Dale Watson Announces New Album, Pays Tribute to Willie and Waylon
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You can be assured that Dale Watson’s new album called “Unwanted” will be twangy, hard-charging, and true to itself when it’s released on April 24th via Forty Below Records. The twelve tracks all self-produced and written by Dale.
New 50th Anniversary Edition of “Country Music USA” Book Asserts Country Music “Has No Center”
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This is all especially concerning since Country Music USA is the basis of the new Ken Burns film on country music, which will reach a much wider audience than this final chapter, and like all Ken Burns films, be referenced by many generations to come as a master work of country music history.
Willie Nelson Plans to Tribute Old Blue Eyes on Next Record
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Willie Nelson calls Frank Sinatra a “close friend,” and the two played shows together in Las Vegas, and even once recorded a PSA for NASA together. “I learned a lot about phrasing listening to Frank,” Willie says. “He didn’t worry about behind the beat or in front of the beat, or whatever – he could sing it either way…”
Cody Jinks Speaks to Everyday Struggles in New Song “Lifers”
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If you’re looking for reasons why Cody Jinks has accrued such a rabid, dedicated, and wide fan base—including the many who refer to themselves as “Flockers”—it’s because he writes and records songs that feel like they were composed exclusively for them, ripped right out of their personal narratives, with people & characters that feel like family.
Frank Newsome’s “Gone Away With A Friend” (A Review)
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The simplest way to describe Frank Newsome’s Gone Away with a Friend is to imagine Ralph Stanley’s rendition of “O Death,” amplified by two, and multiplied by twelve. On the surface, this may seem like a listening experience that would ultimately become tedious, but the exact opposite is true.
How Are Performers Elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame?
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Being elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame is the highest honor any country music performer, musician, songwriter, or professional in the country music industry can receive. Unlike other Hall of Fame institutions, the Country Music Hall of Fame is one of the most exclusive, most selective, and also one of the most secretive […]
Vintage Album Review – Lucinda Williams’ “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road”
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Perfection is certainly not at the heart of the appeal or staying power for Car Wheel on a Gravel Road. Instead it’s the sloppy, sticky, loose feel of it all, carried upon the words of Lucinda’s candid and real character recitations that make the record feel like the ultimate insight into the disheveled mind of the broken hearted.
Maren Morris Is Not The Leader the Media Loves to Portray
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It remains stupefying why pop star Maren Morris continues to be portrayed as a leader, feminist, and groundbreaker, etc. in country music by fawning media members who’ve been rendered starry-eyed simply because they’re find guilty pleasure in some of her tunes.
Austin Lucas Announces New Album “Immortal Americans”
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Co-produced by Lucas and Will Johnson of Centro-matic, and engineered and recorded by Steve Albini, it captures Austin returning to his hometown of Bloomington, Indiana, both spiritually and physically after years hacking away at the business in Nashville and elsewhere.
Massive Start for Garth Brooks’ “All Day Long” Is Another Sign of Honky Tonk Resurgence
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Are you tired of reading about Garth Brooks? Well tough, because all of a sudden he’s making major moves that could have a big impact on country music, and in a positive manner. Garth’s most country-sounding song in 2 decades was the most added song on country radio in the last 3 years.
Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt Trio to Receive Distinction in Hollywood
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Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt have all received individual distinctions aplenty over the years, with both Dolly and Emmylou being members of the Country Music Hall of Fame, and Ronstadt a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But now all three of these important and iconic country music women will be honored together.
Whitey Morgan to Play The Mother Church of Country Music
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Joining artists such as Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, Margo Price, and Cody Jinks, now Michigan native, California convert, and hard-charging traditional country artist Whitey Morgan and his backing band The 78’s have been bestowed the opportunity to play the Mother Church this summer.
Album Review – Paul Cauthen’s “Have Mercy EP”
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Like some time-shifting hybrid between a hillbilly preacher and the human vessel for a Johnny Cash voodoo seance, Paul Cauthen and his barrel-chested voice come bounding out of a reality warp with seven new songs packaged together in an EP titled ‘Have Mercy.’