Tracy McNeil & The Goodlife You Be The Lightning Cooking Vinyl Australia Across four albums, Tracy McNeil has woven a wistful strain of Americana that conjures up US West Coast country-rock and Australian East Coast sun-kissed FM pop. You Be The Lightning is her most realised and well executed iteration of that blend to date. … Continue reading
Sturgill Simpson Sound & Fury Elektra Records Sturgill Simpson’s last album, A Sailor’s Guide To Earth was a soulful, expansive and personal welcome-letter to his infant son. It was his first major step away from the traditional worlds of country and alt-country and showed he was someone prepared, and able, to follow his muse and … Continue reading
North Mississippi Allstars Up And Rolling New West Records The new album from Luther and Cody Dickinson’s North Mississippi Allstars was inspired by photos on a forgotten roll of film from the ‘90s. It got the brothers and their fellow musicians back into the studio, along with guests Mavis Staples, Jason Isbell, Cedric Burnside and … Continue reading
Dori Freeman Every Single Star Blue Hens Music The evolution of Dori Freeman continues on this fine third album from the Southwest Virginian songwriter. Her first was rooted in Appalachian folk but since then she’s added studio polish and incorporated wider influences (sixties pop, jazz balladry) and a lush and more nuanced sound. Teddy Thompson … Continue reading
Charley Crockett The Valley Thirty Tigers / Cooking Vinyl Australia Descendant of legendary frontiersman Davy, traveling troubadour and heart surgery survivor – Charley Crockett sure has a big back story. The most pleasing factor is of course his music, a lackadaisical country blues sound with a New Orleans soul swing to it, which he’s been slowly … Continue reading
Paul Cauthen Room 41 Lightning Rod Records Out of misery and heartache comes great art. That seems to be one of the great recurring themes of all the artistic mediums. On his new solo album, Paul Cauthen has clearly lived and by the sound of it, learned from a particularly low period in his life … Continue reading
For a decade now, Dan Brodie has been a master at skirting around the edges of a number of musical genres. He’s taken from rock, blues, alt-country and rockabilly, combining them all into his own decidedly Australian take on rock ’n’ roll. It’s the sound of cold beer and back porches in the summertime, sweaty … Continue reading
Last year, Australian group Billy Roberts & The Rough Riders released their latest album The Southern Sessions and one of its highlights is this slow burning gem ‘Special’. Elsewhere on the album they dig into some bluesy rock ‘n’ roll territory, straight country rock and folk rock. With a voice that reminds me a bit of … Continue reading
The inimitable dusky, intimate dream charred voice of M Ward returns with the first taste of his forthcoming new LP Migration Stories, due April 3rd on Anti-. ‘Migration Of Souls’ is an ethereal, reverb-laden acoustic revelry that floats through the atmosphere as that voice sings “float through space and time…” and propels the gentle interstellar … Continue reading
Great news as we coast to the end of another year – DBT have a new album coming on January 31st via ATO Records and here’s the first single from it, ‘Armageddon’s Back In Town’. The Unraveling is Drive-By Truckers’ 12th studio album and first new LP in more than three years – the longest gap … Continue reading
Ramshackle, loose-limbed and groove-heavy countrified rock ‘n’ roll is the order of the day on ‘Gimme Gimme’, the new single from Brooklyn, NY band Mail The Horse. This thing fair gallops along with a ramalama Stones feel to it, complete with horn-accented swagger and sway. The song comes from their new self-titled album which is … Continue reading
Back in May we shared this song from Pinto Bennett, from his album The Last Saturday Night and now he’s released this great, down-to-earth clip for it, featuring Eilen Jewell among the many guests. She sang on the album and her husband and bandmate Jason Beek produced it. Authentic, organic, humorous, old-school, dusty floor, honky … Continue reading
Last week we premiered ‘Lies’, the excellent new single and video clip (shot by Adalita) by Melbourne sister duo Charm Of Finches. Now, ahead of the release of their new album Your Company (produced by Nick Huggins – Jen Cloher/Bonnie “Prince” Billy/Laura Imbruglia) we’re very pleased to be able to preview the album in full … Continue reading
Cave Flowers nail that freewheeling’ guitar sound we love so much. Gritty country and grainy rock ‘n’ roll mixed and agitated into one rambling groove. Top vocal sound from Andy McAllister too. It all adds up to a glorious Rolling Stones meets Drive-By Truckers and Lucero sound. Originally from Seattle, McAllister released three albums with his … Continue reading
Tyler Childers Country Squire RCA/Sony Music Tyler Childers had a breakout last 12 months with his album Purgatory catching the ear of many a critic and country/folk music fan, winning Emerging Artist Of The Year at the Americana Awards and scoring opening slots with Americana heavyweights John Prine, Margo Price and Sturgill Simpson. That album … Continue reading
