A retired road warrior’s solo debut sets a new standard in instrumental country grooves. Whit Wright’s Whitten project showcases the former American Aquarium and current Nashville hired gun’s pedal steel work over a bevy of keys, bass, and drums. How to Speak to Giants (out now) finds Whit exploring musical genres and pushing pedal steel […]
How Much Works from Sweet Whirl presents whimsy and wisdom – playful with arrangements at various turns while melancholic lyrics and an eased off performance dominate. Sweet Whirl is Esther Edquist. How Much Works is out on Chapter Music on May 29, 2020. There is an unhurried pace to this record that invites introspection and […]
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This predominately acoustic collection highlights Joe Nolan’s word play prowess and sincere sentimentality. His first out on Fallen Tree Records, Drifters, finds Nolan teaming with engineer Scott Franchuk (Riverdale Recorders, Edmonton, Canada). In the midst of the cacophony of noise that constantly fills modern life Nolan’s turn toward simple arrangement and minimal accompaniment offers welcomed […]
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Saint Cloud out on March 27th via Merge Records finds Waxahatchee, the recording plume de nom for Katie Crutchfield, building on past efforts while simultaneously diving deep into unflinching self-examination in the wake of new found sobriety. Big guitars, controlled noise, and borderline disorienting soundscapes are replaced with more traditionally Americana sound centered on Crutchfield’s […]
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Produced by T. Bone Burnett and featuring Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd (vocals) and Jared Gutstadt (guitar), the Bear and a Banjo soundtrack accompanies the podcast by the same name which features Americana music prominently. The Bear and a Banjo podcast was originally released in October 2019 and features Dennis Quaid along with acclaimed record/vocal producer […]
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Singer-songwriters/multi-instrumentalists Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore, long-time touring members of Steve Earle’s The Dukes, and marital musical duo are The Mastersons. Their latest record, No Time for Love Songs, is out March 6th via Red House Records. Recorded with Shooter Jennings at LA’s Sunset Sound and engineered and mixed by Ryan Freeland, No Time for […]
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Long time second guitarist in Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit (and previously in Drivin’ n Cryin’), Sadler Vaden, steps out from the shadow and shines bright on his second solo LP, Anybody Out There?, out via Thirty Tigers/Dirty Mag Records on March 6, 2020. Vaden dropped “Next to You,” the high-energy rocking lead single off Anybody […]
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Some singers need an orchestra on which to soar while others need simply an acoustic guitar; on Bone Structure’s opening track Ron Pope proves he’s one of the latter. “Flesh of my Flesh” opens this collection and draws the listener in with its immediacy and intimacy – bare bones acoustic guitar accompanies a graveled vocal; […]
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Bonny Light Horseman: a lost love, Napoleon’s finest horseman, band name, album title, title track, trio of Americana powerhouses. Comprised of Anaïs Mitchell, Josh Kaufman, and Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats, Bonny Light Horseman pulls melodies nearly lost to the past into the present on the wings of soaring harmonies and paradoxically delicate and powerful […]
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Lâcher Prise, French for “let go,” is not simply the title of Michael Doucet’s most recent project, but a life philosophy – one part eastern Zen, one part NOLA attitude. There’s a bit of “let go and let god” in the phrase as well, as Doucet embraces the uncertainty of a vibrant community that embraces […]
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