The Carolina Chocolate Drops, despite their rocket-ride to Grammy fame in 2010, hadn’t yet made an album that captured their live set’s boot-scooting, blues-belting string-band revivalist verve — until now. You May Also Like: Richard Lloyd Giddens Jr. – Mimosas (2017)

You’re to be forgiven for expecting this to be a guitar record. First, there’s Ned Evett himself — a master of this specially created fretless version of the instrument. And his producer, gearhead Adrian Belew. You May Also Like: Adrian Belew’s ‘Side One’ Was a Journey Through His Rich MusicalRead More

Once you’ve heard Willie Nelson’ You Don’t Know Me: The Songs Of Cindy Walker, a strong album of covers, it’s easy to see where Nelson gets his knack for songwriting: He obviously studied Walker’s template and then took it in his own direction. What’s surprising here is that an albumRead More

As Glen Campbell sang his signature tune “Rhinestone Cowboy” for likely the last time on stage, I thought of another song he’s famous for.

Susie Fitzgerald offers a series of richly textured, bravely constructed, profoundly moving and ultimately deeply inspirational story-songs on Plenty. But first, she kicks up her heels a little. You May Also Like: Ella Fitzgerald, “Perdido” (1949): Appreciations Robert Randolph & the Family Band – Got Soul (2017)

Every collector has a few records that are ‘important’: bought during life-altering circumstances or maybe during a difficult time in life. Or heck, maybe some nutty karma-tidbit tossed the record into your hands. You May Also Like: ‘Elegant People: A History of the Band Weather Report,’ by Curt Bianchi: BooksRead More

A flurry of activity will greet the 80th birthday of Johnny Cash, including a museum dedicated to his life and the release of Bootleg Vol. IV: The Soul of Truth, a 2-CD, 51-track collection of gospel and spiritual recordings from the 1970s and ’80s. You May Also Like: How JohnnyRead More

In Cooperstown, N.Y.: First of all, it was cold. I myself kinda liked the spate of very, very early fall weather we were having in the northeast, but having to sit on a metal bleacher for over three hours with the temps hovering in the 50s … You May AlsoRead More

January brought in-depth talks with progressive rock legends Greg Lake and Steve Hackett, new blues from Dion and sweet standards from Paul McCartney. Also, a final collaboration between Charlie Haden and Hank Jones, and a long-awaited reunion of David Lee Roth with Van Halen. The only thing that could haveRead More

I’ll offer a disclaimer at the beginning of this review. I’ve been a Saints fan as long as I can remember. I watched my first game toward the end of the Manning era when I was probably 8- or 9-years-old. You May Also Like: Shooter Jennings – ‘Shooter’ (2018) SimilarRead More