Music isn’t always love at first listen. A few days after singer-songwriter-guitar player Katie Pruitt’s full-length debut, Expectations (Rounder Records), dropped into my inbox, and before I’d had a chance to give it a proper spin, I came across the video for the title track. Probably because I was doing other things at the time, I […]
Last fall, while listening to the remastered Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit LP, I was reminded that Isbell is, in fact, an 80s kid – born in 1979. So, too, is producer Dave Cobb (born 1974). It may not be the most obvious characteristic of their music, but you can’t completely escape what you […]
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Musical boundaries need to be pushed. As much as I enjoyed the great old stuff featured at the beginning of PBS’s Country Music, the true fascination was watching the music evolve and change as new storytellers emerged. Now, with all of the digital tools we have, virtually any kind of sound can be created, but […]
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A lot of our favorite musicians are pretty solitary individuals. It’s evident in the term “singer-songwriter” – many tour solo, but even those with a backing band are calling most of the creative shots. So when the chance arrives to work with an ace producer, there may be some unexpected hesitation at the thought of […]
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“It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that twang.” It’s a bastardized line from the old jazz standard that’s often used as a measure of authenticity on a country record. That “twang” in the voice had better be real, not imported and affected. And James Steinle’s drawl is as real as it gets, […]
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I trust an artist who won’t acknowledge their influences about as much as I trust a sports commentator who won’t admit to having a favorite team. Someone inspired you so much that you chose to make your passion into your living, so let’s talk about it. Mississippi-born singer/guitar player Lisa Mills is more than happy […]
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At a show in Denver last month, Jesse Dayton introduced his “Charlottesville” by stating, passionately, that we still “need” protest songs. Tunes of a pissed-off political nature have been around longer than rock ‘n’ roll (at least since Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” in 1940) and continue to be a force in 2020 […]
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33 RPM (Reason to Purchase Music) When looking back on all of the great Americana music we heard in 2019, it’s hard to come up with straight lists of Top 10s. Instead, let’s look at the best 33 reasons to support the artists we love so much. Links are included to purchase each item. Yes, […]
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When you think “folk,” artists like Pete Seeger and Peter, Paul & Mary probably come to mind – unadorned vocals, spare arrangements and a sort of “hippie” vibe all around. But, like country and Americana, folk music has expanded its definition to accommodate different forms of storytelling. Philadelphia-based duo Rosu Lup describes itself as “dream […]
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You probably find that your favorite songs affect you differently as they (and, let’s be honest, YOU) age. Certain lyrics jump out at you, while others may fade, and you’ll notice new musical intricacies. In your mind, the songs evolve. The same thing happens to the artists who write those songs. 10 years ago, a […]
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