Samantha Crain’s fourth release is notable for its surefootedness. All of Crain’s songs are anchored on strong, straightforward melodies that are buttressed by her delicate lyrics. The album focuses on short stories that make the everyday lives of her characters…
One of the most surprising facts I learned at the Country Music Hall of Fame is that the Everly Brothers are members. I don’t really hear it — in my mind they’re very solidly a part of rock’n’roll, even if…
This may sound like an overstatement, but Chuck Hawthorne’s debut album, Silver Line, sounds to my brain like the platonic ideal of country music. This wasn’t a conscious decision. As I did the tourist thing in Nashville and stood on…
I’m fresh back from a whirlwind tour of Nashville (really it was more like four days of touristing and two days of “what do I do in this one-horse town while waiting for concerts to start?”) and felt pretty humbled…
I don’t know what it is about the lilting sway of Cajun music that speaks to me, but there it is. A lot of people think it’s corny and I can see why. But Steve Riley and his band bring…