Never one to reach out to the millions, songwriter Jimmy Webb has yet been a potent musical force since his first success in the 1960s.

UB40 can be forgiven for getting a little maudlin, for enjoying some tear-in-your-beer saloon music. After all, it hasn’t been all red, red wine and roses lately for the British reggae-pop band. You May Also Like: Storm Thorgerson and the Art of Musical Visualization Joni Mitchell – ‘Chalk Mark inRead More

Dave Stewart continues blending his quirky brand of rock with rootsier influences, this time adding big-voiced country chanteuse Martina McBride — who gooses this yearning lament through its soaring bridge You May Also Like: Jeff Beck + Rod Stewart, “People Get Ready” from Flash (1985): One Track Mind Rod Stewart,Read More

When I interviewed Bob Wayne a few months back, he teased us with a few details of a new song he was working on at the time about an Alabama gold miner. You May Also Like: Bob Wayne – Hits the Hits (2015) Bob James + Sam Franz – ‘2080’Read More

This long-promised long player from the Hickoids has taken on a kind of mythical quality over the last quarter century or so. Hairy Chafin’ Ape Suit delivers on every broken promise You May Also Like: Ever Wonder How David Byrne Fit Inside That Giant Talking Heads Suit? Why Patti Smith’sRead More

“Let’s Drive,” released today as part of John Oates’ Good Road to Follow series, is emblematic of the free-form creative tear he’s been on — combining soul and country, and focusing on a brand-new topic. You May Also Like: John Oates isn’t a fan of Hall and Oates’ ’80s videosRead More

Guy Clark, just past his 70th year, still has the ability to whittle down life into these visceral moments — each of them picturesque, so memorable and deeply resonant. You May Also Like: Dave Clark Five – ‘All the Hits’ (2020) Gene Clark – Firebyrd (1984): On Second Thought

Candice Russell’s So Much More, which kicks off with a jet-propelled gust of optimism in its title track, might occasionally detour into hard times but it remains determinedly, joyously upbeat. You May Also Like: Catherine Russell – ‘Alone Together’ (2019) Elton John and Leon Russell’s The Union was marked byRead More

Darden Smith returns with a quietly introspective love song — one that offers as many ruminative questions about the mysteries of passion as it does celebrations of how these things somehow work out anyway. You May Also Like: Jeff Beck + Rod Stewart, “People Get Ready” from Flash (1985): OneRead More

For some reason, Jackson Taylor seems to fly under the radar on the underground country scene.