Short & Sweet
Jim Allchin "Prime Blues" (CD, Sandy Key Music, 2018).
“The title Prime Blues refers to both my love of the blues as well as my love of mathematics,”
says blues-rock-singer-songwriter-guitarist Jim Allchin.[63]
“Prime Blues is more concentrated blues than my past albums and at the same time more diverse in terms of
style, guitar technique, and guitar tone. Each song tells a story – about an experience, life observation, or my
life philosophy in general. I hope you find some of these songs just flat out fun!”
Featuring Tom Hambridge, Mike Zito, Bobby Rush and The Memphis Horns; please
check out album trailer @ YouTube!
Brooke Annibale "We Were Not Ready" (Video, 2019).
Fresh from Pittsburgh singer/songwriter Brooke Annibale's archives!
This live acoustic performance of "We Were Not Ready" was filmed about 2 years ago while attending the Folk Alliance conference in Kansas City.
It was filmed before it was recorded for the Hold to the Light album, when Brooke was still figuring out what it felt like to play them out in the world. Watch "We Were Not Ready" (Live Acoustic) @ YouTube!
Paul Armfield "Nowhere" (Song, 2019).
Having resigned as Arts Center Manager at the end of last year, Paul Armfield[59]
is pleased to say that the creative engine has now been restarted and he's in the throes of what will blossom into a fully fledged new album.
The leitmotif is 'home' and 'domestic': his two children have recently fled the nest, at the same time as Brexit broadens the question of place and belonging even further.
Check out the taster 'Nowhere,' a slightly impressionistic take on how it feels to be English at the moment,
@ SoundCloud!
Joan Baez "Whistle Down the Wind" (CD, Concord/Proper, 2018).
In conjunction with her final tour of Europe in 2018, Joan Baez released her first studio album in almost a decade.
The album features songs written by contemporary songwriters such as Tom Waits, Josh Ritter, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Eliza Gilkyson.
Watch Joan performing the title track live in Verona @ YouTube!
Barcelona Gypsy Balkan Orchestra "Avo Kanto" (CD, Satelite K, 2018).
Avo kanto means Grandfathers Songs in Esperanto, the only language capable of expressing the diversity of the band
featuring members from Spain, Italy, France, Serbia, Greece and Ukrainia.
Nearly all songs on their second album are traditional songs of the Balkans, the Gipsies and Jewish people of Eastern Europe,
passed on through the generations while never losing their power to touch deeply in heart and soul.
Watch the Barcelona Gypsy Balkan Orchestra performing "Makedonsko devojče" live in Munich during the Avo Kanto German Tour in April 2018
@ YouTube!
Alan Barnosky "Old Freight" (CD, Own label, 2017).
Five traditional and five self-penned songs can be found on this album of Americana and bluegrass songs by flatpicking guitarist and singer Alan Barnosky. The self-penned songs are solos, while the traditional songs are recorded with Robert Thornhill on mandolin and backing vocals.
Check out "Old Freight" @ YouTube!
Billy & Johnny "No Country" (CD, Own label, 2018).
"No Country" is the debut album by the Freak Folk Trio Carles Muñoz Camarero (cello), Florian Sighartner (violin)
and Georg Felber (guitar) from Vienna. The album's title figuratively describes a musical no-man's-land surrounded
by international waters; Billy & Johnny sit on the beach and angle for treasures from the ocean of sounds.
Check it out @ BandCamp!
Bobby BlackHat "Put On Your Red Shoes" (CD, Own label, 2018).
Singer-songwriter and harmonica player Bobby 'BlackHat' Walters is a retired U.S. Coast Guard Commander
currently residing in Virginia, who blends the influences of Chicago, Memphis, Piedmont and the Delta
into a toe-tappin’, finger-poppin’, hip-shakin’ blues experience.
Check out the video animation for "Put On Your Red Shoes" @ YouTube!
Ben Bostick "Hellfire" (CD, Simply Fantastic Music, 2018).
A couple of years ago, Ben Bostick decided to try busking on the Santa Monica Pier and found that he could make a living playing his original music.
