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A collection of 21 posts

200. SERMON ON THE ROCKS by Josh Ritter

singer songwriter

200. SERMON ON THE ROCKS by Josh Ritter

I continue to follow Josh Ritter closely as he is one of my favorite artist discoveries of the past 10 years or so. Previously covered here, everything I said back then still holds true today. An absolute stellar singer, songwriter, performer, social activist, etc., I could listen to his music

195. ENTERING HEAVEN ALIVE by Jack White

195. ENTERING HEAVEN ALIVE by Jack White

This 2022 record, fresh out today, is a welcome respite from White's previous album (released just 3 months ago and covered here), where he played the mad scientist and we his guinea pigs. As promised back then, Entering Heaven Alive (ascension in the religious sense) gives us the

169. LED ZEPPELIN III by Led Zeppelin

169. LED ZEPPELIN III by Led Zeppelin

I've been listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin lately and so thought I'd discuss this 1970 record as it doesn't seem to get as much love as I, II or IV. It was a bit of a departure from the hard rock/heavy

146. BLUNDERBUSS by Jack White

146. BLUNDERBUSS by Jack White

With the recent news that upholsterer extraordinaire [https://jackwhiteartanddesign.com/work/furniture-and-upholstery/third-man-upholstery-shop/] Jack White plans on releasing two solo records in 2022, I thought I’d take this opportunity to revisit his debut from 2012. This genre-bending record is alternative to its core, though it’s layered with folk,

142. BUFFALO NICHOLS (self-titled)

142. BUFFALO NICHOLS (self-titled)

Houston-born, Milwaukee-raised and, now, Austin-living Buffalo Nichols offers a contemporary take on the blues with this just released 2021 record. Pairing his smokey voice with nimble guitar playing, he covers themes ranging from the overtly political/social commentary on ‘Another Man’ and ‘Living Hell’ to dealing with isolation on album

132. THE WORLD WE BUILT by The Wild Reeds

132. THE WORLD WE BUILT by The Wild Reeds

Los Angeles based indie folk band The Wild Reeds released this record in 2017. Although the songs are lead by 3 part harmonies, the music is not necessarily subdued - it’s full of crunchy guitars and interesting key changes throughout many of the tracks. This is not your ma

128. CLICK CLICK DOMINO by Ida Mae

128. CLICK CLICK DOMINO by Ida Mae

There’s something oddly endearing about a couple of Brits landing across the pond and into the Americana music scene. Such is the case with Nashville transplants (by way of London) Ida Mae and this recently released 2021 record. The wife/husband duo of Stephanie Jean and Chris Turpin have

118. THE MOON AND STARS: PRESCRIPTIONS FOR DREAMERS by Valerie June

118. THE MOON AND STARS: PRESCRIPTIONS FOR DREAMERS by Valerie June

I’ve been waiting for this 2021 record to be released ever since I heard the first single. And, based on the additional songs that have come out in the interim, this has quickly become one of my favorite albums of the year, despite not having heard the full release.

114. KIWANUKA by Michael Kiwanuka

114. KIWANUKA by Michael Kiwanuka

This 2019 record (and winner of the 2020 British Mercury Prize) received critical acclaim from all over the planet. Considered indie folk or rock, Kiwanuka is an autobiographical concept album released just when you thought concept albums were dead. Mixing elements of soul, rock, gospel and jazz, there’s bound

108. STATIC AND SILENCE by The Sundays

108. STATIC AND SILENCE by The Sundays

English indie pop band The Sundays only released three studio albums, 1997’s “Static and Silence” being their final output. Husband and wife, David Gavurin (guitars) and Harriet Wheeler (vocals), formed the core of the band. By the time this record was released, the band had mellowed out a bit,

87. QUEENS OF THE BREAKERS by The Barr Brothers

87. QUEENS OF THE BREAKERS by The Barr Brothers

Canadian-American band The Barr Brothers released their third record in 2017. Kind of a mix of folk, some blues and even West African instrumentation, the songs here are an eclectic combination of music that should keep the listener engaged for the full 50 minutes or so. While there are several

74. OUT IN THE STORM by Waxahatchee

74. OUT IN THE STORM by Waxahatchee

In contrast to her 2020 record discussed here [https://auditorymusings.ghost.io/saint-cloud-by-waxahatchee/], Katie Crutchfield’s 2017 outing is filled with electric guitars and rockers. Still writing about personal themes, the music makes you feel like she really had a lot to get off her chest. Depending on which record

72. FROM WHERE I STARTED by Sera Cahoone

singer songwriter

72. FROM WHERE I STARTED by Sera Cahoone

Singer-Songwriter Sera Cahoone (former drummer for indie act Band of Horses) makes a soothing brand of country-folk that is easy on the ears. As a result, this 2017 record is very addictive - I find myself listening to it on repeat from time to time. The acoustic guitar playing is

64. FLUTTERBY by Butterfly Boucher

64. FLUTTERBY by Butterfly Boucher

Australian multi-instrumentalist Butterfly Boucher released her debut album in 2003 and then toured with Sarah McLachlan in 2004 - that’s how I first heard of her. She comes from a musical family with many of her siblings members or former members of bands. On this record, Boucher plays bass

57. SO RUNS THE WORLD AWAY by Josh Ritter

singer songwriter

57. SO RUNS THE WORLD AWAY by Josh Ritter

Though many consider Josh Ritter’s 2006 record “The Animal Years” as his most essential album and a good one to start out with, I picked this 2010 outing to share with you as this is the record that served as my introduction to him. A singer-songwriter in the Americana

46. CRAZY ON THE WEEKEND by Sunhouse

46. CRAZY ON THE WEEKEND by Sunhouse

This is the most amazing record you’ve never heard, by a British band that was here and gone in a flash - other than a couple of EPs, this was their only long play, released in 1998. Bandleader Gavin Clark, shy and uncomfortable, never got over the fact that

40. HEARD IT IN A PAST LIFE by Maggie Rogers

40. HEARD IT IN A PAST LIFE by Maggie Rogers

Though I hadn’t heard of this 2019 record until 2020, it quickly became one of my favorites of the year. Pharrell Williams had a hand in promoting Rogers, having taught her in an NYU music class (you can find a video online of Rogers playing her song ‘Alaska’ for

20. LOVE / IDLENESS by Wardell

20. LOVE / IDLENESS by Wardell

This 2015 record by the sibling duo known as Wardell is probably one of my favorite discoveries of the past 5 years - and it all started out when iTunes offered their track, ‘Love / Idleness,’ as the free single of the week (remember those?). I immediately fell for lead singer

19. A SIMPLE TRICK TO HAPPINESS by Lisa Loeb

19. A SIMPLE TRICK TO HAPPINESS by Lisa Loeb

Those of us of a certain age probably only think of one thing when we hear the name ‘Lisa Loeb’ - the song ‘Stay (I Missed You)’ (sorry - two things…those glasses too). That was the lead track off the Reality Bites soundtrack and essentially defined Loeb’s career

5. SAINT CLOUD by Waxahatchee

5. SAINT CLOUD by Waxahatchee

This album has generated buzz as one of the best albums of the year so far. The band is called Waxahatchee and is, effectively, the brainchild of Katie Crutchfield. Her latest album, Saint Cloud, is written from the perspective of Crutchfield as someone who has kicked her alcohol addiction and

2. DORI FREEMAN (self-titled)

2. DORI FREEMAN (self-titled)

Reminiscent of old timey Americana music, one would be hard pressed to believe that this album came out of nowhere in 2016. Variably described as folk, country, traditional and bluegrass, Freeman's style is all of the above and none of the above. Hailing from Virginia, she came from