Five Best Living Songwriters
Grant started it.
Then I got talking to Iaan Hughes from KBCS 91.3 here in Seattle about it, and he invited me on his show to further the debate, among other things. So, whether or not you tuned in today, I figured I'd post my Top 5
Album Review: Willie Nelson--Lost Highway
Willie Nelson—Lost Highway—Lost Highway—2009
Keeping up with Willie Nelson albums has always been a chore. Up until about '93, though, Willie was “only” churning out an album or two a year, besides truck-stop mix-tapes, and you pretty much knew which of those you were
Ozark Mountain Daredevils: On Second Thought
I have a quick follow-up to a piece I wrote here a couple of weeks ago called “The Ozark Mountain Daredevils Keep On Churnin'." In that essay, I provided a bit of background on the Daredevils, a review of their July 16th show, and my experience meeting
Album Review: Shawn Colvin--Live
Shawn Colvin—Live—Nonesuch—2009
Shawn Colvin is complicated. She's moody, strong, impulsive, courageous, paranoid, self-possessed, depressed. And that's all just in the first song. This new live solo-acoustic recording opens with “Polaroids,” the track that also led off Fat City, her 1992 sophomore
Album Review: The Bottle Rockets--Lean Forward
The Bottle Rockets—Lean Forward—Bloodshot—2009
The Bottle Rockets, the pride of Festus, Missouri, are back with Lean Forward, out August 11th, their first album since 2006's Zoysia, and their third album on the Bloodshot label. The album also marks the return of producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel,
My back-roads affair with the Frizzell brothers
The truth of my headline is this: Neither my wife, nor my daughter, can stand the sound of twang. Not a bit, except Maggie can maybe tolerate Johnny Cash every once in a while and Susan can listen to the Dixie Chicks when not provoked. And since I no longer