By Ken Paulson –What the Hell is Goin’ On? is one of the rarest of cover albums, with song selections so right that they don’t sound like covers at all. Thorn’s albums – including the recent Pimps and Preachers – are filled with colorful characters and unlikely adventures, and the songs he’s selected for this project come from the same…
Willie Nile’s “One Guitar” at center of charity effort
Willie Nile’s anthemic “One Guitar” is at the core of a new charitable initiative. The concept is to encourage hundreds of artists from a wide range of genres to record the song, with all proceeds going to the TJ Martell Foundation and a charity of the artists’ choice. You’ll find details at the “One Guitar” site. It’s no surprise that…
Review: The reunited dB’s’ “Falling Off the Sky”
By Bill Lloyd –When certain bands reunite, that re-bonding of friendships and talents can do much more than simply echo the past. These musical projects can often have a sense of purpose and pride that creates songs and sounds even stronger than their earlier work. Everything you ever loved about the music to begin with will still be there and…
Long Players salute Neil Young’s Harvest
The Long Players, a loose aggregation of talented Nashville performers with a very tight band at its core, is a Music City institution – and for good reason. The band, founded by Bill Lloyd, impeccably re-creates the greatest rock and soul albums of the past 60 years in a concert setting. Tomorrow night, the Long Players tackle Neil Young’s Harvest at…
Review: Bill Lloyd’s “Boy King of Tokyo”
By Ken Paulson –Bill Lloyd’s new album Boy King of Tokyo is a vibrant and hook-laden collection, rivaling the earlier and excellent Set to Pop and Standing on the Shoulders of Giants. Lloyd took a cue from musical heroes Todd Rundgren and Paul McCartney by playing every instrument on the album. The high-octane title track was inspired by Lloyd’s early…
Review: Ray Wylie Hubbard’s “Grifter’s Hymnal”
By Paul T. Mueller –If music reviews included credit for style points, Ray Wylie Hubbard’s latest effort would earn plenty of them for its title alone. The Grifter’s Hymnal? Who but “the Wylie Lama” could have even imagined such a thing, much less fill it up with a batch of cool songs? Great title aside, this Hymnal has a lot…
Charting: Alabama Shakes, Nanci Griffith, Jason Eady
The Alabama Shakes jump into the Americana Music Association airplay chart at #14 this week with Boys and Girls. Other chart debuts: Nanci Griffith’s Intersection at #34, Jason Eady’s AM Country Heaven at #36, Hank Williams III’s Long Gone Daddy at #37 and Madison Violet’s The Good in Goodbye at #39. Most added this week: Paul Thorn’s What The Hell Is…
Review: Dar Williams’ “In the Time of Gods”
By Ken Paulson — Dar Williams on her new album In the Time of Gods: “I thought why don’t I really freak out my record company and make a whole album about Greek mythology?” Note to Dar: This has a similar effect on music writers. In the Time of Gods works on a couple of levels, the first being the…
Turnpike Troubadours’ “Goodbye Normal Street”
By Ken Paulson —Goodbye Normal Street, the Turnpike Troubadours’ third album, boasts driving roots and country music, strong narratives and a disproportionate number of songs about really bad relationships. From the aptly titled “Wrecked:” “But you wrecked it all/ you wrecked my heart/you wrecked our house and you wrecked my car.” “Good Lord Lorrie” suggests a bit of the Band,…
Sun209: The week in Tweets
"Red Bird Girls" in stereo is a stunning collection of classic girl group recordings from @realgonemusic. Quite a find. http://t.co/58FTs8RD # Sun209 Review of @RF_FamilyBand and Jesse Dayton at @ifest http://t.co/diWF8wHM # It's a year out, but the @Cayamo cruise has just announced the booking of Lyle Lovett and Keb 'Mo. # Looking forward to "Reincarnation," Tim O'Brien's Party of…
Beach Boys 2012: “That’s why God made the radio”
This has nothing to do with Americana music, and everything to do with classic American pop music. Unbelievably, the Beach Boys just released a new single, with Brian Wilson on board. It’s better than we could have hoped for.
Review: 2012 Houston International Festival
By Paul T. Mueller –You couldn’t have written a better script for the opening day of the 2012 Houston International Festival. After a stormy Friday that saw high winds and thunderstorms rake the city, Saturday, April 21 was clear, cool and breezy – near-perfect conditions for Houston’s premier cultural and musical celebration. Festival-goers were rewarded with excellent performances by a…
Mountain Song at Sea: Bluegrass cruise set for 2013
We’ve raved about Cayamo, the annual cruise featuring top Americana artists. Now Sixthman, the company behind Cayamo, has announced a new cruise called “Mountain Song at Sea,” featuring top bluegrass performers. Already booked: The host Steep Canyon Rangers, The David Grisman Sextet, Del McCoury Band, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Tim O’Brien and Bryan Sutton, the Kruger Brothers, Peter Rowan, Larry Keel…
Charting: Steep Canyon Rangers, Lumineers
Last week we confidently predicted a long run for Lyle Lovett’s Release Me at the top of the Americana Music Association airplay chart. So much for that. This week Justin Townes Earles’ Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me moved past it to the number one position. Chart debuts this week: The Steep Canyon Rangers’ Nobody Knows You…
Re-issues: “The Red Bird Girls” in stereo
By Ken Paulson –The Red Bird Girls Very First Time in True Stereo is a stunning collection of pop songs recorded almost half a century ago on the Red Bird label founded by legendary rock ‘n’ roll songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The title says it all: Girl groups and singers in impeccable stereo, taken from recently discovered masters.…
Sun209: The week in Tweets
Review: Keith Moody's contemporary brand of classic rock. http://t.co/czGVWLOx # New to #Americanafest chart: @tbtduluth, @akaDrJohn, Mastersons http://t.co/7lOAho1C # Dick Clark (and Lloyd Thaxton) gave me my early rock 'n' roll education. Rock on TV was once a special event. # Record Store Day includes releases by Byrds, Gene Clark and Dillard and Clark. Cool. # Bill Lloyd and friends…
Will Kimbrough’s Lick of the Day
Will Kimbrough’s Lick of the Day for April 18, 2012:
New to chart: Trampled By Turtles, Dr. John, Mastersons
Lyle Lovett remains steady at the top of the Americana Music Association Airplay Chart with Release Me, holding off Justin Townes Earle’s Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me. It looks like a long run ahead. New to the chart this week: Trampled by Turtles’ Stars and Satellites at #25, Dr. John’s Locked Down at #27 and the…
Review: Keith Moody’s “Dreaming Out Loud”
Keith Moody’s Dreaming Out Loud is an album of another era, colection of soaring rock with terrific hooks and strong melodies. If Moody were 65, you’d call it classic rock, but this is a young man who learned from the masters. The most obvious influence is Tom Petty, but that takes the form of inspiration, not mimicry. There’s a hint of Gin Blossoms and…
Review: Matt Harlan’s “Bow and Be Simple”
By Paul T. Mueller –Ever wonder where songs come from? At a recent in-store performance at Cactus Music in Houston, Texas singer-songwriter Matt Harlan described the genesis of one of the best tracks on his latest CD, Bow and Be Simple. Headed east toward Louisiana early one morning, he watched the sun come up in a profusion of colors. The…