CD Reviews on projects by Country Artists
Sean McConnell’s 15th album, “Skin,” showcases his skills as a songwriter and collaborator. Co-produced with a talented team, the album explores deep themes such as sobriety, faith, and personal growth. Each track offers listeners open-ended reflections, highlighting the expansive journey of self-discovery beneath the skin.
Lucero’s latest release, “Unplugged: Liberty & Lament,” features acoustic renditions of 20 songs by frontman Ben Nichols and pianist Rick Steff. The double LP showcases a mix of popular and obscure tracks, highlighting Steff’s captivating piano work alongside Nichols’ emotive vocals. While the uniformity may feel repetitive, several standout pieces capture the band’s essence.
Ron Houston Real Outlaw Americana Music Self released Ron Houston is a singer-songwriter based in San Diego but originally hailing from the Bakersfield area. The title, Real Outlaw Americana Music, may seem a bit hyperbolic but Houston has the goods, and then some. Like most outlaws, he has that baritone, weathered voice and comes across […]
The Doohickeys, a country music duo comprised of Haley Spence Brown and Jack Hackett, blend personal backgrounds and humor in their debut album produced by Eric Corne. Their songs have gained significant online popularity, winning competitions and showcasing their talent through live performances at notable venues, reinforcing their unique country sound.
Joe Ely, a pioneer of the progressive country scene from Austin, Texas, releases his 17th solo album, Driven to Drive. This acoustic-centered collection features Ely’s strong vocals and storytelling, supported by musicians like Joel Guzman and Bruce Springsteen. The album revisits themes of wanderlust and motorized travel, blending genres from blues to rock.
Grant Langston aLAbama Self-released The Stetson atop Grant Langston’s head on the cover photo, along with the not-so-subtle title screams country music, but there’s a lot more here than those suggest. This veteran, heretofore uncovered by this writer, is no newcomer. This is his tenth album, a mix of contemporary themes and pure honky-tonk, presaging […]
Cris Jacobs One of These Days Soundly Music From 2001 until a final Thanksgiving bash ten years later, the highly gifted singer, songwriter, and guitarist Cris Jacobs led Baltimore’s The Bridge, a sextet that linked rock, blues, funk, folk, and bluegrass in unique, jam-inspired style. The band generated enough critical acclaim and wide appeal to […]
Cary Morin Innocent Allies Self-released Fingerstyle guitarist and singer-songwriter Cary Morin has long been identified with Colorado but on Innocent Allies, we learn (if not knowing before) that he was born and raised in Billings, Montana by native American father and mother from two different tribes. Although we’ve heard his Native American references on previous […]
Ned Hill Band Thousand Watt Town Self-released Troubadour Ned Hill delivers a country-tinged rock n’ roll record with a touch of his native Kentucky twang. Even the opening chords of “Gotta Get Out of This Town” will evoke Steve Earle’s Guitar Town or Copperhead Road. On Hill’s Thousand Watt Town the singer-songwriter collaborates with the […]
Maia Sharp Reckless Thoughts Self-released Maia Sharp has been writing songs for 25 years, some for her own albums and others for artists such as Bonnie Raitt, The Chicks, Lisa Loeb, Trisha Yearwood, Art Garfunkel, Cher, Edwin McCain, Terri Clark, and many more in her genre agnostic – hard-to-pin-down approach which she has carried into […]
The Contenders The Contenders Southern Moon Sometimes an album, even one that’s been out of print for some time, just refuses to die. Such is the case for The Contenders, an immensely talented group of Carolinian singer-songwriters with eclectic tastes that merged in the late’70s in Nashville. The scene was ripe and burgeoning at the […]
Son Volt Day of the Doug Transmit Sound/Thirty Tigers Day of the Doug is the Son Volt album that doesn’t sound like a Son Volt album until we reach the last two tracks. Surely, it’s a tribute to the Tex-Mex stylings of Doug Sahm but that’s not the point. The lonely, weary, burnished voice of […]
