John Fogerty and his new “Wrote a Song for Everyone” has done the nearly impossible task of taking familiar classic songs and infusing them with fresh energy and inspiration.
Category: Reviews
Shannon McNally’s touching tribute to Bobby Charles
Shannon McNally’s soulful vocals and the playing of Dr. John and the Lower 911 Band make Small Town Talk a vibrant and funky celebration of an under-recognized songwriting talent.
The Waymores release their debut album at the Bluebird
Tonight the Waymores, a trio of talented songwriters, will showcase their new album at a CD release party at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. We had the chance to preview the album a while back and loved it.
Review: Poco’s “All Fired Up”
On their 19th studio album, Poco’s job is to deliver the sound their lifelong fans love and have as much fun as possible doing it. With All Fired Up, the band succeeds admirably on both fronts.
This just in: 2013 Americana Honors and Awards Nominees
The Americana Music Association has just announced the 2013 Americana Honors and Award Nominations, with a particularly impressive set of nominations for Shovels & Rope.
Re-issues: Chet Atkins & Les Paul, Steve Forbert, Eddy Arnold
Three new CDs chronicle the work of two legendary guitarists, a successful singer-songwriter and a classic country crooner.
Album review: Jeremy Porter and the Tucos
It’s hard not to listen to a new CD when it’s pitched as a melding of power pop and roots music. Is that like Eric Carmen covering Wilco?
New releases: Willie Nile, Randall Bramblett, Go Jane Go
A round-up of new album releases including Willie Nile, Hot Club of Cowtown, Randall Bramblett, Go Jane Go and the Chapin Sisters
Re-issues: Wilderness Road and the Hello People
There was a time when pop and politics were often intertwined and two new releases from Real Gone Music nicely illustrate that.
Classic songs revisited: “The Beautiful Old”
By Ken Paulson
— Coming June 6 is The Beautiful Old, a project by Paul Marsteller and Gabriel Rhodes that revisits music that was popular at the close of the 19th Century.
It’s a revelation. At a time when pop songs can go viral and fade just as quickly, it’s remarkable how sturdy these songs are.
Review: “Gurf Morlix Finds the Present Tense”
Gurf Morlix Finds the Present Tense is “the feel-good album of the year.” That’s how the Austin-based singer-songwriter described his latest CD during a recent in-store performance in Houston. He was kidding, of course.
Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas to preview “Cross County Lines”
The Americana Music Association is staging a concert June 1 in Franklin, Tennessee, hosted by Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas. Joining them at Liberty Hall at the Factory will be Amos Lee, Sarah Jarosz, Shawn Colvin, Angel Snow and Teddy Thompson.
The Blue Sky Riders: Debut album and a California tour
The Blue Sky Riders – Kenny Loggins, Georgia Middleman and Gary Burr – are in the middle of a West Coast tour.
Review: New American Farmers’ “Brand New Day”
The opening track “Everywhere” absolutely channels the early ‘70s Byrds and sets the stage for an entertaining collection of songs that tap an earlier era of country and rock.
Album review: Hey Marseilles’ “Lines We Trace”
Loss and yearning run throughout Hey Marseilles’ “Lines We Trace,” and Matt Bishop’s vocals underscore the melancholy. Yet the album is not somber or sad. There’s a compelling flow to it, rewarding repeated listening.
Reissue: Don Nix’s “Living by the Days”
By Ken Paulson –The reissue of Living By the Days, Don Nix’s second album, is something of a revelation. It barely charted in 1971 and the single “Olena” just cracked the Hot 100. But 42 years later, the album sounds fresh and soulful. Nix was signed to Leon Russell’s Shelter Records and they had similar musical sensibilities. Nix is backed…
The voices and venues of Tin Pan South
Americana Music News — We saw the diversity of Tin Pan South tonight at two 6 p.m. shows in distinctly different venues. J.D. Souther hosted an evening at Douglas Corner, where the room was dark and the audience was hushed and almost reverential. The club was packed and the sign outside said the room was at capacity (which happened with…
Tin Pan South: From Texas to Tennessee
By Ken Paulson — The Texas songwriter sessions are always a highlight of the Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival in Nashville and tonight was no exception. Radney Foster, Wade Bowen, Jon Randall and Bruce Robison showcased their best work and biggest hits at 3rd and Lindsley. Songwriters aren’t always adept vocalists, but all four were first-rate and often disarming…
Review: Guy Clark in concert
By Paul T. Mueller –There’s no denying that Guy Clark’s March 23 concert at the historic Crighton Theatre in Conroe, Texas, had the air of a memorial service about it. The legendary singer-songwriter, a Texas native who’s lived in Nashville for many years, has been in ill health for several years; it seems likely that his ailments and possibly age…
The Zombies at Fitzgerald’s, Houston
By Paul T. Mueller –You could almost understand it if a band that scored its greatest hit almost 45 years ago – AFTER breaking up – decided to reform for a phone-it-in-and-cash-the-checks reunion tour. That’s been known to happen. No such worries with The Zombies, though. More than 50 years after the band started out in England, these guys are…