Afton Wolfe & The Snake Hunters – Live From the Fallout Shelter Cutting through with a cross-blended approach of Tom Waits & the late Jon Dee Graham, the skillful & bearded Afton Wolfe, with his signature fedora, is no imitator. He has a smartly conceived repertoire, bluesy tact & sincere bellowing tone. Some tunes have […]
Guitarist and singer Christian Parker and nearly a dozen of his pals, including Earl Poole Ball, Patrick Cleary, and JayDee Maness, are on a mission. They want to expose new generations to the so-called cosmic country pioneered in the late 1960s and early 1970s by acts such as the Byrds, Gram Parsons, and the Flying […]
Continue Reading
Wild Pink Still Coming Down Wild Pink’s 2022 album, ILYSM, was one of my favorite records of that year. Songwriter John Ross’s details of his (successful) cancer treatments struck nerves that I hadn’t realized were still raw from my own all-too-similar health problems from five years earlier. Since that album (and the undoubtedly tough press […]
Continue Reading
Jimmy Reed – At Carnegie Hall Wonderful LP cover for this showcase captures the feel of this 1961 set, recorded live. Still, it also includes some studio recreations of the Carnegie Hall performance, along with additional recordings. Probably just some refreshing & tweaking to make a commercial blues album coalesce. No sin there. “Bright Lights, […]
Continue Reading
Skip James – Devil Got My Woman This is one of Mississippi-born Delta-blues musician Nehemiah James (Skip) albums recorded in 1968. It’s his 4th studio LP & sadly his final showcase. Skip was a unique country-blues artist who didn’t see much success in his early years. Cutting sides with Paramount Records as early as 1931, […]
Continue Reading
Sean Devine Paradise Valley Sessions There are some songwriters whose albums are so personal and honest that when you hear their latest work it’s like catching up with an old friend. Sean Devine’s seventh album, Paradise Valley Sessions, has that feeling from the first note — except this time, the catching up happened live, in […]
Continue Reading
Ok Cowgirl Rhinestone Cowgirl Summer is all about good driving music. And even as we’re stretching out the last couple of weeks of August before Labor Day lands with a thud, there’s still time to squeeze in a good road trip or two. Brooklyn-based band Ok Cowgirl’s second LP, Rhinestone Cowgirl, is a departure from […]
Continue Reading
Jeff Mamet Fortunate Son Singer-songwriter Jeff Mamett’s new album, Fortunate Son, tells stories about everyday people and the lives they lead. Rooted in Americana, country, folk, and western music, the album conveys a warm, familiar sound while still feeling fresh and distinctly his own. Produced by Ron Flynt, the album was recorded at Jumping Dog […]
Continue Reading
The Clover Valley Boys – Self-Titled This is a charming set of Appalachian-style folk & classic country that actually sounds like a cleaned-up 78 from the 1930s. “Bum Bum Blues” starts this fresh showcase with the singers sounding genuinely vintage in execution, style & sound. It may not be for everyone, but it has a […]
Continue Reading
Floyds Row The Carlisle Sessions Floyds Row is releasing their new EP The Carlisle Sessions this week, with authentically delivered traditional folk songs and an original song to round it out that sounds like a recently discovered long-lost addition to the canon. Floyds Row is a new-classic British folk ensemble formed in Oxford and named […]
Continue Reading