Tremoloco Curandera Volume 1 Slo Poke Bandleader Tony Zamora has put together and infectious concoction of what he describes as Gulf Coast, Country, and Mexican music on Curandera Volume 1, and album recorded in two different studios involving seven engineers, and a collective of seventeen musicians who augment the core trio of multi-instrumentalist and lead […]
The Infamous Stringdusters A Tribute to Flatt & Scruggs Americana Vibez Records Here they go again, those Infamous (and incredible) Stringdusters, demonstrating that to rock as creatively and successfully as they do in the progressive bluegrass realm, frequent trips back to the music’s Appalachian sources to really know the stuff, are an obligation. Besides enormous […]
David Haerle El Camino Sierra Edendale Los Angeles singer/songwriter/guitarist and indie-label owner David Haerle releases his third album, El Camino Sierra, his follow-up to 2020’s Death Valley. Like that album, the themes are rooted in California geography and personal experience. While this writer described his previous effort as “an uneven set of songs, some of […]
Jaimee Harris Boomerang Town Folk N’ Roll/Thirty Tigers On just her second album Jaimee Harris has proven to be an impressive singer-songwriter, creating vivid character sketches, a myriad of emotions, and an honest way of expressing her own personal feelings through her narratives. She echoes Springsteen and Gretchen Peters to name just two. Those alone […]
Buddy Mondlock Filament Self-released Buddy Mondlock is one of the better, albeit lesser known Nashville-based singer songwriters. After all, any songwriter who co-writes with Guy Clark is in a lofty category, just be virtue of that. Yet, there’s much more here on Mondlock’s latest, Filament, than just “The Dark,” the co-write with Clark. The album […]
The Shootouts Stampede Soundly Music The Shootouts never expected to engage in this level of glittering hoedown showdown, and certainly not so quickly following the success of their 2021 Top 10 Americana album, Bullseye. But they could not get out of the way of this Stampede, certainly not with Ray Benson driving it. The renowned […]
The Gibson Brothers Darkest Hour Bull Run / Rainmaker Music The Gibson Brothers began recording their 15th album just as everything hit the fan. But from that Darkest Hour came the purest expression of what makes The Gibson Brothers the multiple award-winning bluegrass vocal duo and band leaders that they are. As produced by the […]
Kris Kristofferson Live at Gilley’s – Pasadena, TX: September 1981 New West Where have 41 years gone? Kris Kristofferson’s Live at Gilley’s – Pasadena, TX: September 1981 is here to remind us of how great his songs were. Heck, most of us probably still know the lyrics and can sing along. For those of you […]
Massy Ferguson Joe’s Meat & Grocery North & Left Joe’s Meat & Grocery is the sixth album for the Seattle-based alt-country rockers Massy Ferguson (MF), known for their jangling, no-holds barred guitar driven attack and their invigorated fusing of country-rock and amped-up Americana. You would expect a heavy, driving sound. After all, they take their […]
Emily Glazener Finding Irene Today I have the great pleasure to write about Emily Glazener’s brand new album. Emily, based in Houston Texas has been making music since she was a teenager, playing in cover bands and performing solo acoustic shows. She is also the frontwoman of the very successful band Red Iris as well […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with the Legendary Country Singer Songwriter Jimmy Payne Born in Arkansas, raised in Missouri, Jimmy Payne is a Nashville singer-songwriter who has performed both at home and abroad at venues ranging from the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, to the Wembley Festival in England. His International success […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey’s Interview with Jaime Kyle Before Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert, there was Jaime Kyle. Jaime was the first female rock artist to be signed to a major record deal out of Nashville. Her albums “The Passionate Kind” (Atco/Atlantic), “Back from Hollywood” (Now and Then, England) and “The […]
