Monthly Archives: December 2007

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 his bag of tricks. Lauderdale has smithed songs for chart-toppers such as George Strait, Mark Chesnutt, Patty Loveless, and the Dixie Chicks. [...]

On this new album, Johnny Irion unleashes an amazing blend of folk and country with lush pop/rock sounds that mix Neil Young with the Beatles and a million sounds in-between. The lyrics are wonderful, each song has a quirkiness that makes it stick in your craw, and the changes are inspired. The crying steel guitar [...]

Todd Snider is one of the finest songwriters to come down the pike in the past 15 years, and this set offers a chance to look at the writer as his songs develop. The first four tracks are all Snider, as he covers all vocal parts, accompanying himself on acoustic, and even supplying percussion (by [...]

Robert Plant and his band, The Strange Sensation, play 11 songs; covers, old Zep songs, and newer Plant tunes. The band is the perfect complement, anchored by guitarists Liam “Skin” Tyson and the versatile Justin Adams, who handle everything from a smoking “Whole Lotta Love” to the funky, and political “Freedom Fries.” In between, there’s [...]

Tribute records are well-intended and fun to conceive, but with so many out there at this point, it’s almost as though you’re slighted if one hasn’t been dedicated to you. Tone Center’s previous guitar tributes to John Coltrane, Miles Davis, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Steely Dan summoned so many of the same guitarists, you’ve got [...]

Down South, it seems, songwriters like Grayson Capps just fall from the trees. Born in Alabama, he spent the last 20 years in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina kicked him out, and with Wail and Ride, Capps has created a collection of vibrant lyrical and aural images. The music sets the stage for everything on [...]