Kip & JJ Loui: Show Me State [Album Review]
Kip & JJ Loui Show Me StateSelf-Released [2020] Show Me State is a country rock/Americana love letter from songwriters and spouses, Kip & JJ Loui … Read more
Steve Earle & The Dukes: Ghosts Of West Virginia [Album Review]
Steve Earle & The Dukes Ghosts of West VirginiaNew West Records [2020] In 2010, the worst mining disaster in American history happened at the Upper … Read more
EOB: Earth [Album Review]
EOB EarthCapitol Records [2020] EOB is the moniker used by Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien for this debut solo venture, Earth, the music of which he … Read more
Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit: Reunions [Album Review]
Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit ReunionsSoutheastern Records [2020] In one of the songs on Jason Isbell’s seventh solo album since stepping away from the … Read more
The Dream Syndicate: The Universe Inside [Album Review]
The Dream Syndicate The Universe InsideANTI- [2020] Generally speaking, I hate it when a press release for a new album suggests something like “this is … Read more
Lucinda Williams: Good Souls Better Angels [Album Review]
Lucinda Williams Good Souls Better AngelsHighway 20/Thirty Tigers [2020] Lucinda Williams has a remarkable, ragged, resilient singing voice, that is the perfect instrument for her … Read more
Local H: Lifers [Album Review]
Local H LifersAntiFragile Music [2020] It’s one thing to make compelling music as a hard rocking duo – just guitar and drums –delivering music that … Read more
X: Alphabetland [Album Review]
X AlphabetlandFat Possum Records [2020] Of the bands that came out of the L.A. scene in the late 70’s and early 80’s, I tend to … Read more
Red Dirt Boys: Red Dirt Boys [Album Review]
Red Dirt Boys Red Dirt BoysSelf-Released [2020] Emmylou Harris has a way of picking great back-up players for her band. Nevermind that she sang with … Read more
Brendan Benson: Dear Life [Album Review]
Brendan Benson Dear LifeThird Man Records [2020] Brendan Benson has the enviable position of being the other front man in the Raconteurs who shares the … Read more
Fiona Apple: Fetch The Bolt Cutters [Album Review]
Fiona Apple Fetch The Bolt CuttersEpic Records [2020] The title of Fiona Apple’s fifth album is telling. Drawn from the British crime-drama “The Fall,” which … Read more
Soul Asylum: Hurry Up And Wait [Album Review]
Soul Asylum Hurry Up And WaitBlue Élan Records [2020] Soul Asylum came of age in the early 80’s in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul … Read more
M. Ward: Migration Stories
M. Ward Migration StoriesANTI— [2020] On the 10th solo album from M. Ward it’s unlikely that anyone who’s encountered his music over the recent decades … Read more
The Strokes: The New Abnormal [Album Review]
The Strokes The New AbnormalCult/RCA Records [2020] It’s been long enough since the band’s 2016 EP Future Present Past, which was little more than a … Read more
Watermelon Slim: Traveling Man [Album Review]
Watermelon Slim Traveling ManNorthernBlues Music [2020] Watermelon Slim, originally born as William P. Homans III, has come to his career in blues music by a … Read more
Soccer Mommy: Color Theory [Album Review]
Soccer Mommy color theoryLoma Vista [2020] On her fourth full-lenth album, Soccer Mommy (born, Sophie Allison) has used color coding to telegraph the emotional content … Read more
Brian Fallon: Local Honey [Album Review]
Brian Fallon Local HoneyLesser Known Records/Thirty Tigers [2020] Brian Fallon’s freshly released third solo album, Local Honey, had to have been written and recorded prior … Read more
Lilly Hiatt: Walking Proof [Album Review]
Lilly Hiatt Walking ProofNew West Records [2020] Nashville singer/songwriter Lilly Hiatt has known most of her existence that life is rarely just one thing. On … Read more
THICK: 5 Years Behind [Album Review]
THICK5 Years BehindEpitaph Records [2020] The debut from Brooklyn-based DIY punk trio, THICK, was the perfect record to pick up as our country was shutting … Read more
Rookie: Rookie [Album Review]
Rookie RookieBloodshot Records [2020] The debut album of 6-piece Chicago band Rookie comes out of the box just dripping with references to a much earlier … Read more
Yumi Zouma: Truth Or Consequences [Album Review]
Yumi Zouma Truth Or ConsequencesPolyvinyl Records [2020] The third full-length effort from the quartet of New Zealanders who got their start playing shows around Christchurch … Read more
The Districts: You Know I’m Not Going Anywhere [Album Review]
The DistrictsYou Know I’m Not Going AnywhereFat Possum Records [2020] For The Districts’ fourth full-length release, You Know I’m Not Going Anywhere, singer/songwriter Rob Grote … Read more
Stephen Malkmus: Traditional Techniques [Album Review]
Stephen Malkmus Traditional TechniquesMatador Records [2020] Stephen Malkmus has been on a creative tear of late, releasing a band record with The Jicks in 2018 … Read more
Sonny Landreth: Blacktop Run [Album Review]
Sonny Landreth Blacktop RunMascot Label Group [2020] Sonny Landreth is a guitar player’s guitarist, much the way John Hiatt and John Prine are songwriter’s songwriters. … Read more
The Proper Ornaments: Mission Bells [Album Review]
The Proper Ornaments Mission BellsTapete Records [2020] After a few enjoyable listens to this fifth album from London’s The Proper Ornaments, I was surprised to … Read more