
Early December, the date didn’t exist, I stood in front of two men at the Napa Auto Parts store in Kerhonkson, New York, with windshield wipers in my hands. To say I was crying feels understated. My father had just died, it was raining, my face and my fingers
ALBUM REVIEW: Shovels & Rope Roar Their Cultural Commentary on ‘Manticore’
With their new album, Manticore, husband-and-wife duo Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent, aka Shovels & Rope, continue to hone their integrations of bar-room Americana, heartland rock, and a DIY sensibility. Their signature vocals, as with previous releases, remain an exhilaratingly seductive calling card.
On melodic opener “Domino” — overflowing with
ALBUM REVIEW: Renewed Joy of Listening Guides Del McCoury’s ‘Almost Proud’
In nearly every imaginable respect, 82-year-old Del McCoury is a living legend who has cultivated the landscape of American music — in bluegrass and beyond. Sixty years into his career, McCoury continues his legacy with Almost Proud, an album that slots in with the best of his expansive canon.
McCoury conceived