Mike McGuire’s new six-song Americana EP Kentucky Morning takes the themes and atmospheres of 2011’s Beyond the Ark to a darker, more contemplative place.

Slotted high on lists as one of the greatest debut albums of all time, Buffalo Springfield introduced the public to a revolutionary new sound.

Arriving as it does amidst of flurry of similarly themed songbook albums — from Rod Stewart to Paul McCartney to Jeff Lynne — Let’s Face the Music and Dance reminds us of Willie Nelson’s age-old command of the genre.

Though Canadian singer-songwriter David Alter always had this passion for music, a career in medicine beckoned. Once he returned to that first love, however, the question became how to present his work.

John Oates is offering a scintillating acoustic version of his Hall and Oates gem “How Does It Feel To Be Back,” originally released as the opening track on their career-turning effort Voices. Download it here for free.

You may think you’ve never heard of the McCrary Sisters, but you probably have anyway: The quartet was featured, for instance, on Dr. John’s Grammy-winning 2012 Dan Auerbach-produced triumph Locked Down.

Thirty-five years after scoring their biggest-ever hit with Rusty Young’s “Crazy Love,” Poco finally returns with a suitable successor called “Regret” — a song so full of sweet reminiscence that it’s difficult to believe this isn’t a leftover

Though he typically handed the microphone over to partner Daryl Hall, John Oates co-wrote three of Hall and Oates’ six No. 1 Billboard hits, as well as charting favorites like “She’s Gone.” But he says his compositional style has changed since then.

I’m a sucker for the storyteller. Sure, the swinging hooks and catchy riffs are great, but for all the various attributes that make an artist or band stand out, the bard card is generally what lures me into month-long catalog benders.

With her assertive It Matters To Me, the final disc in a three-EP series, Kat Parsons moves beyond more recent successes within quiet folkie settings and sweetly conveyed pop tunes.