I’m quite taken with what Holt Vaughn has accomplished with his latest album These Songs, Vol. 2. Vaughn recruited a number of guest musicians to help him nail these songs down, but there are few collections in this vein, singer/songwriter meets Americana meets Christian Contemporary, where the songs burn with such obvious individualism. His songwriting […]
John Maestas’ vision for Juan Tigre will not be for everyone. If you like your music straight-up 4/4 rock of some variety with the typical lead singer, guitar (maybe two), bass, and drum setup or some variation thereof, turn back now. You’ll hear guitar during Tigre’s second album Azúl Arriba, Blue Below, but it isn’t riffing away […]
Making a record centered on harmony doesn’t mean shortchanging listeners when it comes to the substance of lyrics or even the girth of a groove; it means putting the collective above the singular in every presented situation. URL: https://theacttrio.com/ The Act Americana Trio set a fine example for their peers in this department with the […]
148’s new album Sampati begins off strong with an opening track in “Topeka Vibe” more than worthy of its status as a lead single, and while the relaxed rhythm of this piece is a nice teaser for what’s soon to come in the ensuing tracklist, it’s easily one of the sweeter features of the entire record. Sampati is an […]
You can’t put Ananda Xenia Shakti and Love Power the Band in a neat little box. There’s no doubt Shakti and the band is steeped in traditional Indian music. You hear it all over their new EP Love Is Where You Are. There’s no doubt they are serious and skilled musicians. Hacks don’t deliver songs over […]
Bonnie Milne’s path is, in some ways, typical. The Canadian keyboardist/pianist has pursued her musical ambitions since early childhood, finding her love for piano, and carried that passion into college and beyond. She’s a music educator now and, after that, the typical ends. The call to creativity manifests itself in her life in various ways […]
The Toronto Tabla Ensemble doesn’t deserve the overused label “world music”. Yes, there’s plenty of what we commonly refer to as world music present in the ensemble’s music and their latest album release For the Love of Tabla. It’s present in the instrumentation, lyrical imagery, arranging, and overall sensibility. Founder and artistic director Ritesh Das began […]
“Fortune favors the bold.” Corey Stapleton tells Montana Living he practically wears this motto on his sleeve, having gone through quite the life path after serving in the military and then in political office, both as a state senator and Secretary of State. For Stapleton, you’d think this is all small potatoes compared to his […]
Barry Muir isn’t one to hold back when he gets into the recording studio to create something original, and in this sense, his new album Gentle is no different from any other he’s released to date. Gentle is comprised of a dozen songs that explore self-awareness, optimism, breaking away from strife, and even acknowledging inescapable truths, but its most […]
The name Ludlow Creek may put music fans in mind of an Americana outfit with maybe a violin or harmonica player in tow. Coming into their album Hands of Time with those sorts of preconceived notions, however, is a recipe for disappointment. Dayton, Ohio’s Ludlow Creek favors country rock, with a bit of blues and even a […]