His sophomore release is a collection of classic and alt country songs,
written during a weekly residency at The Escondite in L.A.,
describes as “music for driving at high speeds, moving heavy things, drinking and fighting”.
Watch "Hellfire" live @ YouTube!
Danny Burns "North Country" (CD, Own label, 2019).
Red-headed, story-telling, hard-touring Irishman Danny Burns has been on the road for two decades,
sharpening a sound that mixes 1970's Irish folk with American roots music.
His recording debut, North Country, brings a host of iconic musicians to share the table with his songwriting:
Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Tim O'Brien, Tift Merritt, Dan Tyminski, Holly Williams, Mindy Smith, Cara Dillon,...
Watch "Let It Go" @ YouTube!
Michael Burrows "Introducing Michael Burrows" (Download, 2019).
This is a collection of originals and covers from songwriter Michael Burrows called “Australia’s acclaimed new folk/rock sensation.”
Michael’s music has been described as a fusion of folk, Americana and rock with hints of artists such as The Beatles, Wilco, Eagles, and Ron Sexsmith.
Download "Introducing Michael Burrows" @ NoiseTrade!
Kate Campbell "Damn Sure Blue" (CD, Large River Music, 2018).
Originally from the Mississippi Delta, singer-songwriter Kate Campbell has created a string of catchy songs informed by
blues, folk, country and pop music since her recording debut twenty years ago.
Her 19th album, "Damn Sure Blue," is another selection of tunes addressing contemporary issues in the US.
Watch the acoustic performance of "Damn Sure Blue" @ YouTube!
Sandy Carroll "Blues & Angels" (CD, Catfood Records, 2018).
Sandy Carroll's previous albums focussed on Americana and country music.
“Returning to the blues is my comfort zone,” the singer/songwriter/keyboardist says. “This album was one of
the hardest to write because I really wanted to say something about what’s going on around us, while keeping
true to the genre of the music’s tradition. Blues is not just about a three o’clock in the morning heartbreak or a cheating man …
it’s also about giving worth to the loss of a loved one, the state of one’s world, depression, mortality, healing the hurt …
Blues music is universal and lets us know we are never alone in times of trouble or wonderment.”
Check out "Mama Don’t Like It",
a warning to anyone ignoring the #MeToo movement, and
"Mississippi Me",
the album's one and only true love song.
Randy Casey "I Got Lucky" (CD, Dharma Lab, 2018).
Randy Casey's 8th album, "I Got Lucky," was inspired by the 1969 Gibson Les Paul Custom which he played as a kid and recently got back.
Immediately songs and sounds began to flow from the guitar, Casey says, swampy slide, Stonesy rock and moody overdrive.
Watch "One Step Ahead" @ YouTube!
Paz del Castillo "Tres: Best of Paz del Castillo" (CD, Borderline Music Records, 2018).
Paz del Castillo is one of the best-known new age and (neo)classical pianists in Spain.
Now she sums up her career so far with the favourite tracks from her three solo piano
albums,[52][59]
plus three new tunes and two pieces from her debut album which never got any proper release outside Spain.
Che Apalache "The Wall" (Video, 2019).
After two years crisscrossing the US, “Latingrass” quintet Che Apalache from Buenos Aires
are excited to announce their second album for summer 2019 which American banjo legend Béla Fleck is producing.
Che Apalache use the fusion of Latin American and Appalachian music to address social issues and bridge the gap dividing the Americas.
Check out a sample of the first song, "The Wall," which speaks to Trump's infamous wall along the Mexican border
@ YouTube!
RJ Chesney "Amateur Revolution" (CD, Own label, 2018).
In 2015, Norwegian H.P. Gundersen had been in Los Angeles making a documentary about local singer-songwriters. He got to know RJ Chesney and proposed
to collaborate on songs. So Chesney would send lyrics to Gundersen who composed the music. The result is for folks who like traditional mixed with
a little off the beaten path and eclectic nusic that borrows from traditional, yet switches it up.
Check out "A Place Just For Me" &
"The Amateur Revolution"!
Citizen K "III" (CD, Paraply Records, 2018).
