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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
Three men had a huge influence on Steve Earle; Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, and Jerry Jeff Walker. Having made tribute albums for the other two, it’s only natural that Earle and The Dukes should record Jerry Jeff. In some ways…
“They bought up all the old streets / And they priced out all the old queens / Tore the party down / And put up a burger joint.” On the surface, the above lyrics are an obvious homage to ‘Big…
Matt and Rebekah Rolland are RISO, and ‘Closer’ is their new, forward-driving single. The Tucson-based artists are a power duo both in roots music and in love—they met as children in the Arizona Fiddle Contest and eventually became wed, with…