Americana One

Author: Ken Paulson

  • Nick Lowe’s “The Old Magic”

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    Ken Paulson
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    Someone somewhere once told Nick Lowe to act his age and he took the advice seriously. His new “The Old Magic” is a masterful album, impeccably performed and produced, but it’s also sad and subdued, a quiet declaration that “the Basher” has abandoned any thought of actually rocking ever again. You can’t knock that. Lowe…

  • Review: Slaid Cleaves’ “Sorrow and Smoke”

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    Ken Paulson
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    I first saw Slaid Cleaves on stage at the Barns of Wolf Trap outside Washington, D.C. He was the opening act, but he quickly won over a tough audience with his compelling story-songs and confident presence. “Sorrow And Smoke: Live at the Horseshoe Lounge, a new two CD set (#26 on the Americana music chart),…

  • Glen Campbell’s powerful “Ghost on the Canvas”

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    Ken Paulson
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    Tickets for Glen Campbell’s final show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Nov. 30 go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 9. It’s part of the “Goodbye Tour,” Campbell’s farewell concert series in the wake of his Alzheimer’s diagnosis. I respect Campbell and his family, and their decision to face his illness…

  • Buddy Holly at 75

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    Ken Paulson
    in

    This day in Americana music: Buddy Holly would have been 75 years old today, and it’s a measure of his impact that there are two new star-filled tribute CDs celebrating his work. “Rave On Buddy Holly,” currently number 23 on the Americana Music Association chart, veers younger with bands like the Black Keys and Florence…