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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
Roy Jay
Roy Jay’s music flutters between swaggering suburban bar blues to California country/rock; sometimes within a single song, as on “Fatal Mistake.” But he’s a good player, with a fine acoustic sound (“John Brown”),…
Bryan Sutton
Bryan Sutton’s roots-music pedigree is flawless. His award-winning work as an accompanist and soloist spans bluegrass, Americana, and contemporary country, all proof of his versatility and virtuosity. A gifted guitar educator, he earned…
Tracy G Group
Tramp
Ronnie James Dio unleashed a slew of championship guitarists, but one notable who flew under the radar was Tracy Grijalva. An underrated genius, he contributed to some of the darkest and most terrifying…
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Chris Walz
All I Got and Gone
This traditional folk singer/guitarist’s solo debut is impressive. He’s been an educator at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music for three decades, but his approach is by no means academic. He not only reveals the influence of folk and blues legends such as Doc and Merle Watson, Elizabeth Cotten, Etta Baker, Dave Van Ronk,
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Nels Cline
Consentrik Quartet
ls Cline long ago established a parallel career as an eclectic instrumentalist and contemporary jazz virtuoso. His fourth Blue Note album is an extended set that unveils Consentrik Quartet, his new band with acoustic bassist Chris Lightcap, drummer Tom Rainey, and tenor/soprano saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock. Their concepts are ambitious and their sound is free, Cline
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Charlie Musselwhite
Lookout Highway
John Mayall is invariably cited for the succession of guitar greats who passed through his band. But Charlie Musselwhite just might be the American equivalent. In a 60-year career, his six-stringers have included Harvey Mandel, Luther Tucker, Louis Myers, Tim Kaihatsu, Robben Ford, Fenton Robinson, Johnny Heartsman, Junior Watson, Andrew “Jr. Boy” Jones, John Wedemeyer,
Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell, who gained fame during country’s New Traditional era of the 1980s, has always drawn from his personal life for inspiration. He doubled down on that on his 2001 album The Houston…
Alter Bridge
Since 2013’s Fortress, Alter Bridge has lost no momentum. They’ve focused their talents to create a successful formula that highlights the strongest elements of its individual members. This latest is packed with high-altitude…
Pete Seeger/Bruce Springsteen – Give Us Your Poor
The fascinating, and moving, concept behind Give Us Your Poor differs from previous fundraising, conscious-awareness efforts, in that established musicians are teamed with talented people who have been, or are currently, homeless. So…
Eric Lindell – Low On Cash, Rich In Love
Eric Lindell’s second album is full of great songs and inspired playing while his hipster feel and look match his guitar grooves. You get an idea with the opener, “Lay Back Down” –…
Little Feat – Hotcakes and Outtakes
I’ve always been amazed that Little Feat wasn’t a huge band with many hits. They don’t come much snappier than “Dixie Chicken.” And especially in the ’70s heyday of FM radio, how could…
The Coal Men
The Coal Men – guitarist Dave Coleman and drummer Dave Ray – boast a cowboy romanticism that comes alive on their fourth album, Escalator. Coleman wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on…
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Popa Chubby
I Love Freddie King
The latest from blues dynamo Popa Chubby is a star-studded tribute to the late great Freddie King. Produced by Mr. Chubby and Mike Zito, I Love Freddie King is a blues guitar love-fest covering some of King’s most potent and popular songs. With Popa fronting the band on guitar and vocals, guests include Eric Gales,
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Rush
Rush 50
The goal of any anthology is to capture the broad scope of an artist’s career. Rush 50 is a strong attempt, starting with their first singles (previously unreleased) all the way to their final live recordings in 2015. In between are reams of epic studio and stage recordings, summing up the band’s career in one
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Rik Emmett
Ten Telecaster Tales
At the risk of starting a brawl, Rik Emmett’s guitar work was arguably too good for Triumph. As evidence, his latest project centers on a custom-built Loucin that inspired both a book and accompanying music. “Magic Power” this is not. On Ten Telecaster Tunes, Emmett delivers 10 solo performances on the instrument he calls Babs,
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Check This Action: Up Jumped Elmore
When someone recently asked me to recommend the most essential Elmore James album, I answered, “Any and all.” I’ve never heard a bad Elmore cut, and I’ve heard nearly everything he recorded. Everybody knows that he set the standard for slide guitar in electric blues, but he was also a fantastic singer and wrote some
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Greg Koch
Blues
The Gristle Master returns with scintillating blues and the influences that made him the six-string slayer he is today. On this live recording, Koch uses an array of guitars including his signature Reverend, a Deluxe Tele, Custom Shop Les Paul, and a Custom Shop Strat while sharing stages with Larry McCray, Jimmy Hall, Malford Milligan,
