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Fashioning a More Thoughtful World

Scottish classical guitarist SEAN SHIBE, playing with lovely clarity and thoughtfulness, adds his own innate sense of the elegant to a trio of BACH lute compositions he has seamlessly transposed to his own instrument.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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And Magic Slim Says ‘Well Done’

JOHN PRIMER is on fire in paying tribute to hid former boss, Magic Slim, with the surviving Teardrops and Slim's son, SHAWN HOLT, on the blues giant's latest outing.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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Thanks All Around

For some 30 years Lou Pallo was the steady rhythm guitarist supporting Les Paul's incandescent leads in the Les Paul Trio. Now Pallo pays tribute to his boss with an all-star tribute featuring the likes of Keith Richards, Slash...
by David McGee
 

 
 
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AJ Being AJ

For more than a decade ALAN JACKSON has been musing about making a bluegrass album. Well, he finally did it, and produced a certified AJ classic in THE BLUEGRASS ALBUM.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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Time, Time, Time, See What’s Become of Me

What's better than one new DONNA HUGHES album? Answer: two new DONNA HUGHES albums. The gifted bluegrass singer-songwriter is back with FROM THE HEART and FLY. We appraise, and praise.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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You Can Go Home Again

MARK O'CONNOR. predictably unpredictable, returns as a member of a splendid roots band featuring his wife MAGGIE, his son FORREST and his son's fiancee, KATE LEE. It's a loving family affair.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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If It Weren’t for Good Luck…

On this, his 18th long player, Chris Smither emphasizes—then re-emphasizes--the irony of the collection’s title while taking interesting detours into vintage classics.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Exception To The Rule

Something's different about CARY MORIN as we hear him on his fine new album, DOCKSIDE SAINTS: It feels like he's pulling away from the pack.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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Time to Settle the Old Account

SYLVIA TYSON closes a legendary career with her finest solo effort, AT THE END OF THE DAY.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Alive, Authentic and Profoundly Human

This week's ALBUM OF THE WEEK is 'Brothers in Bamako,' a ttansAtlantic union of souls between modern day griots Habib Koité, of Mali, and the veteran New York City-born folksinger Eric Bibb. Their song is 'alive, authentic and...
by David McGee
 

 

 
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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
 

 
 
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The Eternal Ache in Full, Glorious Flower

The timelessness of CARTER FAMILY songs is underscored in DON'T FORGET ME LITTLE DARLING, an homage by ANTIQUE PERSUASION, a trio of roots veterans that has made one of 2015's finest albums.
by David McGee