STAFF PICKS•Adeem the Artist - White Trash Revelry
Adeem the Artist's truth-telling is an antidote not only to country radio but also to our political discourse writ large.
ALBUM REVIEW•David Crosby & The Lighthouse Band - Live at the Capitol Theatre
All quite lovely, charming and sedate, although at times the adjective snoozy rears its head...
ALBUM REVIEW•George Strait - Ocean Front Property
Heartbreakers, heartmakers, songs to dance to, songs to sing to, to just enjoy - 35 years on, Ocean Front Property remains one of George Strait's most beloved records.
ALBUM REVIEW•Willie Nelson - Live at Budokan
On Live at Budokan, messy performances from Willie Nelson’s band mar a historic document of Nelson’s first trip to Japan.
ALBUM REVIEW•Caitlin Rose - CAZIMI
CAZIMI finds Rose exploring new sounds, but sticking to the same topics that garnered her those rising star epithets years ago.
ALBUM REVIEW•Billy Strings - Me/and/Dad
This is a feisty, frisky and fresh collection that finds father and son in superb spirits.
ALBUM REVIEW•Willi Carlisle - Peculiar, Missouri
With his sophomore effort Peculiar, Missouri, Willi Carlisle secures his place as one of today’s most captivating storytellers.
ALBUM REVIEW•Ernest - Flower Shops
Beneath the misty haze of the bars, pills and heartbreak that Flower Shops documents, Ernest is still the same old starry-eyed romantic he's always been.
ALBUM REVIEW•Various Artists - Live Forever: A Tribute to Billy Joe Shaver
On the aptly-titled Live Forever, outlaw country godfather Billy Joe Shaver gets a loving tribute.
ALBUM REVIEW•Larkin Poe - Blood Harmony
Rather than breaking new ground, Blood Harmony finds Larkin Poe reasserting a claim to their Southern rock root, but the album's quieter moments hint at a possible new, even more compelling, frontier.
ALBUM REVIEW•Bruce Springsteen - Only the Strong Survive
Though it's a surprising side road in his prolific career, Springsteen is clearly passionate about this soul material - and if it encourages fans to track down the iconic versions of songs that got his young blood bubbling, he will have done his job.
STAFF PICKS•Melissa Carper - Ramblin' Soul
Retro and relevant, sassy and seductive, Ramblin' Soul gives Melissa Carper solid standing as an essential artist.
ALBUM REVIEW•Russell Dickerson - Russell Dickerson
RD carries such an affable, likable and high-energy persona that you find yourself desperately wanting to love every song on this project. Unfortunately, the brightest sparks are fleeting.
ALBUM REVIEW•Emily Nenni - On the Ranch
With each track standing on its own merits, On the Ranch is as classic as they come.
ALBUM REVIEW•Madeline Edwards - Crashlanded
A solid debut of dreamy western, documenting the story of Madeline Edwards' personal manifesto
ALBUM REVIEW•Honey Harper - Honey Harper & The Infinite Sky
A grand, ambitious album that delivers on its lofty aspirations of being an artsy take on Americana.
ALBUM REVIEW•Lainey Wilson - Bell Bottom Country
An overall proud and wise re-assertion of what Lainey Wilson does best - country with flair.
ALBUM REVIEW•Trampled By Turtles - Alpenglow
With their new album, the nu-grass pioneers offer an evocative look at life’s uncertainties.
STAFF PICKS•Gabe Lee - The Hometown Kid
Gabe might have found himself in Honky Tonk Hell, but for the listener, he’s been generous enough to find a way to transcend the depths and make it heaven.
ALBUM REVIEW•Taylor Swift - Midnights
On Midnights, it’s clear that Swift may have been tested but she isn’t trapped; accepting that, in some games, there doesn’t always have to be a winner.
ALBUM REVIEW•Alex Williams - Waging Peace
Smartly arranged, intricate and inventive - Waging Peace is an impressive follow up from Alex Williams.
ALBUM REVIEW•Callista Clark - Real to Me: The Way I Feel
For teen sensation Callista Clark, the only way is up.
STAFF PICKS•Miko Marks - Feel Like Going Home
After years of trying to live up to the industry’s limited idea of what her music should sound like, Miko Marks is expanding to her full, kaleidoscopic range - more sharp-sighted and grounded in her truth than she’s ever been before.
ALBUM REVIEW•Plains - I Walked With You a Ways
I Walked with You a Ways counts among the year’s most affecting and life-affirming records; a timeless piece about life, love and loss.