kmx
-
Kelly Does Her Best: 10 Albums That Changed the Game for the Artists Who Made Them
Each year, it\’s nearly impossible to narrow a “best of” list down to 10 entries. It\’s also clearly impractical to define what “best” even means. This year, though, it wouldn\’t much matter what my list\’s theme was, Brandi Carlile and Marlon Williams would be sitting next to each other at the top of it, as…
-
Rosanne Cash: She Remembers Everything
Aging is a fact of life that can be resisted, but never outrun, so the smarter tactic is generally to embrace the wisdom that comes from having witnessed so many years passing by. Those who do so recognize that it is better to be the grand old oak towering over the land than the small,…
-
JP Harris: Sometimes Dogs Bark at Nothing
The lived experience is what gives music, of any kind, meaning. After all, conveying truth, of every kind, is the songwriter\’s job. No matter where on the emotional spectrum a song falls, if it\’s not steeped in the honesty of human existence, it can\’t fulfill its artistic potential. Few songwriters in Nashville have had as…
-
The Watson Twins: Duo
Blood harmony is a topic that\’s been talked about every which way to Sunday for decades now. And for good reason: It\’s a magical thing, that blending of familial voices, and it\’s made all the more so when the blends come from twins. The synchronicity of syllables and the rhythm of phrases seem to be…
-
Keepers of the Weepers: Talking Sad Songs with Lori McKenna and Lucy Wainwright Roche
Grief is the great leveler of life. No matter who you are, you have experienced some kind of loss, whether of a partner, a parent, a pet, or a profession. Much like love, loss is loss. And grief is a wild ride, even in the best of circumstances, but there is beauty in that pain…
-
Jason Isbell: Live from the Ryman
Pretty much every musician who steps onto the Ryman Auditorium stage makes a comment about what a special place it is to play. What was once the Union Gospel Tabernacle and then the Grand Ole Opry House has hosted thousands and thousands of performances over its 126-year history, from church services to radio shows to…
-
Hush Kids: “Goodbye Rain”
There are some who feel that two voices, when coming together, need be of differing timbres — one smooth, one rough. They would have us believe that a too-similar pairing won\’t work, like a double-negative in a sentence negating itself or an opposites attract kind of quantum thinking. But some of the greatest musical duos…
-
Lucy Wainwright Roche, “Quit with Me”
In an episode of his Revisionist History podcast titled “The King of Tears,” Malcolm Gladwell determines that the devil is, indeed, in the details when it comes to writing a really great weeper, and he deconstructs some of the saddest songs in country music to support his thesis. In his thinking, the flashpoints of real…
-
Amy Ray: Holler
Most artists, who are part of bands, make a clean break before striking out on their own to explore other musical terrains. They might reunite every now and again for a good reason or a good cause, but that\’s about it. It\’s rare to find someone working within their band while pursuing solo projects on…
-
Kathy Mattea: Pretty Bird
To be a singer — who isn\’t a singer/songwriter — is, it would seem, to be a bit of an actor. After all, a song is comprised of characters living out a story, with the help of a musical interpreter stepping in and bringing it all to life. It\’s a job that requires not only…