MUSIC REVIEWS

You’d be forgiven for reading Tennessee Backwater’s biographical materials and assuming they are dyed in the wool modern retro country juked with added hop. The elasticity of “In God We Trust” is a pleasant surprise in the face of such assumptions. Backwater utilizes a three-headed vocalist approach, unusual but potent, …

Debuting with such a thoroughly realized effort like Into the West sets a daunting bar to clear for the future. Arizona-born seventeen-year-old Birdie Nichols’ first collection is a tightly focused nine song collection showing satisfying diversity rather than relying on formula. A surprising amount of relatively ingenious wordplay powers many of the …

The Grascals are as lively as ever. Their new release 20 marks the two-decade point in the band’s history, but it never feels or sounds like a summation. Instead, 20’s thirteen songs sound like the band is clearing the decks for the future. All bluegrass fans should welcome this. Over twenty years, …

Rock Hearts’ Unfinished Bridges is easily one of the best bluegrass releases I’ve recently heard. The New England-based outfit has a predilection for taking non-bluegrass songs that invariably lend themselves to that style and making them over as bluegrass tracks. The thirteen cuts included on Unfinished Bridges show that they possess an excellent instinct …

I’m familiar with the Dallas String Quartet’s often dazzling ability to mingle original musical compositions with a vigorous reimagining of well-known pop classics. Their stunning re-invention of The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” from the Quartet’s first release is a perfect example. However, I believe the unit’s new release, ROMANI: The Untold Story, …

Blonde & Grey, the dynamic duo of Kathy Olsen and Neil Friend, are back with their latest offering, Drifting Through The Universe—a masterful blend of nostalgia and modernity that promises to captivate both seasoned music lovers and new listeners alike. Set to release singles starting this September, the album’s first …

Lorrie Morgan hasn’t let the passage of time dampen her talents or drive to record music. Her new collection Dead Girl Walking has the same vibrancy and musicality that has characterized Morgan’s work throughout her recording history. The same inspiration present in her 1992 classic Something in Red, a decade-defining effort that still lingers in the …

When passion, discipline, and talent collide, the effect is combustible. Few releases in recent memory demonstrate that better than Rob Alexander’s mammoth 2023 pop masterpiece Young Man’s Eyes. Anyone who has followed Alexander’s journey up to this point knows that he’s been building to this moment. His preceding releases are noteworthy …

We tell ourselves stories in order to live, and ViennaCC, Austrian producer and self-styled musical alchemist, tells us a familiar one. The story of escape, of the weekend, of shedding the workweek like a snake’s skin and emerging into two days of freedom. “Weekend Mood” is the soundtrack to this …

Rebirth is the third album released by Chilean-born singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist K-Bust, the performing name for Karla Bustamante. Her ten tracks for the new song cycle are firmly ensconced in the synth/electro-pop genres and hard-hitting. You won’t hear any wasted motion. They are compact and focused compositions that delve into matters …