Claire Lynch Empty Pair of Shoes (Thrill Hill Records) The old adage ‘less is more’ has never been more appropriate than it is applied to Claire Lynch’s long-awaited follow-up to 2016’s North By South. It’s been a long time coming and, at only 8 songs and 24+ minutes in length, I (somewhat foolishly) asked her, […]
Boone Creek Boone Creek (Craft Recordings/HighTone Records) Fans of quality bluegrass will be thrilled to hear about the re-release of Boone Creek’s debut from 1977, remastered and loaded, additionally, with previously unreleased tracks. First there was traditional bluegrass – established by Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass boys back as early as ’39. It kicked […]
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Greg Piccolo & Heavy Juice Who Knows What the Future Holds (MoMojo Records) If you already know of Greg Piccolo, it’s likely because of his noteworthy tenure with Roomful of Blues – having spent 25 years as founder, key tenor sax player and, eventually, ‘leader’ amongst a rotating cast of more than 45 musicians. Originally […]
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Debra Power Unapologetically Me (Independent) For those who haven’t come in contact with blues singer and pianist Debra Power, prepare to strap yourself in. If one had to try and define who she is as an artist, the first word that comes to mind is…exuberant! She explodes the blues and, armed with her extreme gifts […]
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Ben Brandt Solid Ground (Katalex Records) While it might be a stretch to include this release with our Americana designation, it’s nonetheless an excellent record from a relatively unknown entity out of Pennsylvania. Brandt, who originally hails from a Harrisburg-born band known as the Soul Miners Union, has stepped out on his own with a […]
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SP3 (Steve Payne) Almost Blue Chances are good you’ve not heard of Steve Payne or his latest musical ensemble, SP3, before now. Born Bristol, England, his home base is in Chepstow, Wales, where he prefers the reduced levels of hustle and bustle. A veteran of multiple British bands (The Payne Killers, The Parole Brothers, Crawdaddy, […]
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Tommy Talton Seven Levels (Strolling Bones Records) For those of us enamoured of the Capricorn Records era and the artists they signed, chances are good you’ll be familiar with the band Cowboy. No less that Duane Allman – who’s first release with the Brothers was in ’69 – brought Cowboy to label co-founder/tastemaker Phil Walden’s […]
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The Krickets If You Only Knew (Independent) If you’re an easy mark for the sound of a delicate blend of female vocalists, you owe yourself a stop here to drink in this third release by The Krickets. I think this writer’s first experience with falling head over heels for a woman’s voice was the first […]
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Marshall Crenshaw From ”The Hellhole” (Yep Roc Records) There are so many of us who have idolized this man and his music since the release of his self-titled debut back in ’82 – the love reinvigorated with each subsequent release (there have been 12 since, not counting compilations). Quite a feat given his awkward beginnings […]
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David Wilcox The Way I Tell The Story (Freshly Baked Records) North Carolina-based David Wilcox should be, by now, a household name based solely on his delicious catalogue of crisply-delivered, singer-songwriter folk with a twist. The twist is, you can’t decide what to fall in love with first – his skills as an acoustic guitarist, […]
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