Nashville has long been the home or hangout of the stars who graced our ’60s and ’70s record collections. John Kay, John Fogerty, Peter Frampton and Felix Cavaliere have all called Nashville home. Now John Oates has established partial residency in Nashville. He showed up at the Bluebird this week to perform in the round with Sam Bush and Jeff…
A tribute to John Prine
After years of tribute albums that tend to be purely celebratory, it’s nice to come across one that’s revelatory. Cover John Prine? That’s a tall order. He’s a distinctive performer with an unconventional style and phrasing, and a voice that seems built for his songs. Yet there’s a freshness to Broken Hearts and Dirty Windows, thanks to respectful, but not too…
Lorraine – Lori McKenna
By Ken Paulson You can almost hear Lori McKenna exhale with relief on Lorraine, her new CD and the first in some time without the commercial pressure of a label. She’s back to a sparer sound and continues to write about life’s trials and passages, from the frustration of being taken for granted (“If He Tried”) to the loss of…
Tin Pan South dates announced
The Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival has been set for Tuesday, March 29, through Saturday, April 2. This is always a great event, with an amazing range of singers and songwriters. Passes go on sale on March 9 at tinpansouth.com.