David Jameson’s ‘Tall Dark Pines’ Is a Timeless Old-School Folk and Country Debut
The album is a delicious swirl of fragmentary but evocative country-folk story-songs and ballads.
Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway‘s ‘Crooked Tree’ Is an Important Bluegrass Touchstone
Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway's Crooked Tree displays everything from deft clawhammer-style guitar playing to high-speed syncopation from the Clarence White canon to buoyant cross-picking.
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Indie Folk Songwriter Joan Shelley Heads Home with ‘The Spur’
The Spur is a batch of songs that reflect on putting down roots, coming out of what Joan Shelley calls a “period of opposite extremes—of creative hyper-connection and physical isolation."
Southwest Duo Jamestown Revival Paints Its Masterpiece with ‘Young Man’
Jamestown Revival emphasizes a folkier, quiet side with their vocal blend shining even more than usual.
Folk, Jazz, and Classical Meet in Woody Harris’ Return to Recording on ‘Bluish’ and ‘Edgework’
With the EPs Bluish and Edgework, guitarist Woody Harris has released his first new music in 42 years, and it’s a lifetime away from the folk albums he recorded in his 20s.
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Star Power Fuels New Interpretations of Classics on ‘Barry Waldrep & Friends Celebrate Tony Rice’
Barry Waldrep & Friends Celebrate Tony Rice creates a personal remembrance of Rice and his music from a modern country music perspective with star power.
Time Reveals Changes in Son House’s Approach on 1964 Recording ‘Forever on My Mind’
The 8 performances on Forever on my Mind, recorded live at Wabash College in 1964, are so different, they force us to rethink everything we know we about him.
Nathan Salsburg’s ‘Psalms’ Is an Idiosyncratic New Take on the Old Testament
"Psalms" is almost as much about Nathan Salsburg’s connection with his acoustic guitar as it is with his Jewish heritage.
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‘Home on the Midrange’ Is a Remarkable Display of Chemistry and Imagination from Jamie Stillway & Eric Skye
On Home on the Midrange, Jamie Stillway and Eric Skye put on a flatpicking clinic over the course of eight original tunes.
Carlos Barbosa-Lima and Johannes Tonio Kreusch Shine on ‘Manisero’
This release pairs the two guitarists on a collection of short pieces from Latin composers
Trevor Gordon Hall Crafts Expressive Instrumentals from a Variety of Guitars on ‘This Beautiful Chaos’
Using six guitars—a nylon-string crossover, a baritone, a Portuguese viola amarantina, steel-string acoustics, and an electric—Hall switches between solo and multitracking and different tunings.
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Eliza Gilkyson Delivers a Remarkable Ode to the Southwest with ‘Songs from the River Wind’
Gilkyson calls this album a “love letter to the Old West."
Emmylou Harris and the Nash Ramblers’ ‘Ramble in Music City: The Lost Concert’ is Another Welcome Visit from a Prime Acoustic Band
The album features a recently unearthed concert recorded 7 months before 'At the Ryman,' with a completely different set list.
‘Everywhere You Go’ is a Wide-Ranging Guitar Album from Fiddle and Banjo Icon Bruce Molsky
On his long-overdue guitar album, Everywhere You Go, Bruce Molsky revisits the music that has left the deepest impressions on him.
Aoife O’Donovan’s ‘Age of Apathy’ is an Introspective Album Completely of Its Time
Aoife O’Donovan's Age of Apathy is a different kind of pandemic album: engaged, ambitious, expansive.
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Remarkable ‘Samba in Seattle: Live at the Penthouse 1966–68’ from Bola Sete Trio Showcases Classical Guitar Influences
Playing nylon-string, Bola Sete was a masterful improviser and technician, with influences that ranged from Django Reinhardt to João Gilberto to Andres Segovia.
George Harrison’s ‘All Things Must Pass (Deluxe 50th Anniversary Edition)’ is a Solid Remix Plus Acoustic Demos
This remastered, super deluxe 50th anniversary edition of George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" tamps down Phil Spector’s dense, reverb-heavy wall of sound.
Paul Thorn’s ‘Never Too Late to Call’ is His Most Stirring Album Yet
There’s no one else like Paul Thorn, a walking contradiction with an honest sense of his shortcomings, an insistent moral compass, and a healthy dose of country funk.
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New Box Set ‘The Village Out West’ Reveals Vital Lost ’60s Folk from California
"The Village Out West" includes 51 tracks of stunning '60s recordings of bluegrass, gospel, folk, Delta blues, Celtic ballads, Woody Guthrie tunes & more.
Sarah McQuaid’s ‘The St. Buryan Sessions‘ Is a Beautiful Reimagination of Her Finest Songs
In the cavernous 15th-century St. Buryan’s Church, McQuaid collected two decades of songs and reimagined them into the strongest album of her career
New Joseph Spence Collection Is Full of Unreleased Folk Guitar Treasures
"Encore: Unheard Recordings of Bahamian Guitar and Singing" is the latest archival release of music by Joseph Spence—the late Bahamian folk guitarist.
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Thoughtful Old-Time and Newgrass Ideas Coalesce on Eli West’s ‘Tapered Point of Stone’
There’s an architectural quality to Eli West's Tapered Point of Stone, a careful sense of craft that methodically builds from one note and one instrument to the next.
These 3 New Releases Show Diverse Approaches to Fingerstyle Guitar Mastery
John Pizzarelli's Better Days Ahead, Matthew Stevens' Pittsburgh, & Steve Gibb's The Boatman each highlight mastery of the fingerstyle guitar in their own right.
John Hiatt and the Jerry Douglas Band Shine on ‘Leftover Feelings’
The settings in Leftover Feelings, recorded live in Nashville’s historic RCA Studio B, find the middle ground between wisdom and cleverness, country and bluegrass.
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‘Mande Guitar: African Guitar Series’ is a Revelatory Album From True Master Boubacar ‘Badian’ Diabaté
There’s plenty of awesome to go around on Boubacar "Badian" Diabaté's "Mande Guitar," the first album released on Banning Eyre’s Lion Songs Records.