Hayes Carll You Get It All DualTone Hayes Carll has built his career mostly on singer-songwriter roots-rock records but he claims that You Get It All is a country singer-songwriter record. He turns to his wife, Allison Moorer, and her favorite producer, guitar great Kenny Greenberg as co-producers of this, his eighth album. The many […]
Rodeo FM All the things you asked for Rodeo FM is Pat – lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Masataka – bass, Dominik – drums and backing vocals, Desmond – guitars and backing vocals, Gigi (guitar & banjo) Rodeo FM is a band based in Berlin, Germany, making music for 15 years. They have really played everywhere, at weddings and funerals, […]
Kris Gruen Welcome Farewell Mother West When we use the term country & western, we do not often think of a place like Vermont. That’s not to say Kris Gruen’s Welcome Farewell falls into the country & western camp but the predominant presence of the pedal steel guitar and rootsy accompaniment deliver a similar refreshing, […]
Seth James Different Hat Tiny Ass Seth James has all the trappings of a West Texas cowboy and looks the part attired in his white Stetson. He is a life-long working rancher. Somehow, though James picked up the same kind of roadhouse blues bug as that mostly retired singer from Ft. Worth, Delbert McClinton. Yes, […]
Son Volt Electro Melodier Transmit Sound/Thirty Tigers Electro Melodier is alt country pioneering Son Volt’s tenth studio album, a year after marking, sadly without touring, the 25th anniversary of their groundbreaking 1995 debut, Trace. Son Volt has always been defined by front man Jay Farrar’s weary, soulful, and inexplicably comforting voice as well his songwriting. […]
Shannon McNally The Waylon Sessions Compass Records Shannon McNally and Compass Records released her newest album, The Waylon Sessions, on May 28, 2021. Having always been intrigued by the man, Shannon’s interpretations add a great deal of feminine mystique to the songs. Hell, these songs have always been universal, it’s nice to hear a woman’s […]
The Pink Stones …Introducing. Normaltown/New West There’s a tendency to use the term ‘country’ albeit sparingly with the more famous Athens, GA-based bands, The Drive-by Truckers (DBTs), and to some extent Bloodkin, yet The Pink Stones are by far the most country of the three. They fall into the camp of Cosmic American Music, whose […]
Jason Ringenberg Rhinestoned Courageous Chicken Jason Ringenberg releases his new album Rhinestoned March 5, 2021 on his Courageous Chicken label. A legendary alt-country pioneer, Ringenberg will have you Rhinestoned and boot-scootin’ to the best cow-punk this side of Nashville. Pandemic be damned, you’ll want to socially distance yourselves across the dance floor emulating Jason’s energetic […]
Dan Penn Living On Mercy The Last Music Co. The seventy-eight-year-old Dan Penn was born Wallace Daniel Pennington in Vernon, Alabama. Penn found work at the Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals. He first recorded in 1960, and that same year wrote his first hit for Conway Twitty. He is among our most soulful songwriters. His […]
Market Junction Burning Bridges Self-released Houston, Texas-based Market Junction grabs the listener right from the outset with lyrics to the opening “When Your Heart Begins to Break.” Try this line – “Love is not an anchor that steadies you at sea. It’s more like a shipwreck on a godforsaken beach.” As the album unfolds, it’s […]
Bill Kirchen The Proper Years The Last Music Co. Connecticut born Bill Kirchen attended high school in Ann Arbor. Later as a student at the University of Michigan he was a member of a country band with George Frayne and John Tichy. In 1967 they became the nucleus and co-founders of Commander Cody and the […]
Jaime Wyatt Neon Cross New West Jaime Wyatt may not be as outspoken or as strong a media magnet as her ‘sister’ Megan Rapinoe but she’s starting to get a similar buzz in the country and Americana music circles. Hailed by one publication as “the queer queen of country” Wyatt’s music threatens to take a […]
Chris Moyse Bitter Ballads & Cynical Prayers Self-released Bitter Ballads & Cynical Prayers is the debut from Nashville-based singer-songwriter Chris Moyse. Before you quickly dismiss this out of hand because you’re not inclined to listen to a depressing singer-songwriter in this period of self-quarantine, go ahead and proceed because, despite the tone of title, there […]
