“Modern Blue” takes Rosanne Cash on a twilit journey across the world of passion before returning to a soft landing in the endlessly evocative American South. You May Also Like: How Johnny Cash’s ‘Hundred Highways’ Kept Adding to His Remarkable Legacy

I certainly don’t claim to be any sort of expert on country music. I’m a metal kid from the sticks who was reintroduced to my country roots through Johnny Cash’s resurgence in the early 1990s. You May Also Like: Shooter Jennings – ‘Shooter’ (2018) How Loretta Lynn Broke the CountryRead More

Somehow, I ended up with a fair amount of country-ish material on this year’s list. How did that happen? You May Also Like: How Black Country Communion’s Debut Brought Back ’70s-Style Hard Rock Elvis Costello’s ‘The Delivery Man’ Once Again Resisted the Urge to Look Back Why Black Sabbath’s TonyRead More

Hollywood has the unfortunate habit of taking an success and grinding it into the ground but remaking it until the essence of what made it successful dissolves. You May Also Like: Micky Dolenz Might Have Finally Figured Out What the Monkees’ ‘Head’ Was About Roger McGuinn, John Kay + OthersRead More

A forthcoming documentary promises to retell the story of an innocent Texan unjustly jailed for his wife’s murder. The soundtrack for An Unreal Dream only adds to the tale’s complex story of redemption. You May Also Like: Lina Allemano Four – ‘Pipe Dream’ (2023)

With a writerly penchant for story songs, it’s of little surprise that New Orleans-born Jim McCormick has shown a flair for writing No. 1 country smashes. Unfortunately, that’s kept him too busy to fashion albums of his own. You May Also Like: John ‘Papa’ Gros – River’s On Fire (2016)Read More

In a way, this kind of chaos — a darkened stage at the Knitting Factory — was the perfect setting for Alex Chilton, a performer who had made his legend drawing outside the lines. You May Also Like: Ethan Chilton, “Caldera” from ‘The Planets’ (2021): One Track Mind

When Hank Williams III finally got out from under his contract with Curb Records in 2011, most fans were expecting another album along the order of his landmark Straight to Hell record. You May Also Like: Dave Stryker – ‘Eight Track III’ (2019)

Dream River is the fourth album released under Bill Callahan’s name, and further explores the introverted landscape mapped by his previous releases. It is not the most cheerful of places, to be sure You May Also Like: The Wood Brothers, “River Takes the Town” from One Drop Of Truth (2018):Read More

With the sophomore disc What It Is, Heather Stewart steps completely into her own, presenting a disc of deep emotional honesty amid agelessly created music. You May Also Like: Peter Brotzmann + Heather Leigh – Ears Are Filled With Wonder (2016) Peter Brotzmann + Heather Leigh – ‘Sparrow Nights’ (2018)