Monoswezi: Experimentation is The Order of The Day

Shanu quite simply means “Five” in the Shona language of Zimbabwe, home to MONOSWEZI's lead vocalist and mbira player HOPE MASIKE. This, their fifth album, is the most adventurous to date from the lineup representing four n...
by David McGee
 

 
 

The Hard Road to Compassion and Inclusion in an Alien World

JULES spotlights two important new books for young readers: SANCTUARY: KIP TIERNAN AND ROSIE'S PLACE, THE NATION'S FIRST SHELTER FOR WOMEN and Young Vo's GIBBERISH, in which a young boy navigates a new language in a new land.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Evoking Afternoons in 17th Century Hereford

Composer Matthew Locke was born 400 years ago this year, and to mark this occasion the British viol consort FRETWORK are marking the happy occasion with an album featuring seven of Locke's suites that have hitherto barely made ...
by David McGee
 

 
 

Helping Animals That Can’t Help Themselves

JULIE CASTLE, accidental employee turned CEO of Best Friends Animal Society, is spearheading a national movement to to persuade animal shelters to become no-kill by 2025. DUNCAN STRAUSS has the inside story.
by David McGee
 

 

 

To Dream Like an Angel

The year of our Lord 2021 has been awaiting its masterpiece of a Christmas album, and finally it has arrived in the form of La Chapelle de Quebec’s stunning The Road to Christmas.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Holiday Music Stocking Stuffers for 2021

A trio of delightful musical interludes for the holidays courtesy The TWANGTOWN PARAMOURS, NINETEEN HAND HORSE and TAYLOR RAE. We need a little Christmas, right this very minute.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Home is Where the Heart Is

On HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, vocalist JAN DALEY offers a little something for all tastes here, ranging from an opportunity to luxuriate in seasonal romance even as the program gently reminds listeners of why we’re here in the firs...
by David McGee
 

 
 

Where the Old Christmas Lives, and Breathes…

Timeless sacred and secular Christmas music, largely from the 16th and 17th centuries, by composers such as Michael Praetorius, impeccably performed on period instruments and with sensitive vocalizing by THE YORK WAITS. A lost ...
by David McGee
 

 

 

Spanning the Global Yuletide Season in Style

An a cappella seasonal classic, ARSYS BOURGOGNE's 2012 Yuletide offering features Yuletide favorites from across the globe, sacred and secular, sung in seven different languages, all beautifully capturing the spirit of Christma...
by David McGee
 

 
 

Making A Great Miracle, From Scraps and Memories

In a Deep Roots exclusive, JEREMIAH LOCKWOOD reveals the backstory of his captivating new solo guitar album, A GREAT MIRACLE, subtitled Jeremiah Lockwood’s Guitar Soli Chanukah Record.
by David McGee
 

 

 

The Deep Roots Yuletide Baedeker 2021

The one, the only, the Deep Roots Yuletide Baedeker for 2022 is hot off the presses. Your guide to everything vital to nourish the spirit during the holiday season--our Christmas best to you!
by David McGee
 

 
 

Christmas 1974: Santa (USPS) Brings the 1st Self-Adhesive Stamp

Those self-adhesive stamps we so love? Christmas 1974 brought the first of what were then considered experimental issues, featuring the Dove of Peace weathervane from George Washington's Mount Vernon home. Much trial-and-error ...
by David McGee