Allison Moorer: Blood review – an aching, moving testimony
(Autotelic/Thirty Tigers)
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy: I Made a Place review – older, wiser and happier
“Looking for a recommendation for an artist residency that takes small families with two working artist parents?” tweeted Will Oldham recently. The Americana outrider with the shining pate is now coupled up, with small fry on board. His newest album … Continue reading
Big Thief: Two Hands review – a more earthbound follow-up to UFOF
Such is the rich vein of songwriting form that Brooklyn quartet Big Thief have hit upon, Two Hands comes just five months after the release of the excellent UFOF. While that album was recorded in a log cabin in Washington … Continue reading
Sheryl Crow: Threads review – Americana-pop queen stitches genre-hop farewell
Big-name guests abound in a valedictory 11th album that offers a fitting reminder of Crow’s melancholy magic
Lucinda Williams review – battle-scarred alt.country star burns bright
The singer brings poignancy and raw feeling to this revealing celebration of her defining album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
Amadou and Mariam; the Blind Boys of Alabama review – soulful energy
Sets by the Malian husband and wife and a group dating back to the 30s featured fine harmonising and inspired guitar solos
Purple Mountains: Purple Mountains review – sardonic Americana with the lyrics of the year
(Drag City)Life has tested David Berman, and he translates it into songs of mordant wit on this fantastic collaboration with Woods
Jade Bird review – acoustic sorrows and raucous hoe-downs
Jazz Cafe, LondonAlternating between smoky introspection and party freakouts, the 21-year-old singer-songwriter’s emotional push and pull captivates a rowdy crowd
Jade Bird: Jade Bird review – edgy, unsparing Americana
Bird’s debut shows an artist polished and forceful, but sometimes her sparkle gets sanded down
Julia Jacklin: Crushing review – ghostly, rollicking second album
The dual senses of that word hang heavy in the title of this Sydney singer-songwriter’s second album, which ruminates on infatuations turned millstones over haunted Americana and garage rock. So yes: a barrel of laughs. But truly, in among the … Continue reading
Cass McCombs: Tip of the Sphere review – an enigma wrapped in a wayfarer
California maverick Cass McCombs evolves from gnomic troubadour to musical seeker of truth on his engrossing ninth studio album
William Tyler: Goes West review – expansive, meditative Americana
Modern Country, William Tyler’s last solo album (2016), lived up to its clear-eyed billing as a thoughtful, contemporary take on Americana. Played mainly on electric guitar, it was as indebted to cosmic folk and the deprivation Tyler saw in the … Continue reading
Steve Gunn: The Unseen in Between review – Americana with British roots
With a folk-rock bent and an ear for the mystical, US singer-songwriter Steve Gunn has a staunch CV as a right-hand man. His many solo recordings have kept pace with simpatico support roles – in Philadelphian slacker-sage Kurt Vile’s band … Continue reading