The Avett Brothers – self-titled The Avett Brothers sound is made for outdoor summer nights. A mix of modern indie folk and old-timey instrumentation and harmonies, the North Carolina band, founded by Scott and Seth Avett, has built their career on a jam band-like foundation – albums are important, but constant touring, especially during warm-weather […]
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Kaia Kater – Strange Medicine Kaia Kater has a new album, Strange Medicine, due to be available on May 17 via Free Dirt Records. This album is deeply engrossing musically. And thematically it’s about struggling through abject darkness, often using historical references, to a place of balance. Kaia named this album after her favorite Herbie […]
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Tim Easton – Find Your Way This set is not your run-of-the-mill mainstream production. The repetition is minimal, the silliness is non-existent & the focus is on poignancy & maturity in its storytelling & with the time-honored recipe of balladry. Tim Easton is cut from the same stone as John Prine, Gordon Lightfoot, Eric Andersen, […]
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Ani DiFranco – Unprecedented Shit To start – let me admit. This isn’t music I ever found interesting. But I’m old school. Forgive me. That out of the way I can assess this with a deeper ear. It took me a while to warm up to the late Amy Winehouse – but, I knew she […]
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Alastair Greene – Standing Out Loud At first listen it’s like a well-performed rehash of tons of mannered blues-rock maneuvers. But, California guitar virtuoso & singer Alastair Greene adds a bit of personality & invention to his oeuvre. He pulls off a moderately creative jaunty blues finely rendered, crackling with lead lines & not always […]
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George Marinelli – Except Always – Double CD This double CD includes a generous portion of music produced by Grammy-winning guitarist/ singer-songwriter George Marinelli. The set starts wisely with 9 new songs & a 17-song studio-recorded retrospective on Except Always – (Drops May 17/Loud Folk Records). Who’s George? He was the Staten Island, NY-born founding […]
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Seth Lee Jones – Tulsa Custom More blistering blues guitar with raw-accentuated vocals that invests in many previous blues guitarists who have target-practiced their contagious notes into a time-honored genre. The tunes have all the accessories required to lay down a tight cool groove surrounded by a contingent of blues bedeviled by the more than […]
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The Twins of Franklin – This Life These Minnesota ladies aren’t real twins but then The Righteous Brothers weren’t brothers. Together they prepared their 2nd CD of 8- rock tracks — there are moments of kick-ass & sweetness in equal measures to This Life (Drops May 17/Independent/33:00). Their voices wallow in harmonies but produce ample […]
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Dana Cooper – The Ghost of Tucumcari Dana Cooper’s been in this music-making career for 50+ years & while I always found his music captivating, interesting & absorbing I still wonder why he’s not more well known. While his name may not be as easily recognizable as Kris Kristofferson, John Prine, or Townes van Zandt […]
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Fox and Bones – Long Time Honey I love it when a new CD opens with snappy driving acute drums & this opening tune has it. A smart melody line, distinctive vocals & perfect morning listening. So, “All On Red,” gets off to a wonderful start & by track 2 it’s like Scotland’s The Blue […]
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