Category Archives: Music

Teddy Thompson’s Never Be The Same

Well, it looks like Teddy Thompson is still sad, and that’s good news for those who love his sad songs. I should say “Teddy Thompson” is still sad, as in the persona; I can’t attest one way or the other … Continue reading

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Annick Odom’s Linen Of Words

When listening to “How Can I Keep From Singing,” the first song on Annick Odom’s Linen Of Words, you could be forgiven if you take the album as just another excellent example of traditional Appalachian folk ballads. That’s what this … Continue reading

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Sweet Megg’s Massive Negroni, The Milk Carton Kids’ Lost Cause Lover Fool, Foresta’s Esclat de Maig, and Tanasi’s Tanasi

Sweet Megg grew up as Megg Farrell in New York City, came up singing folk music in the bars and coffee houses of the East Village and Brooklyn, studied jazz singing in Paris, did a stint in Cirque du Soleil, … Continue reading

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Jim Lauderdale And The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys’ The Birds Know

Since the early 1990s Jim Lauderdale has been a fixture in Nashville, writing songs, performing, and making records — The Birds Know is his 39th album so far. A 2025 inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, he’s collaborated … Continue reading

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Whatever Happens Don’t Be Yourself’s Tales of No Consequence

Take a bit of Art Ensemble of Chicago, a pinch of Frank Zappa’s 1988 big touring band, and a dab of the Stanford Marching Band, give them some pop-adjacent tunes and turn them loose in the studio, and you’ll have … Continue reading

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Elina Duni & Rob Luft’s Reaching for the Moon

I’ve been a big fan of Elina Duni since her first ECM album Matanë Malit (Beyond the Mountain) in her long-standing quartet with Colin Vallon, Patrice Moret and Norbert Pfammatter — as well as its follow-up Dallëndyshe (The Swallow). I must admit … Continue reading

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Damani Baker and Alex Vlack’s Still Bill

Bill Withers. I haven’t heard that name in a while, although I have regularly heard the songs — “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Lean On Me,” “Grandma’s Hands,” and “Just the Two of Us.” They still are played on AM radio. Probably … Continue reading

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Emilio Solla & La Inestable de Brooklyn’s Handmade

If you’re hungry for some Latin jazz, you won’t find any better than the tango inflected big band sound of Handmade from the Grammy winning Emilio Solla & La Inestable de Brooklyn. Solla is a pianist and composer born in … Continue reading

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Fenya Rai!’s 10 anys de fenya!

The Catalán folk rockers Fenya Rai! bring the spirit of Pogues, Waterboys, Gogol Bordello and Dropkick Murphys to the music of the Barcelona region, with perhaps a bit more humor and self-deprecation than you’ll typically find in those groups. But … Continue reading

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Garrett Boys’ It Runs Deep

I was surprised, perhaps even shocked, to learn that It Runs Deep is the Garrett Boys’ debut album. This collection of deeply rooted and deeply personal songs is one of the best old time Americana records I’ve heard in some … Continue reading

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