Alice Wallace is a country artist from Orange County, California, who has embraced traditional country to the point that she has been known to yodel in some songs. On Into the Blue, Wallace shows that while she is comfortable as a country realm, she is pretty adept at crafting songs with other elements and styles. […]
Continue Reading
No matter what you think about what’s going on in our society, one thing is true. Troubled times like now generally lead to good and hopeful art. On the new EP Spreading Light (produced by 2728 Records), English singer-songwriter Samuel Michael Ashton brings his hope for the world to life. In a soulful voice, Ashton […]
Continue Reading
Singer-songwriter is a term that encompasses a broad swath of the musical spectrum. Yet every person probably has a preconceived notion of what a singer-songwriter will sound like. On the new album Spark, Todd Warner Moore shows that the term singer-songwriter isn’t limited to just a singer with an acoustic guitar. “Noodles” has something of […]
Continue Reading
If you talk to musicians on a regular basis, you come to realize that a lot of them make music because it’s essential to their sense of well-being. On her website, LeeSun declares, “that creating and producing music is vital to my sanity and being.” That message comes through loud and clear on her new […]
Continue Reading
Mel Parsons is a singer-songwriter from New Zealand, whose 2015 album Drylands was on the New Zealand charts for 51 weeks. On her new album Glass Heart, Parsons again delivers an album that deserves to be on the charts and win awards. “Blame” is the first song on the album. One thing is immediately apparent […]
Continue Reading
You don’t have to be a lifelong scholar of music to know that Gram Parsons and Flying Burrito Brothers continue to influence musicians even more than 40 years after the death of Parsons. That spacey pedal-steel sound is still incorporated by innumerable bands. On the new album Moves (produced by guitarist Ezra Meredith), Hearts of […]
Continue Reading
Stephen Kellogg is the former singer of Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers, but he has done pretty well for himself as a solo artist. His new album Objects in the Mirror (Fat Sam Records) was produced by Will Hoge. It is an album of good storytelling and lyrics that are sure to reach inside you […]
Continue Reading
There has always been a strong connection between families and music in Appalachia – most notably with the Carter Family. On her new self-titled album Martha Spencer shows that the family connection is still strong in mountain music. One good example is the first song “Blue Ridge Mountain Lullaby” in which Spencer sings about falling […]
Continue Reading
Town Mountain has generally been known as a bluegrass band. On the new album New Freedom Blues (Tone Tree Music), the band weaves some country and rock sounds into the base bluegrass sound. If one of the keys to successful writing is to grab the audience’s attention immediately, then this band succeeds with the opening […]
Continue Reading
When you think about the instruments in a band, you may not necessarily consider the vocals. However, with some singers, the voice is definitely an instrument, and it is used as much as any other instrument to create feeling in the music. On All the Water (produced by Mikel Perkins), Deb Montgomery’s vocals are quite […]
Continue Reading