Chicago Farmer Flyover Country Cody Diekhoff is a songwriter-singer. People know him as “Chicago Farmer” and his sixth studio album, Flyover Country, released February 7th 2020. A country boy from Illinois, these songs speak to and sometimes for the working class. Diekhoff teamed up with the hot Texas, Band Of Heathens, as his backing band […]
Eric Brace & Last Train Home Daytime Highs & Overnight Lows Red Beet Records Eric Brace & Last Train Home release their eleventh collaboration Daytime Highs & Overnight Lows on Red Beet Records. These are traveling songs, perhaps traveling through time as they evoke a feeling from another era while being new at the same […]
Warren Storm Taking The World By Storm APO Records Warren Storm was born Warren Schexnider in Abbeville, La. in 1937; not far from Lafayette. Storm learned to play both drums and guitar from his father, a Cajun musician. He befriended fellow Abbeville native Bobby Charles and they would visit New Orleans to listen and learn. […]
Making a Scene Presents Jim Hynes’ Picks for Top 20 Roots Releases for 2019! These are in no particular order.. Click on the Release image to purchase on Amazon – Use the artist name to go to the Review of the Release Benny Turner and Cash McCall Going Back Home Jason Ringenberg Stand Tall Adam […]
Staci Griesbach My Patsy Cline Songbook Independent Staci Griesbach was a former Vice President of Publicity at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. After returning from vacation she found herself downsized. She decided then to place her corporate career on hold and fulfill her long standing desire of becoming a jazz vocalist. Virginia Patterson Hensley a.k.a. Patsy […]
Jason James Seems Like Tears Ago Traditional country music is alive and kicking and Jason James is its ambassador. The ten original songs on Seems Like Tears Ago captures emotions and melds cheating heartaches, love done wrong songs, good ol’ honky-tonkin’ and countrypolitan stylings without once mentioning pontoon boats or rum drinks by the pool. […]
Randy Lewis Brown Red Crow Berkalin Randy Lewis Brown is another in the gifted group of Texas singer-songwriters full of poetic flair and engaging narratives. Red Crow is collection of 13 original songs, four of which are co-written. Brown sings in a clear, eminently listenable voice with great articulation and just the right amount of […]
Jacqui Brown Love, Love, Love Woodward Avenue At first this was puzzling. The brunette with the hat on the cover and inside jacket signaled country music but the label, Woodward Avenue, for this writer is associated with smooth jazz, real jazz, and soul. Woodward Avenue has a roster of great artists including Melba Moore. Readers […]
Bill Scorzari Now I’m Free There are poets, there are songwriters, there are painters of fine art, and there’s Bill Scorzari. The new album, Now I’m Free is a bold and delicate balance of each. To say it is a thing of beauty is an understatement. The album has played continuously these last few months […]
Ward Hayden and The Outliers release their newest album Can’t Judge A Book on September 6, 2019.
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an interview with Bryan Haraway! Bryan Haraway blurs the lines between Americana and melodic rock & roll on his self-titled solo debut. It’s a celebratory record, stacked with layers of electric guitar, horns, pedal steel, and the observations of a sharp songwriter who’s learned to appreciate the little things […]
Chuck Mead Close To Home Plowboy Records In 1993 Kansas native Chuck Mead was one of the founding members and front men for the Alternative Country band BR549. Their self-titled 1996 album, the first of seven recordings, produced three charting singles, three Grammy nominations and a Country Music Association Award. The Americana roots music artist […]
Rising Appalachia Ley Lines Blends cultures and harmonies into pure bliss Patrick O’Heffernan The word “ley lines” was coined in 1921 by the amateur English archaeologist Alfred Watkins, describing the apparent alignments among historical and geological spaces, hypothesizing that they had persisted over millennia to facilitate travel, trade and community. Later, others theorized that global ley lines […]
