Three Troubadours of Different Flavours- reviews

Andy Peake- Mood Swings Ric Robertson Carolina Child Brandon Isaak Modern Primitive The new, independent roots releases have come at me too quickly this past spring and summer, not that I am complaining. But life circumstances and the impact of a government hell-bent on destroying my home province has prevented me from concentrating on writing…

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Nobody’s Girl- Nobody’s Girl review

Nobody’s Girl Nobody’s Girl Lucky Hound Music WeAreNobodysGirl.com “That high school looked like prison,Glazed eyes just trying to fit in;Slow dancin’ and sloppy kissin’You did your time.You didn’t know what you were missin’all second-hand ambition‘til you went driftin’down the double yellow line.” From the opening rhymes—a fine and concise summation of late adolescence—Nobody’s Girl informs…

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Wilson Banjo Co.- Six Degrees of Separation review

Wilson Banjo Co. Six Degrees of Separation Pinecastle An odd recording, this. And I use the word ‘odd’ deliberately and without negative judgement. Six Degrees of Separation is odd because, well—we just don’t get that many bluegrass albums built around one man’s banjo creations. Steve Wilson is a recognized master at building the 5-string banjo,…

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Merle Monroe- Songs of a Simple Life review

Merle Monroe- Songs of a Simple Life Pinecastle Sometimes writing about acoustic music is the simplest thing in the world: all I need is an album that enhances the traditions of the past thirty or fifty years while embracing a fresh, contemporary aural approach. Perfect examples of this would be any Dale Ann Bradley recording,…

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Grover Anderson & The Lampoliers- All the Lies That I Have Told review

Grover Anderson & the Lampoliers All the Lies That I Have Told groveranderson.com Some albums are made to be played loud. Frampton Comes Alive. Check. Motörhead, Ace of Spades. Duh! Beauty and the Beat. All day long. Grover Anderson & the Lampoliers All the Lies That I Have Told—surprisingly, yes. I say ‘surprisingly’ because… I’ve…

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Craig Cummings- The Gulf Between Us review

Craig Cummings The Gulf Between Us CraigCummingsMusic.com AzaleaCityRecordings Listening to The Gulf Between Us, Washington, D.C.-area Craig Cummings’ fifth album (and first to reach my ears) was a surprise. Based on the cover art and liner picture, I was expecting…well, I’m not sure—someone a bit grizzled? A gnarly, whiskey-soaked voice? Songs about dust and horses?…

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Clint Morgan- Troublemaker review

Clint Morgan Troublemaker ClintMorganMusic.com Lost Cause Records.com Just over five years ago, I was honoured to write about Clint Morgan’s Scofflaw album, a spellbinding collection of songs about those who lived on the shadier side of the law. It was a comprehensive review of villains, and he examined their influences and used their words to…

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Josie Bello- Have Purpose Live Long review

Josie Bello Have Purpose Live Long JosieBello.com Troubadours come and go, drifting into town and—after a couple or three gigs—quietly moving on to the next stool or stage. Some we hear from again, and others remain a dim if warm memory of an evening well-spent. Josie Bello is from New York and resides (I’ve learned)…

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Mary Hott with The Carpenter Ants- Devil In The Hills: Coal Country Reckoning

Mary Hott with the Carpenter Ants Devil In The Hills: Coal Country Reckoning MaryHott.com A song-cycle about the injustices and industry of the West Virginia coal mining country, Mary Hott’s Devil in the Hills: Coal Country Reckoning satisfies as a chronicle of the past, a testament to the fortitude of those who came before, and…

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Julia Kasdorf- Motel review

Julia Kasdorf Motel JuliaKasdorfMusic.com The independent, roots music business is a tough one. It can be pure and innocent, bound by good times, family, and friends. It can be tawdry, exploitive, and unfaithful. Sort of like motels. Motels are the thing of childhood memories—a respite (“It has a pool!”) after a day of driving through…

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