by Jonathan Frahm • • Comments Off on Album | The Brother Brothers – Cover to Cover
The Brother Brothers have grown into a notable force on the roots circuit, regaled for reflective songwriting and gorgeous harmonies that have drawn comparison to the best of ’em. As the Milk Carton Kids would jest about the dubious identifiability…
by Jonathan Frahm • • Comments Off on Album | Chloe Kimes – Self-Titled
One of Nashville’s most promising new implants, Chloe Kimes, released her self-titled LP this summer and it reliably swings between worlds. Originally from Ludington, Michigan, the singer-songwriter is as well-rounded as her pitstop portfolio; she sells her narrative lyricism with…
by Bob Fish • • Comments Off on Album | Loudon Wainwright III – Lifetime Achievement
While Loudon Wainwright III has won a few awards, Lifetime Achievement downplays that aspect of his life. Justifiably so. It’s never been about the awards. Or the press for that matter, even though Time Magazine named him the “new Dylan” back in…
by Bob Fish • • Comments Off on Album | Lauren Balthrop – Things Will Be Different
Nothing ever goes as planned, be it records or relationships, and for Lauren Balthrop her latest long player, Things Will Be Different, is no exception. This isn’t a record about nostalgia as some have suggested, rather it is about pain and…
by Jonathan Frahm • • Comments Off on Video | James and the Shame – Believe Me
Best known for his work as a YouTube “internetainer”, Los Angeles artist Rhett McLaughlin is breaking from his trademark comedy to hone-in on another passion—country music—as James and the Shame. His debut single, ‘Believe Me’, takes a jab at political…
by Pete Bate • • Comments Off on Album | Josh Rouse – Going Places
Josh Rouse has always been pretty prolific but it seems that lockdown proved a particularly fertile period for the Nebraskan songwriter. Following one of the most delightful Christmas albums of recent years (The Holiday Sounds Of Josh Rouse), it led to last year’s electronic…
by Mark Buckley • • Comments Off on Album | Laura Veirs – Found Light
It’s time to forget all that’s gone before. Whether you’re aware of Laura Veirs already or not, this album deserves approaching with open ears and a fresh outlook. An outlook which Veirs herself has begun working with in recent years. Her last album,…
by Bob Fish • • Comments Off on Album | Chastity Brown – Sing to the Walls
When hope is in short supply the question becomes who can you turn to? Chastity Brown turns to hope, it permeates her latest release, Sing to the Walls. Even when everything appears bleak Brown has faith that there are still reasons to look to the future feeling…
by Jonathan Frahm • • Comments Off on Premiere | The Early Mays – On a Dying Day
The Early Mays offer an inward-looking, heartfelt approach to Appalachia. Restoratively vintage, their no-frills roots music brings a warmth that is often missed in raucous contemporary releases. Beginning as the brainchild of Emily Pinkerton and Ellen Gozion, the duo becomes…
by Bob Fish • • Comments Off on Album | Angel Olsen – Big Time
From Jonathan Wilson’s opening drum roll on ‘All the Good Times’ one feels glad that Angel Olsen never offered the song to Sturgill Simpson like she planned. Although the song has sat around for a while it’s a perfect place…