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2025 December Issue on Spotify
This month, we feature Rick Derringer, Kid Ramos, Booker T and The M.G.’s, Steve Stevens, Phil Manzanera, Doug Aldrich, Kenny Burrell, Eric Johanson, Gary Moore, and more! Spotify is free or available without ads via a paid subscription. Go to www.spotify.com and search “Vintage Guitar magazine,” or if you already have an account Listen to
Bill Frisell – East/West
It’s almost ridiculous to review Bill Frisell’s stuff. It’s undeniable that he has one of the most unique takes on music today. While he’s called jazz, he encompasses pretty much any kind of…
Guy King
Two words describe these two records from Chicago guitarist Guy King: mature and eclectic. That holds especially true for the double record, I Am Who I Am And It Is What It Is.…
Shawn Pittman – Full Circle
I enjoyed Shawn’s last record, with its killer mix of rock and roll and blues. This new release takes things a step further, and really satisfies. Shawn spent time playing with Buddy Guy…
Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Area Code 615, and more
Music City Rocks
Nashville became a magnet for rockers when Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and Gene Vincent recorded there in the ’50s, but the ’60s British Invasion and folk-rock boom also connected to the Nashville recording…
Jimi Hendrix – Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection
Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection
The latest release from Experience Hendrix, Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection, is a two-CD set of the master at work. In his four-year career as a celebrity, Hendrix produced only three studio…
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow’s gone country. That’s the line on Feels Like Home, the popular singersongwriter’s eighth studio album. It shouldn’t come as a surprise. Crow moved to Nashville a decade ago and now counts…
Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani’s 15th studio record is a concept album that continues to advance the idea that virtuoso instrumental guitar music can be accessible to non-guitarists. Utilizing strategically placed grit and throaty attention to…
The Roger McGuinn – 12-String Guitar of Roger McGuinn
Who better to teach the Roger McGuinn style than the original Byrd himself? Using his signature Rickenbacker 360-12, McGuinn details the characteristic opening of “Mr. Tambourine Man,” highlighting the way he achieves ringing…
Corb Lund
Songs my Friends Wrote
Lund, the Canadian singer/songwriter known for powerful, rocking originals, departs from form to honor eight of his favorite songwriters. He isn’t simply covering signature tunes, but lesser-known compositions he admires. The Hurtin’ Albertans,…
Dion – Son of Skip James
James offers his own tunes (including a wonderful title cut) as well as classic covers of songs by Sleepy John Estes, Robert Johnson, and Willie Dixon, among others. He even manages to slip…
Steve Kimock
There comes a time in a musician’s life when he confronts the inevitable question, “Who am I? Am I a mimic simply regurgitating other people’s ideas? Do I blindly repeat stylistic patterns and…
The Love Dogs – New Tricks
New Tricks
Loveable? I guess. Dogs? Maybe. They’ve got all the musical tricks new and old, and they’re not jumping through hoops to get their rootsy message across. Elegant arrangements, diverse tunes, strong presentation, and…
Scott H. Biram
If you condensed Southern Culture on the Skids down to a one-man band, it would sound something like Scott Biram. Comparisons to C.C. Adcock, Rev. Freakchild, and Cub Koda’s rootsy solo albums also…
Ronnie Hawkins – Mojo Man
To call these two early records by Ronnie Hawkins “historic guitar recordings” is a genuine understatement. In fact, they’re revolutionary. But first, who is Ronnie Hawkins? The Hawk was a rock shouter from…
Country Style U.S.A.
Pickers In Their Prime
The peacetime U.S. Army in 1957 had a steady stream of new recruits due to the draft and ongoing promotional efforts to encourage enlistments. Among those projects – 52 filmed segments of “Country…
Steve Lukather
I Found the Sun Again
Amid the recent turmoil of a Toto-related lawsuit and major lineup changes, “Luke” still managed to record his eighth solo album. Its eight songs cover his trademark territory – well-crafted tunes with shimmering…
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Shout Factory
Jon Spencer formed his Blues Explosion ensemble in New York City in 1991. The band was instantly hated and beloved; purists saw them as treading on age-old blues traditions with no respect. Others…
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…
Eve Monsees and Mike Buck
& Their Groovy Orbit
This is not a solo album as much as an anthology of Austin artists and styles – from blues to country to ’60s garage and psych, demonstrating the versatility of singer/guitarist Monsees (Eve…
The Yardbirds – The Yardbirds: Ultimate
Two fallacies that invariably arise in discussions of the Yardbirds: 1) declaring them the fathers of psychedelic music and/or heavy metal; 2) focusing on their colossal lead guitar lineage at the expense of…
Hiromi’s Sonicbloom – Time Control
Ignore the silly cover photo – this ain’t no pop-diva record. Instead, it could be the jazz-rock CD of the year. Hiromi Uehara is a monster jazz pianist who’s been making a name…
