If anyone can be said to be the “godfather” of the underground traditional country movement, it would probably be Dale Watson. Though he released his first album in 1995, his roots in music go much farther back, as does his sound. You May Also Like: Jackson Taylor and the SinnersRead More

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIdCo_QAz_E&w=500&h=305] I almost thought I was going to have to write a Guilty Pleasure when this song started to play, but then about 30 seconds into it, they saved me the trouble by turning it into a typical pop-country number. You May Also Like: No related posts.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mwvOFnSUTg&w=500&h=305] Well, it’s the 21st century. It has been for some time now. And like many people, I spend more than a few hours each week surfing the ‘net, looking for great but often obscure performances from classic rock acts or mostly unknown artists. You May Also Like: Whisperin’Read More

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhGJS_oHLSI&w=500&h=305] There was a news item making the internet rounds last summer that, by September 2012, the Mavericks were going to release In Time, their first studio album of new material since 2003’s self-titled effort. Well, September came and went You May Also Like: How Loretta Lynn Broke theRead More

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHlBkZCcvwI&w=500&h=305] Though Shooter Jennings’ The Other Life, a companion piece to this year’s Family Man, is not due out until March, fans got a first taste of the record on Friday when Rolling Stone premiered “The White Trash Song.” You May Also Like: Shooter Jennings – ‘Shooter’ (2018) WarrenRead More

This is the first time that I’ve ever enjoyed enough records from the country and Southern rock genres to put together a list. Maybe I’m getting old and turning into that country music-loving guy that my relatives always told me I would when I “grew out of all that crazyRead More

Andrew Bird shelves the intricate alterno-pop vibe of this year’s earlier Break It Yourself for something rootsier, and more real here — delving into Celtic forms, Americana, bluegrass, country and gospel You May Also Like: Andrew Bird’s ‘Noble Beast / Useless Creatures’ Was as Challenging as It Was Gorgeous

Chris Knight actually does what most of the Nashville songwriters think they’re doing. He connects with country’s perceived blue-collar audience. But real connection doesn’t come through lyrics about pickup trucks and dirt roads. It comes through truth You May Also Like: Joshua Burnell – ‘Glass Knight’ (2023)

When going back and reading my take on John Hiatt’s last album Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns I almost thought I had already written my commentary on the one he’s got on tap next, because virtually everything you can use to describe Dirty Jeans could easily apply to Mystic Pinball.Read More

Fans of Blackberry Smoke’s earlier work might be disappointed that a little bit of the harder edge is missing, but even being the hard-rock guy that I am, I don’t miss it a bit.