I have called Blackie and the Rodeo Kings the best roots music band working today. There is nothing about the new record, “Kings and Kings” to change my mind about that judgment. This year is the twentieth anniversary of the release of their first record, “High or Hurtin”, a record which was originally intended as […]
What are Greensky Bluegrass? Well, as their name suggests, they are a bluegrass band … though some purists would argue. There’s no fiddle, but there are no drums either. They are a true indie band, with their own label … whose last release debuted at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart. They are a band […]
North by South. “It all started with an e-mail from a fan in Toronto.” Claire Lynch is anything but a new voice on the musical horizon. She has been doing what she does, brilliantly, since the 70s. The Front Porch String Band. Success as both a songwriter and a session singer. Finally a string of […]
With the end of June fast approaching, it seems a good time to look back on the roots music released in the first half of the year. Here, in alphabetical order by artist, are my favourite new roots music albums of the year to date. That is not to say they are the best because […]
Michael McDermott is a poet, a man of words, as well as music. He includes a lyric sheet in his press kit, and with his records. That says much and more about the importance of words to the man and his music. He released his first album, 620 W. Surf, back in 1991, and has […]
Listening to the latest album from Punch Brothers, “The Phosphorescent Blues“, is not a casual experience. It is a time spent with focused attention, listening to music that was created with careful thought and planning. It is serious time, spent with serious music. I read a review which proposed that Punch Brothers are not ‘NewGrass‘, […]
Mary Chapin Carpenter has long been one of my favourite singer songwriters, and yet, with five years having passed since her last record of new material, there is a feeling of renewing acquaintances with an old friend in listening to her new record, “The Things That We Are Made Of“. As must be the case […]
Producers are a big part of the creative musical process when a record is being recorded. They can be anything from a sounding board and guiding hand, to a full partner in the writing and playing of the music, but one way or another, the best producers develop a style and a reputation which attaches […]