amos garrett jazzblues

Engaging the Heart

Ace guitarist AMOS GARRETT gathers his Jazz Trio together for a scintillating outing on JazzBlues in which he channels his inner Maurice Chevalier.
by David McGee
 

 
 
bill kirchen seeds

Love or Chicken, It’s Tasty

You might say stellar guitarist-singer-songwriter BILL KIRCHEN lights it up on his new album, Seeds and Steams. Or you might also say SEEDS AND STEMS Bill Kirchen Proper Records “Get outta my way you small town clowns/th...
by David McGee
 

 

 
earl poole ball pianography

Then and Now, Now and Then

Something old, something new, something borrowed and a whole lotta blues, boogie and country recommend the autobiographical PIANOGRAPHY from the master of the honky tonk 88s, EARL POOLE BALL.
by David McGee
 

 
 
too slim blue heart

Angels and Demons

Angels and Demons: TOO SLIM AND THE TAILDRAGGERS are back with vengeance on BLUE HEART. Nothing much is at stake her, other than Slim's soul.
by David McGee
 

 

 
brace cooper comeback

Godfather II, Eric Brace & Peter Cooper & Me

ERIC BRACE & PETER COOPER have come up with a rootsy gem on their third duo effort, THE COMEBACK ALBUM. Stellar in all respects, it's one of 2013's finest long players.
by David McGee
 

 
 
james montgomery detroit

Blues As Biography

It's blues as biography on the JAMES MONTGOMERY BAND's new album, FROM DETROIT...TO THE DELTA, with guests JAMES COTTON, JOHNNY WINTER and others.
by David McGee
 

 

 
frank solivan edge

Really? ‘The Letter’?

FRANK SOLIVAN & DIRTY KITCHEN reassert themselves as one of bluegrass's finest young bands with their new Compass album, ON THE EDGE
by David McGee
 

 
 
mike zito gone 260x152 13746167761

Hope, Redemption and a Sky Big as God

Having conquered his demons, MIKE ZITO explains how it all happened and what brought him back from the abyss on his powerful new album, GONE TO TEXAS
by David McGee
 

 

 
howlin brothers spotlight 880x385 1374615669

Old-Time Good-Timey, with Hints of Grandeur

Nashville's THE HOWLIN BROTHERS are poised for greater things, if the trio's new Brendan Benson-produced album, HOWL, is any indication. John Hartford, for one, is smiling.
by David McGee
 

 
 
mike scott home

Musical Echoes of Days Long Past

Musical echoes of days long past abound in THE BEAUTIFUL OLD and MIKE SCOTT & FRIENDS' HOME SWEET HOME: CIVIL WAR ERA SONGS. Plus: a James Cagney VIDEO MOMENT OF THE WEEK.
by David McGee
 

 

 
murph red river featured 260x152 1372389886

Of Secret Smiles and Unfinished Symphonies

RED RIVER DRIFTER may be MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHEY'S best yet. He's singing love songs again, but love songs of a different stripe, examining the emotion in all its complexity.
by David McGee
 

 
 
sarah alden fists

Chaotic, Angelic & Many Other Fine Things

A review of Sarah Alden's debut album, FISTS OF VIOLETS.
by David McGee