The third album from singer-songwriter Klas Qvist and his Citizen K[42][64]
trademark is aptly titled "III", featuring Swedish art pop with a fallback on 1960s/70s music.
Check out Citizen K talking about "III" @ YouTube!
Clannad "Turas 1980" (CD, MIG Music, 1980/2018).
Irish trad group Clannad toured Germany in January 1980, before their mainstream success propelled them into stardom.
The band was full of energy and was warmly welcomed. This Radio Bremen concert was never released before and contains some
pieces (Gaelic songs, Turlough O'Carolan tunes) that never surfaced on a studio album.
Brad Colerick "Nine Ten Thirty" (CD, Back 9 Records, 2018).
Shop Local- it’s a phrase often espoused in support of community businesses. Singer-songwriter Brad Colerick took it to heart
for his latest album, Nine Ten Thirty, which is the postal code of the town of South Pasadena, California
(where the Route 66 brings tourists to the famed Cawston Ostrich Farm).
The CD was made entirely by Colerick and some talented neighbors:
“I wanted to showcase the great talent I’m surrounded by in this town. South Pasadena is a hotbed of wonderfully creative people. And the community really supports the arts”.
Erin Costelo "Sweet Marie" (CD, Compass Records, 2018).
The 10-song collection "Sweet Marie" finds the native Nova Scotian soul singer Erin Costelo
looking at a world and an industry that pushed her to the edge of ending her musical career - and finds her pushing back.
Check out "All in Your Head" from the making-of documentary directed by songwriter-turned-filmmaker Amelia Curran[51]
@ YouTube!
Ben de la Cour "The Least Worst of All Possible Worlds?" (Download, 2019).
This is a compilation album, taking some of the least worst songs from Americanoir songwriter
Ben de la Cour's latest three records (Ghost Light, Midnight in Havana and The High Cost of Living Strange, 2011-18).
Enjoy and download "The Least Worst of All Possible Worlds?" @ NoiseTrade!
Creedance Clearwater Revival "The Studio Albums Sampler" (Download, 2019).
Although the band was together for only four years (1968-1972), Creedence Clearwater Revival managed to accomplish more than many artists do in a lifetime.
Powered by John Fogerty’s visceral growl,[61]
they’ve sold over 30 million records in the U.S. alone, releasing 14 Top 10 hits including “Have You Ever Seen The Rain,” “Bad Moon Rising” and many more.
To commemorate Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 50th anniversary, Craft Recordings has released a deluxe 7-LP box set
(The Studio Albums Collection) comprising the band’s complete studio output. Download a 5-track sampler
@ NoiseTrade!
Abdesselam Damoussi and Nour Eddine "Jedba - Spiritual Music from Morocco" (CD, ARC Music, 2019).
Jedba is the ritual and collective dance in which people hold hands in a symbol of harmony and friendship.
Jazz/hip-hop/rock producer Abdesselam Damoussi and world music artist Nour Eddine from Marrakesh
show that Sufi music is not confined to the mosque but an intrinsic part of everyday Moroccan life.
Check it out @ YouTube!
Boo Boo Davis "Tree Man" (CD, Black and Tan Records, 2019).
After a string of single releases of famous blues covers it’s now time again for Boo Boo Davis
to release an ‘all original’ album. "Tree Man" will be out just before his European tour in March 2019.
Please have a listen @ SoundCloud!
Jarrod Dickenson "Under Texas Sky" (EP, Continental Song City, 2019).
Tall hats and even taller tales are woven into the fabric of The Lone Star State, and Texas-born-and-bred singer-songwriter Jarrod Dickenson can spin a yarn with the best of them. He has toured Europe extensively over the last several years, supporting artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Don McLean and The Waterboys.
Check out Jarrod's 5 track “Celebration of The Many Stars from the Lone Star State,” covering songs from
Roy Orbison, Esther Phillips, Willie Nelson & Ray Charles, Doug Sahm and Guy Clark,
@ BandCamp!
Dobranotch "20 years" (CD, CPL Music, 2019).
