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With a Swagger and A Wink

CHRIS LEIGH wouldn’t be the first hard-core country artist to attribute a burst of inspiration to a wrecked marriage but he may be the latest. His impressive, bare-knuckled debut, Broken Hearted Friends, tells the tale.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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A Stop at Willoughby

Fresh off another Grammy nomination, the Time Jumpers pulled into Manhattan's City Winery on February 12 for a show of traditional country tunes and great picking that explained why the group has few equals.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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Hard, Stomping and Merciless

Out of Seattle with a Chicago mindset and some southwestern sizzle, RJ Knapp & Honey Robin offer hard, stomping, merciless urban blues on Don't Blame the Dynamite..If You Can't Light the Fuse.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Elizabeth Cook’s Gospel Set

Summoning memories of 'good rocking country bands twanging for Jesus,' hard country devotee ELIZABETH COOK goes hard gospel on her Gospel Plow EP. You are hereby sanctified.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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Steeldrivers: Regrouped, Renewed, Revitalized

Regrouped, renewed and revitalized, THE STEELDRIVERS are back with with Hammer Down, a new album comparable in every way to the group's two previous Grammy nominated long players.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Ranchers 4 Peace Mark Trayvon Martin Anniversary, Ready 2nd EP

RANCHERS 4 PEACE, the father-daughter duo of Charles and Ray Duncan, marks the anniversary of the Trayvon Martin shooting and continues work on its new EP. Free download for Deep Roots readers.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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Company’s Comin’

Wagons leader Henry Wagons is back with a compelling solo EP, 'Expecting Company?' These short stories in musical form find Wagons edging into Jorge Luis Borges territory. What will he make of that?
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Bipartisan Consensus

Simple poetry and keen observations mark the elegant songs of Marty Atkinson and Katy Boyd, aka Blue Cactus Choir, whose first album, ...Once In a Bluegrass Moon is our new Album of the Week.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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Cleotha Staples, 78, Is Called Home

Remembering CLEOTHA STAPLES, Pops Staples' firstborn child and a vital element in the Staple Singers' success. Afflicted with Alzheimer's, Ms. Staples died in her Chicago home on Feb. 21.
by David McGee