Premieres
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Michaela Anne: “Where Will I Be Found”
Over the past few years, a lot of ink has been spilled about outlier country artists who honor their heroes rather than chase the trends. The women oft-cited in that regard are Kacey Musgraves, Brandy Clark, and Ashley Monroe, though lately, another wave has joined their fray — Margo Price, Dori Freeman, and Michaela Anne,…
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Kacey Musgraves Sneaks Us in "Late to the Party"
Though her Pageant Material is only a week old, Kacey Musgraves is already racking up accolades for avoiding the sophomore slump. The album, which features 13 quirky country gems (plus a hidden bonus track), picks up where Same Trailer, Different Park left off. Indeed, Musgraves and her merry band of collaborators mined so much similar…
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The Weepies Keep It Simple with a "Crooked Smile"
Even though they\’ve not been touring at all, the past few years have been full to overflowing for the Weepies — a new baby and a battle with breast cancer kept them off the road. Somewhere between going through all of that and coming out the other side, the husband-wife duo of Deb Talan and…
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Mayeux & Broussard Bring the Texas in "Gather Myself"
Tate Mayeux and Brian Broussard make the kind of country music that wouldn\’t have been completely out of place at Gilley\’s in its Urban Cowboy heyday. It has the requisite fiddle runs and Tele riffs, along with a lazy Texas swagger that Mayeux compares to Hayes Carll. But these guys — Texans, both — aren\’t…
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Pine Hill Project Takes Their Own Road to "Wichita"
In the contemporary folk world, few songwriters are as highly revered as Gillian Welch. She just has a way with a song that sets her apart from the pack. One of her tunes, “Wichita,” was originally recorded by Tim and Mollie O\’Brien for their Away Out On the Mountain album in 1994. Welch, too, has…
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The Isles Captivate with the Dusky Lull of "John James"
Three-part harmonies — when rendered well — are one of music\’s great pleasures. If those harmonies happen to be set against a captivating musical backdrop, then all the better. That\’s certainly the case with “John James,” the first track from the Isles\’ Embers debut. The Brooklyn-based trio members — Hannah Read (voice/fiddle/acoustic guitar), Tamsin Wilson (voice/acoustic guitar/dobro), and Megan…
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Caroline Spence Traces the Heartbreak of Leaving on "Trains Cry"
With a voice that blends the clarity of Mindy Smith and the country of Ashley Monroe, singer-songwriter Caroline Spence readies her upcoming debut, Somehow. The unassuming song cycle manages to strike a balance between feeling winsome and weary, pensive and piquant. It\’s a stunning effort, by any and every measure. That it\’s Spence\’s first record…
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Ryan Culwell Conjures the Plaintive Texas Landscape on "Red River"
There\’s a reason so many great songwriters come from Texas — it\’s a desolate expanse of land with more than enough room for the imagination to wonder and wander through the hard-scrabble lives of its people. Like Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Rodney Crowell, Nanci Griffith, and so many others before him, Ryan Culwell wears his heritage on…