A compilation of tracks from the 20 years history of this wild multicultural band from St Petersburg. Always with a blend of Russian, Balkan and Jewish music, their sound has quite significantly evolved over the years – starting off with much more timid (although already energetic) trad music, these days the band has moved to a loud and wild brass sound – with their trombone, saxes, tuba, accordion, big drum, violin and banjo, Dobranotch have created their own acoustic Balkan-Russian folk punk.
Double-Double "Le Bal des Hautes Terres" (CD, Own label, 2017).
A trans-European folk quartet, bringing together French musicians Sebastian Lagrange (accordion) and Gael Rutkowski (uilleann pipes and French pipes) with Irish pianist Caoimhin Vallely and Scottish guitarist Ross Martin. The music accordingly blends French bourees, polkas and Scottishes with Irish jigs and Scottish influences, with traditional as well as newly composed material.
Justin Townes Earle "Ain't Got No Money" (Single/Video, 2019).
Folk, blues & country singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle[55]
has announced his new album, "The Saint Of Lost Causes," is coming in May 2019.
Check out the first single, "Ain't Got No Money," @ YouTube!
ElectroBluesSociety feat Boo Boo Davis "Tell Me" (Digital Single, KuvVer Records, 2018).
ElectroBluesSociety has teamed up with Mississippi blues man Boo Boo Davis (see review above).
Together they revisited classic Chicago blues and recorded seven songs which will all be released by and by on
KuvVer Records, a specially created sub label of Black and Tan records to release cover versions of well-known songs.
Listen to Howlin Wolf's "Tell Me," a regular song in the Davis Brothers Band repertoire during the 18 years that they were
the weekend house band in Tabby’s Red Room, St Louis
@ YouTube!
Eryn "Lady E" (EP, Venturi Productions, 2018).
Born and raised in Maryland and now living in New Jersey,
Eryn Shewell has been described as a mixture of blues, soul, jazz, pop, rock and even country, but she prefers the term ‘RetroPop.’
Eryn hopes to have "Lady E" transport listeners to another era.
Watch "Hallelujah You're Gone" @ YouTube!
Julie Felix "Rock Me Goddess" (CD, ReMarKable Records/Talking Elephant, 2018).
American-born, British-based folk singer Julie Felix celebrates her 80th birthday with her first studio album in ten years,
ending with the moving song "Woman" encompassing the ‘Me Too’ movement.
Julie Felix achieved great success in the 1960s/1970s; in 1965 she was reportedly the first folk singer
to fill the Royal Albert Hall and was described as "Britain’s First Lady of Folk" (The Times).
Watch "Arms of Eden"!
Katie Ferrara "Weightless" (Single, Own label, 2019).
L.A. singer-songwriter-busker Katie Ferrara[64]
has released the first single off her full length album being released in the spring 2019:
"Weightless is a song I wrote with my friend June Caravel while I was on a busking tour in Scotland and Italy 2 years ago.
The song is about letting go of your fears and opening your heart up to love. I hope you find this song uplifting, inspiring and fun to sing along to!"
Watch Katie Ferrara's Weightless @ YouTube!
Dom Flemons "Good Old Days" (Video, 2018).
Inspired by the life and music of blackface artist Emmett Miller, Good Old Days was written and recorded
by Dom Flemons[66]
(of Carolina Chocolate Drops)
for the third installment of the EMMY-Nominated PBS series SongCraft Presents.
The song evokes Miller's Lovesick Blues, which would later be made famous by country music pioneer Hank Williams.
Watch "Good Old Days" @ YouTube!
Kirk Fletcher "Hold On" (CD, Own label, 2018).
“Kirk is hands-down one of the best blues guitarists in the world”, says close friend Joe Bonamassa,
who employed Kirk's talents on Muddy Wolf At Red Rocks[59]
and the Grammy-nominated Live At The Greek Theatre.[61]
This is Kirk's fifth album as a bandleader and solo artist,
a set of tunes crossing from smooth R&B and jazz to deep blues and soul,
with Kirk on guitar and vocals alongside Matt Brown (drums) and Jonny Henderson (organ).
