By Joe Ross In “Payback Road,” the opening cut on Running Through the Innocent Years, Ontario-based folk duo John and Sheila Ludgate tell us that “everybody’s got to do their time, it separates the survivors from the cheap talk kind, and the scars they show through.” John plays guitar and harmonica; Sheila is a bass guitarist. And if anyone’s done…
Tag: Music
Reviews: Dirt Drifters, Chris Isaak,Verlon Thompson, more
By Ken Paulson – As we close out 2011, there’s still a stack of CDs we’ve been meaning to write about. Here’s a quick round-up of noteworthy 2011 Americana music releases: The Dirt Drifters – This Is My Blood: We first came across the Dirt Drifters at a free-speech benefit in Nashville in 2009; they had tremendous energy on stage…
Americana music 2011: No Depression’s 50 favorites
No Depression has released its list of the Top 50 favorite albums of 2011, as voted by its fan community. It’s an interesting mix, with Gillian Welch’s The Harrow and the Harvest at the top, followed by a remarkable range of artists, genres, styles and ages. Some have complained that it’s a surprisingingly mainstream list for an alt-country site, but…
Review: Chicago Kingsnakes’ “Blue Mosaic”
By Joe Ross – As with any album I review, it’s usually the cover that first catches my eye. The Chicago Kingsnakes chose some artwork by modernist painter Marc Chagall to grace the cover of their new CD, “Blue Mosaic.” Like Chagall’s work in which his colors attract and capture attention, The Chicago Kingsnakes blend tones and graduated perspectives into…