If you had picked up Golden without hearing one of Tony Furtado’s previous 14 albums, you’d never guess he was once a banjo prodigy. After winning the National Bluegrass Banjo competition at 19, he was on his way when he made a left turn into blues, learning slide guitar and lap steel. Then he detoured [...]
Off kilter, warped, but addictive, Brian Wright’s music grabs your attention. He describes it as, “…situated somewhere between Woody Guthrie and The Velvet Underground.” Where exactly, depends on the song. Beyond writing the songs and singing lead vocals on House On Fire, Wright plays all instruments in the core band. Cameos by Michael Starr (dobro), [...]
After violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini died in 1840, several violinists claimed to be possessed by his spirit when they performed his violin concerto. I wonder if Chet Aktins has managed a similar supernatural transposition through Ben Hall. To say this young picker plays like Chet Atkins is an understatement; he channels Chet’s style with an [...]
Megan Slankard is difficult to pigeonhole. Equal parts country soul, folk, pop, and alt rock, though still in her early 20s, Token of the Wreckage is her third disc, and amply demonstrates why she’s so popular. Some of Slankard’s original songs are bouncy and fun (“The Happy Birthday”) while others are dark and sad (“The [...]
On his second Red House Records release, Danny Schmidt displays the same level of wit and lyricism that made his last release such an artistic success. Undoubtedly, Schmidt writes great songs. Man of Many Moons includes 10 new originals and one cover – “Bucket of Rain” by Bob Dylan. His version of this rarely covered [...]
On the cover of My Kind of Country, Nathan Stanley looks a bit like Elvis, with big sideburns, slicked-back hair, and shades. But unlike some Las Vegas clone, Stanley was born into bluegrass/ country royalty – he’s the grandson of Dr. Ralph Stanley – and served time with his grandfather’s band, The Clinch Mountain Boys. [...]
Greg Trooper’s music displays a variety of influences – bluesy inflections from R&B coupled with rootsy country melodies and arrangements. On his latest release, he handles most of the acoustic guitar, with veteran guitar-slinger Michael McAdam adding slide and electric guitar. Co-produced by Trooper, keyboardist Kevin McKendree, and bassist Stewart Lerman, the album’s arrangements are [...]
The concept of a “folk supergroup” sounds strange, sort of like “the folksinger’s Porsche.” But no musical amalgamation deserves this moniker more than The Wailin’ Jennys. With three world-class lead vocalists who are equally accomplished songwriters, The Wailin’ Jenny’s deliver polished folk music that still has soul. Bright Morning Stars highlights Ruth Moody, Nicky Mehta, [...]
The list of people who call themselves “professional harmonica players” certainly is not all that long. And the number of female harmonica players… well, beyond Stacie Collins, I can’t think of one. On her third CD, Collins demonstrates not only her ability to blow harp, but her songwriting, singing, and band-leading chops. Collins’ music is [...]
How many versions of the song “If That Mocking Bird Don’t Sing” have you heard? I’ve listened to more than I can count on all my digits. So when I heard Carrie Elkin veer into “Mocking Bird” during the chorus of “Jessie Likes Birds” I wondered where she was going with it. What followed was [...]
