Message Delivered

Chicago blues man DAVE SPECTER is back with his first album in four years, MESSAGE IN BLUE, and it's a keeper in the blues, soul and R&B categories all. Soul singer OTIS CLAY makes his Delmark label debut in spectacular fashion...
by David McGee
 

 
 

Joy To the World

Bluegrass Buddhist PETER ROWAN examines his personal spiritual journey on DHARMA BLUES and offers some insights we should all take to heart.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Singing Little, but Saying Oh So Much

In Newfoundlanders DUANE ANDREWS and CRAIG YOUNG the guitar duo is alive and well, even more so than the ivory-billed woodpecker, and their CHARLIE'S BOOGIE album is the undeniable proof.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Nobody Wins

Five years after his last batch of original songs saw the light of day, RADNEY FOSTER returns as strong as ever on EVERYTHING I SHOULD HAVE SAID. The moral of the story: Nobody wins.
by David McGee
 

 

 

‘Daddy G,’ In Full

GENE 'DADDY G' BARGE, saxophonist and vocalist par excellence, made his first record in 1955 and went on to accompany some of the greatest names in blues and soul. His new solo album, OLIO, demonstrates all his gifts in full.
by David McGee
 

 
 

The Glory of Love

A project some 10 years in the making, HANGTOWN DANCEHALL by ERIC BRACE and KARL STRAUB tells tales of the Gold Rush days of the late 1840s centered on two lovers who learned an enduring life lesson the hard way.
by David McGee
 

 

 

‘It’s Where Your Life Makes Sense’

On his new solo album, Soo, HABIB KOITE goes home to Mali and draws together all the strands of his life--music, friends, countrymen. 'It's where your life makes sense,' says Habib.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Circling Back

CARLENE CARTER's new album 'Carter Girl,' a tribute to the musical heritage of her fabled family, is a triumph, says contributing editor MICHAEL SIGMAN. 'I wanted listeners to feel like they're on a journey,' says Carlene.
by David McGee
 

 

 

‘Unprecedented, Powerful, Contagious’

Joyous, uplifting, even challenging in its own way, FBB by the SIBELIUS-AKATEMIAN FOLK BIG BAND takes the concept of David Bromberg's folk band a step further and delivers one of 2014's unexpected delights.
by David McGee
 

 
 

The Angels Listened In

It's been a long, hard climb back to the active list for JAMES ARMSTRONG following a 1996 home invasion that left him without the use of his left arm. But back he has come, all the way, with GUITAR ANGELS, a blues triumph throu...
by David McGee
 

 

 

Rhonda’s Revenge

Though she says it was inspired by George Jones, Rhonda Vincent's ONLY ME, a double-CD release containing one side of country and one of bluegrass, has n other message to send. Call it Rhonda's Revenge.
by David McGee
 

 
 

‘There Is a Great Desire in All Souls for What Is Good and Beautiful’

The BENEDICTINES OF MARY, QUEEN OF APOSTLES are back with another moving seasonal epistle to follow last year's chart busting Angels and Saints. LENT AT EPHESUS, the sisters' new album, is a true sacred masterpiece.
by David McGee