Check out Kirk's 2018 Blues Garage gig @ YouTube!
Eamon Friel "Atlantic Light" (CD, Thran Records, 2019).
Stockwell to Stroke City, London to Londonderry! Eamon Friel[59]
made his way and came out as a thoughful and reflective character.
The album is kicking off wondering if his far-flung school friends are still singing the radio hits from back then.
The last track has an aging singer in a London pub reminiscing about his native Irish townland, replete with nostalgic uilleann pipes.
Steve Future "Seven Cities" (CD, Blue Future Music, 2018).
The Swedish bluesrocker Steve Future can look back on a musical career of over 30 years.
"Seven Cities" then is a Best-Of selection from his three latest recordings,
covering the entire spectrum from classic blues to rock and pop.
Eliza Gilkyson "Seculare" (Video, 2018).
Eliza Gilkyson's 20th album, Secularia,[67]
had topped the US folk charts.
Watch Eliza perform "Seculare" on Texas Monthly SoundCheck @ YouTube!
Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves "Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves" (CD, Free Dirt Records, 2019).
Clawhammer banjo player Allison de Groot (of Bruce Molsky's Mountain Drifters) has teamed up with high-octane fiddler Tatiana Hargreaves
(Gillian Welch, Laurie Lewis) to infuse the centuries-old art form of Appalachian string-band music with contemporary esthetics.
“We are part of a generation that is questioning our roles within systems of power and in regards to old-time music,”
they say, “questioning our place and privilege within a music that is based in working class, largely rural, southern America: Black, Indigenous and white.”
Watch Allison & Tatiana perform "Eighth of January" from their self-titled album @ YouTube!
Tomislav Goluban "Chicago Rambler" (CD, Spona Music, 2019).
Croatian harmonica player Tomislav Goluban has been playing the blues for twenty years;
his surname translates as "pigeon" providing the inspiration for his stage name, "Little Pigeon."
For his 10th album, he travelled to the source of authentic blues and enlisted prominent figures
of the Chicago blues scene. The rhumba Jerry Ricks On My Mind recalls his last performance
with the late country-blues singer and guitarist, who is buried in the town of Kastav on the Adriatic coast,
today location of an annual blues festival (www.kastavbluesfest.com).
Išel budem v kleticu (I'll Go To My Cottage) is a traditional Croatian song turned into an urban blues shuffle.
Watch "One Way Ticket" @ YouTube!
Gryphon "ReInvention" (CD, Talking Elephant, 2018).
No-one could ever pigeonhole British medieval/folk/rock band Gryphon.
The band reformed in 2016 with new members and eventually released a new studio album,
41 years after their swan song way back in 1977. "ReInvention"
returns to their early connection with Lewis Carroll’s Alice books, in which they had found their name,
with the White Knight’s song A-Sitting on a Gate turned into an epic 11-minute prog-rock-extravaganza.
Buddy Guy "Baloise Session" (Video, 2019).
Louisiana and Mississippi officials reportedly will declare a “Buddy Guy Day” and unveil a marker as part of the Mississippi Blues Trail.
They will also designate Highway 418 in Lettsworth, which passes in front of the plantation where Buddy grew up, as
Buddy Guy Way.[67]
Watch Baloise Session 2018 @ YouTube!
Harbottle & Jonas "The Sea is My Brother" (CD, Brook View Records, 2019).
There has been a deep relationship between humankind and the sea for thousand of years.
Devon duo, husband and wife David Harbottle and Freya Jonas, are making waves on the English folk circuit
and are exploring the Seven Seas with its absurdities and tragedies.
Nine tracks out of eleven are original, with the title track named after a novel by Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac.
Watch a live rendition of 'The Sea is My Brother' @ YouTube!
The Henry Girls "Far Beyond the Stars" (Video, 2019).
Ceol ón Chlann,
a television series about musical families in Ireland, has featured an episode about The Henry Girls in January 2019
with a lot of Inishowen scenery plus songs in Lily’s bar, Malin.
The Henry Girls are also happy to share a new video for Far Beyond the Stars, a song about grief and hope taken from their most recent album of the same
title.[63]
Watch it @ YouTube!
