Reviews
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Iris DeMent, Pieta Brown at City Winery
She “…was as charming as a dream, and as melancholy as a dove left solitary in its nest by the death of its mate.” Honoré de Balzac wrote those words in Despair in Love, and they sprung to mind while watching Iris DeMent work through her set last night at Nashville\’s City Winery. DeMent is…
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Eilen Jewell: Sundown over Ghost Town
With a title like Sundown over Ghost Town and cover art of a silhouetted figure with an acoustic guitar in front of a vast, star-filled horizon, Eilen Jewell\’s new album sends a signal that what lies therein could easily be simple and spacious country-folk songs. Uh, not quite. Yes, there are some simple and spacious…
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The Weepies at City Winery
More often than not, it\’s easy enough to get a sense of an artist through their songs, and certainly their live performances. Nowhere is that more true than with the Weepies — the husband/wife folk-pop duo of Steve Tannen and Deb Talan. It was definitely true last week at City Winery Nashville, and the crowd…
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Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell: The Traveling Kind
Emmylou Harris makes magic with pretty much everyone she sings with, from Gram Parsons to Lyle Lovett. One of her most trusted sidekicks over the years, though, has been Rodney Crowell, and the two never fail to shimmer and shine as evidenced on The Traveling Kind. Like they did on Old Yellow Moon, Harris and…
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Indigo Girls: One Lost Day
On their best record in a decade, the Indigo Girls harken back even as they move forward. Rites of Passage, Swamp Ophelia, Shaming of the Sun, and Come on Now Social — arguably the best albums in the Indigo catalog — all echo softly through this set, whether in the note choices of a harmony…
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Shawn Colvin at City Winery
There are some artists who should lean their catalog toward cover songs rather than original compositions. Shawn Colvin is not, however, one of them. As wonderful as she is as an interpreter of others\’ works, she\’s even better as a writer of her own. But, having recently recorded a second installment in her Cover Girl…
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Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell at City Winery
With a stellar backing band, Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell took the stage for the first of their sold out two-night stand at Nashville\’s City Winery last night. There\’s a deep familiarity shared by the two legendary artists who have been friends for 41 years, and that casual air defined their performance. It was one…
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John Moreland: High on Tulsa Heat
Falling somewhere between Jason Isbell and Tom Waits, Oklahoma singer/songwriter John Moreland sure does have a way with a song. Much like Isbell\’s Southeastern before it, Moreland\’s new High on Tulsa Heat explores the writer\’s inner world with startling honesty. While it relinquishes regret, it refuses to forsake remorse because that\’s where the healing happens.…
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Mavis Staples: Your Good Fortune
Mavis Staples has a once-in-a-generation voice and, when she wields it, she lifts spirits and saves souls with its power — something she\’s been doing for most of her life. On her new four-song EP, Your Good Fortune, the legendary gospel singer teams with young bluesman Son Little who has made a name for himself…
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Alabama Shakes: Sound & Color
On their second time at bat, Alabama Shakes swing for the fences and knock it clear out of the park on the fierce, funky, and fantastic Sound & Color. The album fulfills the vision that Brittany Howard and company always had for their bluesy and soulful Southern rock band, but just didn\’t have the time…