Garett Gunderson – Anywhere Anytime This starts with the rousing pop-inflected title track “Anywhere Anytime,” & it’s skillful, sumptuous, radiant & memorable. “I Want To” comes across deliciously with Jimmy Buffett island musical flavors. Should’ve been called “I Want To Meet You In the Moonlight.” That’s at least romantic & the song is. At times, […]
Joanna Connor – Live On 11/11 Well, the live performance certainly gets off to a rollicking, hot jam as the band warms up with high-octane musical gasoline & every member circles around with their lit matches. “Cissy Strut” has the quick-strike ingredients to ignite a show like this. All from Chicago’s masterful guitarist Joanna Connor, […]
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American Cosmic Revival Vol. 2: Miles From Nowhere This showcase features musicians who play & maintain the inspiration & tradition of artists who contributed to the California country movement. The LP includes many covers by Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman, The Byrds, & the Flying Burrito Brothers. There are songs by songwriters with familiar names like […]
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The Kennedys – Smoketree Another bright, pristine album from the Hudson Valley, upstate NY area (about as popular as Woodstock & Laurel Canyon in the 60s) is the new self-produced 12-track album Smoketree (Drops August 21/Independent/40:04) recorded in Tarrytown, NY. The Kennedys provide all-new originals played fairly sparingly by the ever-skillful Pete Kennedy (electric, acoustic […]
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Jenna Nicholls – The Commuter This set takes a listener into the confines of Parisian cafes, New Orleans juke joints, the Tennessee hills, the plains of Texas & Oklahoma, with a detour into the Hudson Valley where Jenna’s love of vintage music is recreated originally by her own hand & intuition. There are 10 different […]
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Peter Parcek – Most of the Time Chiseled out of a modern-day blues aesthetic & from vintage juke joint dust, Peter Parcek never fails to bring lungs filled with air to his blues. The production has clarity, solid sound & Parcek’s vocals are reinforced by the excellent leads, fashioned mostly by artists from the past […]
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Cina & The Fireflites – Good Ol’ Music The band’s name isn’t spelled incorrectly; it’s Fireflites (almost missed that myself). This C&W fortification is out of the songbook of a country singer who had two names in her career. One for the more traditional country fare (Mimi Roman) & another for her tangy material (Kitty […]
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Cimarron 615 – Same Sky Coming across as a spatially rejuvenated exponent of Poco, the Eagles, Mason Proffit, Flying Burrito Brothers, & a ‘70s Epic Records country band West (“Just Like Tom Thumbs Blues,” “Six Days On the Road”). Nashville’s Cimarron 615 has those bands’ agility with their music. It’s a nice showcase of countrified […]
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Strawberry Alarm Clock – Where’s One? First – this isn’t a retrospective set, or a live album, or even a “lost” album. This is a brand-new Strawberry Alarm Clock. White hair? Sure. No hair? Yes. A pair of shades on their faces makes them look just as good now as in 1967. Back when I […]
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Janiva Magness – Truth In the Room – The Clearmountain Sessions Made up of a few originals & interesting covers, this live performance is an excellent introduction to the vocal showcase produced by Grammy-nominated blues/soul singer Janiva Magness. It’s a 10-song set that explores Truth In the Room – The Clearmountain Sessions (Drops August 7/Blue […]
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