Malcolm Holcombe in Full Command of ‘Tricks of the Trade’
The funny thing about singer-songwriter Malcolm Holcombe calling an album Tricks of the Trade is that there's an implication that songwriting, Holcombe's trade, lends itself to subterfuge, that one can fool a good song into existence the same way a sketchy butcher might use their thumb
On ‘Maybe We Never Die,’ Anderson East Takes His Sound in a New Direction
Props to Anderson East.
With his first two albums, Delilah and Encore, he carved out a niche for himself at the nexus point of late-’60s, Stax Records-indebted soul and introspective alt-country. Anchored by a malleable voice that can alternate between an authoritative rasp and tenderhearted croon, it’s an
THROUGH THE LENS: Reflections on the 2021 Newport Jazz Festival
This week is a first for the column: coverage of the venerable Newport Jazz Festival. Established in 1954, the fest remains one of the most prestigious jazz festivals in the world. It has been the site of quite a few significant moments in jazz, many live recordings, and a superb
James McMurtry Rethinks ‘Road Dog’ Identity, But the Storytelling Stays
There is a moment on James McMurtry’s new album, The Horses and the Hounds, where he admits what seems to be an autobiographical truth: “There’s more in the mirror than there is up ahead.” In his 59 years on this earth, McMurtry has been playing music for 33;
Singer-Songwriter Nanci Griffith Dies at Age 68
Renowned Texas singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith has died in Nashville at the age of 68, Rounder Records has confirmed. No cause of death was announced.
Griffith, who released 18 studio albums (two of her final three came out on Rounder) over the course of her five-decade career, performed in a range
Willie Nile Revels in Hooks and Riffs on ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’
With his 14th LP, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Willie Nile doubles down on the melodic and riff-driven approaches of 2006’s Streets of New York, 2013’s American Ride, and 2016’s World War Willie. The result is a project that oozes an ebullient ’70s-rock-and-pop vibe, the 73-year-old