Brandi Carlile Returning to Myself Just about anytime I write about Brandi Carlile, I make sure to note that no one in America loves their job more than she loves hers. And it’s true – especially when you see her perform live, Carlile’s joy is both palpable and infectious. But over the past few years, […]
Bruce Springsteen Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition It’s hard to keep a secret in 2025 – between camera phones, social media, and our own general sense of “we need to know everything NOW,” nearly every attempt to squirrel something away eventually fails. But it wasn’t always that way. In the process of recording his landmark 1982 […]
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Joshua Ray Walker Stuff There’s a saying, often attributed to the late talk show host Bruce Williams, along the lines of, “Never love anything that can’t love you back.” In other words, love only people (and maybe dogs). But what about the other things we love – cars, clothes, places, homes, and especially (yes) music? […]
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Wildflowers, Ranked In his lifetime, Tom Petty released 13 studio albums with his Heartbreakers, three solo albums, and two with his original band, Mudcrutch. That’s 18 records where he was the primary singer-songwriter. But if you ask critics (or, more importantly, fans) their favorites of the 18, there’s a not-so-surprising chance that Wildflowers will be […]
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John Baumann Guy On A Rock With all of the musical genres that have crossed my keyboard this year alone – Americana, Southern rock, classic rock, indie, indie country, countrygaze, etc – it seems that I haven’t made much time (or column space) for Country Guy. You know, the guy who writes solid songs, plays […]
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Josh Fortenbery Tidy Memorial I hesitate to make artist comps, because it’s often a lazy way for journalists and publicists to describe a musician, and because it puts unnecessary pressure (or, too often, gives undue credit) to a young songwriter. When listening to Josh Fortenbery’s new album, though, I couldn’t help but think of John […]
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Brennen Leigh Don’t You Ever Give Up On Love Brennen Leigh can do just about anything, and on her new record, she’s usually able to get it done in under three minutes. Don’t You Ever Give Up On Love is 12 tight, cleverly quippy songs laced with heartache and wrapped in gorgeous, old-school Texas country […]
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Tamara Saviano has seen just about everything in the evolution of Americana music. The journalist/author/producer has worked with Kris Kristofferson and Guy Clark, served as the first female president of the Americana Music Association, produced several of that organization’s early award shows, and somehow found time to write a few books along the way. Her […]
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Neko Case Neon Grey Midnight Green Like many, I’ve been entranced by Neko Case’s voice since the first time I heard it. It really set in when I listened to her 2007 release, Live from Austin, TX, particularly in the two minutes, 15 seconds of guitar strummed perfection, “Knock Loud.” The key to that song, […]
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Greensky Bluegrass and Margo Price at Red Rocks This summer, I realized that bluegrass is my get-right music. Specifically, I’d struggled writing a review of a highly anticipated, but ultimately disappointing, new album, and I remembered that I’d just received an advance of a new Greensky Bluegrass single. Just listening to it made the angst […]
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