• Smith/Kotzen

    Music

    Smith/Kotzen

    Black Light/White Noise

    This is the third album from rock veterans Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) and Richie Kotzen (The Winery Dogs). The busy axeslingers – especially Kotzen, who is always involved in solo and band projects – released their full-length debut and an EP in 2021. Smith-Kotzen has happily blossomed into a going concern. What’s interesting about Smith/Kotzen’s

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At The Louisiana Hayride Tonight

Hot Time Tonight

On Saturday, April 3, 1948, the “Louisiana Hayride,” America’s newest live country radio show, debuted over KWKH in Shreveport. Staged at the city’s Municipal Auditorium, it became a launching pad for artists who…

Jim Lauderdale

My Favorite Place

Since his 1991 debut, Planet of Love, Jim Lauderdale has produced a body of award-winning work few modern country or Americana acts can match. His albums reflect a level of consistency in creating…

Pete Anderson

How to Produce a Record: A Player’s Philosophy for Making a Great Recording

Known as longtime musical partner and guitar ace with country singer Dwight Yoakam. But, his real claim to fame might be that as a bona fide roots-music mechanic – a guy who has…

Josh Smith

Josh Smith takes the soul stylings that marked his earlier work and puts it on the back burner here. In its place is a return to his first love – high-octane, supercharged blues-rock.…

Mike Stern

Trip

Mike Stern’s latest speaks to the triumph of his spirit and twisted sense of humor. In a freak accident while waiting for a cab, he tripped and broke both arms. This left him…

Lyle Brewer

Even when Lyle Brewer covers standards, he makes the song his own. His last couple albums have been filled with familiar songs given the Brewer treatment. With his latest, we get a record…

Amy Black

If Will Kimbrough’s name does not come up the next time you’re discussing great guitar players, then you ain’t saying nothin’. Kimbrough is always on the money whether putting a delicately strong acoustic…

Jim Lauderdale – Country Super Hits! Vol. 1: Bluegrass

It’s rare to see simultaneous releases by one artist in two different genres, but singer/songwriter/guitarist Jim Lauderdale ably juggles the trick, proving along the way that this is one of the simplest in…

Cheap Trick

In Another World

Ever since the Rock Hall of Famers’ debut in 1977, the quartet has been non-stop road warriors supporting albums that varied in quality. Beginning with 2006’s Rockford, their studio mojo has stayed. CT’s…

Buddy Emmons: Steel Guitar Icon

Steve Fishell

No one would argue that Buddy Emmons wasn’t a transformative force in pedal-steel guitar. Immortalized as “The Big E,” he was known for his trademark derby hat, consummate musical brilliance, and good humor…

Jake Shimabukuro – Dragon

Jake Shimabukuro – Dragon The ukulele is where many a guitarist got his or her start, but for Jake Shimabukuro, it was the destination. The lowly four-string has always been capable of more…

Chet Atkins

In July 1958, Chet Atkins and his half-brother, singer-guitarist Jim Atkins, a member of Les Paul’s original 1930s trio, recorded six songs at RCA’s Nashville studio for this LP, conceived as six of…

Brian Setzer

Gotta Have the Rumble

Setzer’s first solo album in seven years straddles the line between what you want and what you expect. You get both Stray-Cats-flavored rockabilly ravers and the big-band beats of the Brian Setzer Orchestra,…

Junior Sisk – Blue Side of the Blueridge

Being a top-echelon professional bluegrass musician is similar to being a member in an exclusive underground club. The members all know each other from their not-so-secret handshake, which is the ability to play…

Tommy Emmanuel

Accomplice Two

On this rich, diverse collection of duets, Emmanuel and Billy Strings get right to it with an exuberant medley of Doc Watson’s “Doc’s Guitar/Black Mountain Rag.” Emmanuel’s free-flowing fingerstyle kicks things off, followed…

Christian Scott

If you’ve been waiting for the future of jazz to arrive, this may well be it. The young trumpeter is creating a beguiling blend of post-bop, dark rock, and hip-hop – try to…

Charles Brown – A Life In The Blues

This is more than just an album by the late R&B great Charles Brown. It’s truly the story of a life – a scrapbook of history, photos, testimonials, music, vintage film clips, a…

Spirit

It Shall Be, 1968-’72

Rock history is littered with truly gifted bands that inexplicably never broke big, from The Move to The Replacements. Spirit is another, an L.A. group dripping with talent and the ability to mix…

The Replacements

Tim: Let It Bleed Edition

The Mats once released a live cassette entitled The Sh*t Hits the Fans, but when it comes to deluxe editions, they do not disappoint. This boxed set of their 1985 major-label Sire/Warner Brothers…

Bob Dylan

Judas!

Breaking out of the box and kicking down barriers seems the first item on the daily to-do list for many Nobel laureates, but it’s probably fair to say only Bob Dylan was booed…

Thin Lizzy

The cool thing about the vinyl revolution is that strange and wonderful albums are being reissued by the score. Take Thin Lizzy’s 1971 debut, back when they were a power trio and five…

Robbie Robertson

429 Records

Ian Moore

Sparkle & Shine

Richie Kotzen

Soul Survivor

Various Artists

It’s not unusual to see compilations defined by region or style; this one focuses on players who share the same brand of guitar: Hallmark. The Hallmark company was launched in 1966 by Joe…

The Dean Ween Group

The Dean Ween Group’s debut showcases all the genre-hopping shenanigans that became the stock in trade of Ween’s first band – the prolific and eponymously named indie weirdos Ween. While it’s busy serving…

Arlen Roth & Jerry Jemmott

Super Soul Session

Roth is well-known for his “Hot Licks” instructional videos and method books. But his career is far from academic, having toured and recorded with Bob Dylan, Duane Eddy, and John Sebastian, devoted albums…

Kansas – Two for the Show: 30th Anniversary Edition

Sony/Legacy

One iconic artifact of the late-’70s rock scene was the ubiquitous “double live album,” a marketing ploy usually timed for the Christmas rush, but one that also yielded much good music. Following the…

Bob Dylan – The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5 & Bob Dylan Live 1975

The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5 & Bob Dylan Live 1975

Bob Dylan. Easily the most influential single musician of the second half of the 20th century, his name conjures a melange of images. Dylan has never confined himself to one kind of music.…

The Little Willies

Essentially a super-group of players that just want to have some fun with the music they grew up with, Norah Jones, Jim Campilongo, Lee Alexander, Richard Julian, and Dan Rieser serve up lots…

  • Yes

    Yes

    Close to the Edge: Super Deluxe Edition

Brad Allen Williams

Brad Allen Williams is a fine guitarist who has served the last few years as a sideman to numerous artists, most notably José James. Fans of his work with other folks might be…

Cherryholmes – Black and White

From mandolin playing mom, Sandy, and bass player pop, Jere, to 14-year-old Molly, the six-person Cherryholmes family band picks and sings like they were born to it. Was it the air or water…

Elmore James – The Complete Fire and Enjoy, and Tribute

Elmore James made a career from one slide lick – but oh, what a lick! In his ruthless, overdriven slide work, James’ electrified blues evoke the spirit of Robert Johnson and send a…