Shakura S’Aida- Hold on To Love review

Shakura S’Aida Hold On To Love Several months ago, I was pleased to serve as a JUNO Award judge for the third time. Among the many albums nominated within the Contemporary Roots Album of the Year category was Shakura S’Aida’s Hold on To Love, an independently released blues-infused album that didn’t get a lot of…

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Kathy Kallick & Friends- Dodi Kallick What Are They Doing in Heaven Today? review

Kathy Kallick & Friends- Dodi Kallick What Are They Doing in Heaven Today? Live Oak Records http://www.KathyKallick.com and https://kathykallick.bandcamp.com/album/what-are-they-doing-in-heaven-today Over the last fifty years, few bluegrass singers, songwriters, and performers have received less acknowledgement for their groundbreaking perseverance than has California’s Kathy Kallick. With all due respect and realizing she has received awards (a Grammy…

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Angela Easterling- Witness review

Angela Easterling Witness AngelaEasterling.com South Carolinian Angela Easterling, whom I wrote about here many years ago, returned in 2022 with a new album that grabbed me from first listen. So why didn’t I write about it when released in October? I just couldn’t find the right words, and quite likely still haven’t. Witness consists of…

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Fervor Coulee’s Favourite Roots Albums of 2022

I have no idea how many roots albums I bought, received for review, actually wrote about, listened to through a brief flirtation with a streaming service, and sampled via Polaris Music Prize jury membership, as well as other industry-provided downloads during 2022. But when I review other lists, I see a lot I am familiar…

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Fervor Coulee’s Favourite Blues Albums, 2022

I do enjoy blues music. Of all the roots styles I feature at Fervor Coulee, blues is the music I reach for when listening for enjoyment the least: I listen to it intently while reviewing and writing, but I just don’t often go to the shelves searching for blues music. That changed a bit this…

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Fervor Coulee’s Favourite Roots Compilations, Tributes, & Archival Albums of 2022

This is my annual ‘odds & sods’ category, those roots albums that are various artist tributes to artists or subjects, archival recordings, or compilations created to highlight a style of music or an artist’s catalogue. Bluegrass Favourites of 2022 previously posted, with Blues and the overall Roots lists to follow. As my #1 bluegrass album…

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Fervor Coulee’s Favourite Bluegrass Albums of 2022

It is that time of year. As the year concludes those of us who write about music get to reflect and indulge our personal preferences by reviewing the offerings of the past year and providing our perspectives on ‘the year’s best.’ I deliberately avoid the word ‘best,’ and always refer to these as my favourites.…

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Skinny Dyck- Palace Waiting review

Skinny Dyck Palace Waiting Sound Asleep Records While I have quite loved everything Skinny Dyck has done on previous releases, I also appreciate his continued evolution as a country artist. On his Get to Know Lonesome album, one filled with terrific, fairly straight-ahead country tunes, the darkly expressive “Dreamin’” was favoured. Before many of us…

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Billy Strings & Terry Barber, “Me/And/Dad” review

Billy Strings and Terry Barber Me/And/Dad Rounder It’s about the story. Billy Strings’ version of hillbilly rock ‘n’ roll has engulfed the Americana music community over the past several years. He has won a Grammy, as well as multiple International Bluegrass Music Association Awards including Entertainer of the Year twice, and an Americana Music Award…

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Spencer Mackenzie- Preach to My Soul review

Spencer Mackenzie Preach to My Soul SpencerMackenzie.ca Go for what you know. For youthful blues-guitarist Spencer Mackenzie, that appears to be rockin’ blues. During my formative, high school musical years listening to mainstream rock FM stations, I could hear Powder Blues, Downchild, and David Wilcox alongside a Rumours track, the next chart-climber from Pat Benatar,…

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