The Honey Dewdrops "Anyone Can See" (CD, Own label, 2019).
Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish had left their native Appalachian Mountains behind to take root in urban Baltimore.
Thus the city informs the Honey Dewdrops'[61]
fifth album altogether, being it the wet climate (Rainy Windows),
their neighborhood (Welcome to the Club), or social issues such as the death of a black youth in police custody
(Going Rate).
Watch The Honey Dewdrops perform "More Than You Should Say" (Fayetteville Roots Festival 2018) @ YouTube!
Ashley Hutchings "Paradise and Thorns – Gloucester Docks Revisited and Other Tales of Love" (CD, Talking Elephant, 2018).
In 1987, English folk-rock icon Ashley Hutchings[56]
released ‘By Gloucester Docks I Sat Down and Wept,’ an album that told a very personal love story.
It was an unfinished symphony: Disc 1 – ‘Gloucester Docks Revisited’ – adds more detail,
disc 2 – ‘Other Tales of Love’ – is Hutchings’ personal selection of love songs and stories;
drawing inspiration from all aspects of the arts (rock and traditional music, poetry, history, storytelling,folklore, photographs, cinema).
In Layman Terms "Strong Roots" (CD, Endless Blues Records, 2018).
To put it simply in layman's terms, Cole and Logan Layman have grown up making music
together.[60]
Watch the beautiful result of "Strong Roots" @ YouTube!
Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps "The Day The Blues Came To Call" (Video, 2018).
Here's Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps doing a tune from their new CD, "Here In Babylon".[66]
Watch "The Day The Blues Came To Call," written by Terry Wilson & Teresa James about Gregg Allman and his passing ...
and maybe meeting up with his brother Duane @ YouTube!
Jenny & Tyler "There Will Be A Song" (CD/Download, One Eyed Cat Music, 2018).
A few years ago, alt.folk duo Jenny & Tyler [61]
signed a record deal and released their one and only commercial album:
“It felt like we were getting somewhere. But it didn't work out. Here we are back where we were all those years ago, an independent artist duo.
And the thing is, we're stoked. Our goal has always been to tell our own story and for that story to be honest and true.
Hopefully that transparency will inspire hope in others and remind them that they're not alone. We see you. God sees you. You are enough.”
Download "There Will Be A Song" @ NoiseTrade!
Johnny & Jaalene "Johnny & Jaalene" (CD, Rip Cat Records, 2018).
Son of blues guitarist Kid Ramos,[66]
19-year-old singer/guitarist Johnny Ramos is tearing up the L.A. scene with his rockabilly teen queen,
16-year-old Jaalene DeLeon. Their debut album's 12 songs implies Chicano blues, rockabilly and rock ’n’ roll.
Watch the Aretha Franklin classic "Baby, I Love You" @ YouTube!
Jeff Johnson & Phil Keaggy "Cappadocia" (CD, Ark Records, 2018).
This is the latest collaboration of keyboardist Jeff Johnson (known for his albums with Brian Dunning)[67]
and guitarist Phil Keaggy featuring new age music with world fusion inflections. This time they have created a
fictitious musical journey across the Central Anatolian region of Cappadocia (tr. Kapadokya, gr. Καππαδοκία), renowned for
its unique historical and cultural heritage and its great spirituality.
Check out "Cappadocia" @ YouTube!
Dave Keller "Every Soul's a Star" (CD, Catfood Records, 2018).
Singer and guitarist Dave Keller is a native New Englander fuelled by the love for deep Southern soul and blues music.
Every Soul’s A Star showcases Catfood Records' house band, The Rays, including singer Johnny Rawls and guitar player Johnny McGhee,
on ten original songs plus the Aretha Franklin cover Baby, I Love You.
Watch “Freedom Is Ours” @ YouTube!
Kerani "Small Treasures" (CD, Own label, 2018).
Even though "Small Treasures" begins with a vocal track sung by Chanele McGuinness and there are wordless vocalizations by Davinia Van der Zee, this is not a vocal recording,
the star here is the piano-playing and string/flute-arranging by neo-classical/new-age composer Kerani
who lives in The Netherlands.
