Reviews
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Jade Bird: Ruins
Like most everything else in life, folk singers come in cycles, riding whichever traditions and trends suit the moment. Do you need a new Paul Simon? Check out Robby Hecht. Would you want a contemporary Carole King? Listen to Sara Bareilles. Might you love a modern-day Ani DiFranco? Pick up Jade Bird. (Now, yes, there\’s…
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John Paul White: The Hurting Kind
People love to talk about what is and isn\’t country music. Some folks think it\’s whatever country radio wants it to be. Others believe it necessarily includes some very specific elements — real-life stories about hardship and humility set against a backdrop of real-life instruments like guitar, fiddle, and pedal steel. After all, back in…
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Molly Tuttle – When You're Ready
Debut albums come in lots of proverbial shapes and sizes. Sometimes, they are the very first thing anyone has ever heard from an artist. Other times, they are the obvious next step in a career already brimming with accomplishments and accolades. That latter category is the one in which we find Molly Tuttle. Having previously…
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Anna Tivel: The Question
Songwriters do something really special: They take details of the world around and within us, and express them in words and music in order to connect us not only to them and their work, but to each other, if not ourselves, as well. It\’s an infinitely generous gift they have. And the ones who can…
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Caleb Elliott: Forever to Fade
Transitioning from one way of life to another doesn\’t always go well. Whether that\’s shifting from religious cult to popular culture, side player to center stage, or classical musician to secular songwriter, not everyone can handle their world being turned on its ear. Caleb Elliott is not everyone. And, based on his debut solo album,…
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Luther Dickinson & Sisters of the Strawberry Moon: Solstice
Valuing collaboration over competition is what makes any community better. Nine out of any 10 times in pretty much every arena, we are stronger when we band together. That\’s true for building a barn, running a race, or even raising a kid. And it\’s certainly the case when it comes to making music. So when…
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Hayes Carll: What It Is
At a Sturgill Simpson show at Nashville\’s Ryman Auditorium a few years back, some drunk dudes got into a fight down in front of the stage. As they were escorted out, Simpson said something along the lines of, “One of these days, these bearded, redneck motherf#@kers are going to realize I\’m not one of them.”…
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Yola: Walk Through Fire
There\’s a thing that humans do: We put things within boxes and boundaries, so that we might, somehow, understand the world around us. We have a deep need to know where something or someone fits in the greater scheme of things, even though nothing and no one really does. “This fits that. That means this.”…
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J.S. Ondara: Tales of America
The idea — or, more rightly so, the myth — of the American dream is something that reverberates the world over. Though the specific details are likely different for everyone, the overarching vision is certainly the same, summed up pretty well in the iconic “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” phrase. In the world\’s…
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Mandolin Orange: Tides of a Teardrop
Forget Mr. Toad; grief is the wildest ride any of us will ever take, for it attaches itself to any and every kind of loss, whether of a person or a pet, whether by bargaining or by betrayal. And once the ride is in motion, all you can do is hold on and let it…