“The Wood Brothers’ ‘Heart Is the Hero’ Puts Compassion in Charge”

The lungs are the hero’s sidekick. The stomach is the grizzled old timer in charge of the whole operation. The spleen is the shifty-eyed bastard waiting in the wings to betray everyone at the worst possible moment. Continue reading →

“ALBUM REVIEW: Amy Ray Tells an American Story, Unvarnished, on ‘If It All Goes South’”

Let’s be real here: “If”? Continue reading →

“The Vandoliers Rock the Intersection of Country and Punk”

12 tracks on the fine art of putting a ten gallon hat on a mohawk. Continue reading →

“Album Review: With Honesty and Wisdom, Tim Heidecker Looks Back on ‘High School’”

No, you’re not wrong, that’s the same Tim Heidecker as the Tim Heidecker you’re thinking of. Continue reading →

“Norah Jones, ‘Come Away With Me,’ & Revolutionary Quiet”

Happy anniversary to a great, and subtly influential, record! Continue reading →

“Hurray for the Riff Raff Finds New ‘Life on Earth'”

Life on Earth, the album: Good. Life on Earth, the thing that we’re part of: Jury’s out. Continue reading →

“Take a Trip to ‘The Alien Coast’ with St. Paul & The Broken Bones”

“You could travel the world / But nothing comes close / To the alien coast” Continue reading →

“Mitski’s Own ‘Laurel Hell'”

Laurel Hell on Earth, and also in your ears. Continue reading →

“5-LP Set ‘Highway Butterfly’ Gathers Friends to Honor Neal Casal’s Music and Life”

Maybe one of the biggest albums of 2021, in literal terms. And figurative. Continue reading →

“Courtney Barnett Slows Down and Finds Happiness in Little Things on ‘Things Take Time, Take Time'”

Records this good don’t just happen overnight, so musicians: Take all the time you need. Continue reading →

“Misfits’ ‘Walk Among Us’ Is the Best Halloween Album”

Halloween is over, but in my heart and on this record, Halloween is never really over. Continue reading →

“On ‘Prospect,’ AHI Masters Control and Connection”

The prospects for this album are looking…really good. Unlike this stupid joke. Continue reading →

“Family and Future Loom Large on Lowland Hum’s ‘At Home’”

Happy Halloween, our children and their grandchildren will need to wear hazmat suits to go outside in the future. Continue reading →

“Cold War Kids Adapt to Changing Times with ‘New Age Norms 3′”

What a time to be a Cold War Middle Aged Man. Continue reading →

“Lilly Hiatt’s Style Takes a Hushed Turn on ‘Lately'”

The Lilly Hiatt reviewer has logged on. Continue reading →

“On ‘Songwrights Apothecary Lab,’ Esperanza Spalding Probes the Power of Music”

Gonna give away the conclusion here: Music has a lot of power. Continue reading →

“Sax Helps The Faux Paws Stand Out in Roots Music”

I mean, you can forget the saxophone; you had me with that extremely punny name. Continue reading →

“It’s a ‘Long Time Coming,’ But Sierra Ferrell Has Figured Herself Out”

An even longer time coming: This blog post. Is it as worth the wait as the album? No. Continue reading →

“Yola Shows Us Who She Is on ‘Stand for Myself'”

You might as well stand for yourself, sometimes it seems like no one’s gonna do that for you. Continue reading →

“It’s Getting ‘Dark in Here’ for The Mountain Goats”

Who knew that a bit of darkness would be such a bother for a bunch of goats? Continue reading →