Watch "Garden of Dreams" @ YouTube!
Kërkim "Tre Tzigani" (Single/Video, 2019).
The Kërkim project from Lecce in Southern Italy wants to tie all the sounds of the Mediterranean: Middle Eastern music, flamenco, Balkan, Italian folk.
Their new Romanian song gives an anticipation of the new recording work that will see the light in the course of 2019.
With "Tre Tzigani" they aim to restore dignity to the term "gypsy" in its original and positive meaning.
They move around always able to sing about love and joy, never been distracted by life's flaws and imperfections.
Watch it @ YouTube!
Lizanne Knott, Jesse Terry and Michael Logen "Sunset Avenue Sessions" (CD/Download, Transoceanic Records, 2018).
Lizanne Knott, Jesse Terry and Michael Logen are three critically-acclaimed country music songwriters and performers
who have teamed up for a collaborative record, Sunset Avenue Sessions.
The 11-song album features cover versions of some popular songs (such as Tom Petty's “Learning to Fly”),
as well as original tracks from each of the artists’ back catalog.
Download the "Sunset Avenue Sessions" @ NoiseTrade!
Abigail Lapell "Getaway" (CD, Coax Records, 2019).
An active member of the Toronto indie folk scene and a winner of a 2017 Canadian Folk Music Award,
singer-songwriter Abigail Lapell presents 11 prairie noir tracks on her new album Getaway.
Her latest single, Devil in the Deep premiered on
Wide Open Country,
explaining that it's "equal parts religious symbolism and nursery rhyme." Watch it @
YouTube!
See also "Down By The Water" @ YouTube!
Bryan Lee "Sanctuary" (CD, Ear Relevant Records, 2018).
"Jesus gave me the blues" is Bryan's simple statement, but "Don't take my blindness for a weakness!"
The guitarist and singer had completely lost his eyesight as a kid, but has become a blues legend.
Sanctuary came to Bryan in a dream: He heard an entire musical arrangement for the Lord’s Prayer
in his sleep; the next day he recorded it just as he heard it. It took seven years then to finish this album,
11 songs expressing his attitude toward life, love for the Lord, and gratitude for his talent and career.
Watch Brian Lee live in concert (Montreal, 2018) @ YouTube!
Korby Lenker "Tennessee Blues" (Video, 2019).
Rock/Country icon Steve Earle[56]
turned 64 in January. In his latest installment of the Happy Birthday Hero series,
Korby Lenker[62]
got together with his friends Betsy Phillips and Oliver Bates Craven to sing Steve's "Tennessee Blues."
Watch it @ YouTube!
Rebecca Loebe "Give Up Your Ghosts" (CD, Blue Corn Music, 2019).
Austin-based singer-songwriter Rebecca Loebe's fifth solo album Give Up Your Ghosts
is very much about advice that she would tell her younger self and
about walking through the world as a woman, with the pressures brought on by it as well.
Watch and listen to "Tattoo"
and "Ghosts"!
Rebecca is currently touring the US before hopping over to the UK for some solo shows and then meeting up with her new trio Nobody's Girl
(ft. Betty Soo and Grace Pettis) in Europe.
Matthias Loibner "Nobadi", "Angelo" (Film, 2018).
Austrian hurdy-gurdy player Matthias Loibner[59]
is happy to have contributed all the music to Karl Markovics' newest movie
Nobadi,
which will be presented later in 2019. He also played a hurdy-gurdy player in the history drama
Angelo
by Markus Schleinzer (please watch the trailer @ YouTube).
It seems to be a theatre period in Matthias Loibner's life regarding the upcoming performances, mostly in Austria and Germany,
but he has also participated in the upcoming album Ancora by English-Irish trad group Flook.
Los Goutos "Mighty" (CD, Own label, 2018).
The Boston-based quintet Los Goutos fuses Cajun and Mexican musical influences with the instrumentation and rhythms of the Americana genre.
The band has expanded to include four singer-songwriters, a two-piece horn section and sometimes fiddle.
