Category Archives: Music

Angel Olsen’s Burn Your Fire For No Witness

“I feel so lonesome I could cry,” Angel Olsen sings in the first line of “Hi-Five,” the first single off her new album Burn Your Fire For No Witness. It is an apparent reference to Hank Williams, although she warbles … Continue reading

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Johnny Cash’s Out Among The Stars

In spite of being a fan since the 1960s, I only saw Johnny Cash one time, and it was during what many consider his lost decade, the 1980s. It was the first time I’d had a press pass to a … Continue reading

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Cahalen Morrison & Eli West’s I’ll Swing My Hammer With Both My Hands

Acoustic Americana just doesn’t get much better than Cahalen Morrison & Eli West’s I’ll Swing My Hammer With Both My Hands. This is the second release by this duo who have quickly become very popular on the theater and festival … Continue reading

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June Tabor, Iain Ballamy & Huw Warren’s Quercus

In a world filled with young divas and wannabes whose role models are the imitators of Whitney Houston’s double-barreled melisma and the manufactured pop and hip-hop princesses who can’t sing without auto-tune, it’s good to know that there are still … Continue reading

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Liz Carroll’s On the Off Beat

I’m certain that if you’re reading this review you don’t need to be told all about Liz Carroll, but she’s so amazing I aim to tell you, anyway. She has been receiving awards and honors for her Irish-style fiddling since … Continue reading

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Sound bites: Fiddles, folksongs and a little jazz

The CDs awaiting review are piling up on all my indoor horizontal surfaces, the way the snow was drifting outside the door a short while ago. There’s only one thing to do with drifting snow or gathering CDs – clear … Continue reading

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Eric Brace & Karl Straub’s Hangtown Dancehall

Nashville’s Eric Brace has teamed up with fellow singer-songwriter Karl Straub to write a “folk opera” based on the story behind “Sweet Betsy From Pike,” one of the most durable folk songs to come out of the California Gold Rush. … Continue reading

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Ensemble Denada’s Windfall

Ensemble Denada is the creation of Norwegian composer and trombonist Helge Sunde. It’s a 15-piece orchestra whose music falls under the rubric of jazz, in much the same way that Frank Zappa’s music was considered rock — an arbitrary category … Continue reading

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John Coltrane’s Afro Blue Impressions

This two-CD set marks the 50th anniversary of the dates on which this live disc was recorded, and the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Pablo Records label on which it was eventually released. The recording captures John Coltrane’s … Continue reading

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Katayoun Goudarzi and Shujaat Husain Khan: Spring

It’s winter here in the Northern Hemisphere, but one of the most beautiful musical releases of the past few months is called Spring. It’s a collaboration between an Indian sitar master and a Persian-American singer that sets to music the … Continue reading

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