Album Reviews

Old Crow Medicine Show 4.20

Watching Old Crow Medicine Show busk in front of the drug store at “his old corner” in Boone, North Carolina, the late folk legend Doc Watson was so impressed, he … Read more

Peter Rowan

Peter Rowan is easily one of the most significant US roots and acoustic music masters. His fretwork is never less than perfect and his knowledge and feel for the music … Read more

Tom Rush

In these days of alt facts, it’s a real fact that Tom Rush has never been in a hurry to make records. One gap between his output clocked in at 3.5 … Read more

Marcia Ball

Shine Bright sure lives up to its name, with Texan/Louisiana-raised keyboard wizard Marcia Ball delivering 12 tracks packed to exploding with her raw, raucous and rollicking boogie-woogie chops and powerful … Read more

Grant Peeples & the Peeples Republik

Bob Dylan’s “Brownsville Girl” has a complicated history. Grant Peeples & the Peeples Republik add another chapter with a more down-to-earth version called “The New Brownsville Girl,” which brings his … Read more

Ted Hefko and The Thousandaires

This is the fourth album from this roots and rhythm aggregation of fourteen musicians (four of whom are guests) on select tracks led by saxophonist/guitarist Ted Hefko, who was formally … Read more

Charlie Ballantine

If life is brief, as the title at hand reminds us, one wonders how much of it to spend revisiting established territory. True, great songs have no expiration dates. The … Read more

Kid Ramos

Seventeen years is a long time between albums, but with life comes priorities. Southern California blues guitar stylist Kid Ramos spent the period since the last of his four solo … Read more

Tim Easton

Joined at the hip for 30 years, Tim Easton and his faithful black Gibson J-45 acoustic guitar “Paco” have survived busking together in Eastern Europe and miles upon miles of … Read more

Joyann Parker

There’s some serious singing and musicianship afoot here. Minneapolis-based Joyann Parker is a classically trained pianist with a degree in music from the University of Wisconsin – LaCrosse. She sang … Read more