Reviews

Roomful of Blues

In a Roomful of Blues indeed. In the wake of more than 50 years of high-steppin’, blues-rooted hootin’ and hollerin’, and after some 60 members walked in and out of … Read more

Chanda Rule and the Sweet Emma Band

Hold On is the second album on this label from soultress-jazz vocalist and songwriter Chanda Rule and it is quite different from last year’s debut, Sapphire Dreams, in which she … Read more

Della Mae

Della Mae trusts in Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, just as the all-female string band has faith in the honesty of women brave enough to come forward to share their stories … Read more

Juliana MacDowell

The peppy, bouncy vibe of the opening “I Like” belies singer-songwriter Julian MacDowell’s battles to conquer anxiety stemming from a staggering amount of personal loss. If music is truly a … Read more

Ben Rice & RB Stone

When you think of cigar box guitars, you think of a raw, raunchy sound but not necessarily of the relatively cleaner sounding Chuck Berry or Creedence. Ben Rice and RB … Read more

Al Gold

New Jersey-based guitarist and vocalist Al Gold offers a potpourri of blues styles on his punny, tongue-in-cheek titled Al Gold’s Paradise. This is a loose, free-flowing session anchored by his … Read more

Luke Haines & Peter Buck

The door to a sprawling and often dark psychedelic-pop playground opens after kindred oddball spirits Luke Haines & Peter Buck ask, “Is anybody there?” Eccentric geniuses such as The Ramones, … Read more

Hat Fitz & Cara

One is a craggy Australian guitarist with a weatherworn voice known to work fertile hill country blues soil until his fingers bleed. The other is an Irish songbird turned drummer … Read more

Whitney Shay

Whitney Shay returns to the recording ring with a truly inspired offering on Germany’s premier blues label, Ruf. Following the acclaim garnered by her last release, A Woman Rules the … Read more