Check out their sonic melting pot of cultures @ YouTube!
Lume de Biqueira "Documental 20 años de Lume de Biqueira" (Video, 2018).
Spanish Pipe Band Lume de Biqueira?ß have completed their first 20 years of life and wish a great, fantastic and happy new year!
Check out Lume de Biqueira's birthday concert and
20th anniversary documentary!
David Lumsden and Friends "Hues of Blues" (CD, Own label, 2018).
In 1970, at age 15, someone loaned David Lumsden Freddie King's[64]
“Getting Ready” album. That that was it; he was hooked and never returned it.
Since then, David has performed in many local bands as well as being the lead guitarist for
acclaimed blues woman Hurricane Ruth.[63]
He now steps up as the leader, paying tribute to B.B. King, Ray Charles, Earl Hooker and Jeff Beck.
Check out YouTube channel!
Jennifer Maidman "Dreamland" (CD, Own label, 2017).
English transgender singer/songwriter Jennifer Maidman, formerly of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra,
finally releases a thorough song cycle featuring both piano ballads and funky music.
Watch the "Open the Door" music video
and the "Dreamland" documentary!
Em Marshall "The Building Light" (CD, Cotton Mill Records, 2018).
The Building Light is Em Marshall's debut album, a singer-songwriter who lives on the fringes of Dartmoor in Devon, England.
Alongside traditional material, her songs tell of growing up in an ex-mining town and many years spent
travelling around, busking, performing, and supplementing music income by whatever means were around.
The Building Light has been recorded on a dairy farm in rural Wales, with one of the cow-sheds being transformed into a vintage-style studio,
which gives the whole album a low-fi, stripped-back feel...
Check it out @ BandCamp!
Randy McAllister "Triggers Be Trippin" (CD, Reaction Records, 2017).
"We Can't Be Friends If You Don't Like Jimmy Reed," says one of Texas' most revered and critically acclaimed blues/soul/roots artists.
Randy McAllister[60]
plays drums and top-notch harmonica, writes lovely songs, and sings like hell.
With a career spanning more than 30 years, album #16, "Triggers Be Trippin," is available now.
Watch Randy McAllister at Hay Camp Brewing Company 2018 @ YouTube!
Loreena McKennitt "Lost Souls" (CD, Quinlan Road, 2018).
Loreena McKennitt's[62]
first release of original material since 2006, Lost Souls, is a rich and culturally eclectic
tapestry of contemporary thoughts woven with threads from the Celts to the Bedouins.
Lisa Mednick Powell "Blue Book" (CD, Cicada Sounds, 2017).
Californian keyboard player Lisa Mednick Powell plays 1960s/70s country hits with husband and bassist Kip Powell
in the band Arroyo Rogers. After a 15 years hiatus, she eventually has released her third album of original songs.
It is said: "Lisa wants the music to convey the emotion as much as the lyrics do, every song is a mini soundtrack that swirls around dark and truthful lyrics."
Check her out @ YouTube!
Megson "con-tra-dic-shun" (CD, EDJ Records, 2019).
What do you get if you mix punk and classical music? For sure, it is folk! Yorkshire husband and wife duo Stu and Debbie Hanna
(aka Megson)[55]
offer their ninth album in one and a half decades, an equal mix of original and traditional songs:
“We began writing and collecting the songs for the album two years ago when we stumbled across the title song in the 1870 book of Tyneside Songs, Ballads and Drolleries – an obscure composition by Geordie Victorian balladeer Joe Wilson. It sparked the idea for a whole collection of songs about everything from Victorian domestic disagreements to 21st century martial arts mayhem.”
Check out the album trailer @ YouTube!
Mile Twelve "City On A Hill" (CD, Delores the Taurus Records, 2019).
Although their sound is rooted in traditional bluegrass, Mile Twelve
surveys a broader landscape on their newest album, City on a Hill.
("With each of the band's five members contributing to the latest definition of their sound, City on a Hill is just as full
of respectable contemporary sounds as it is respectful of the tradition that Mile Twelve is based upon." - PopMatters)
Check out "City That Drowned",
& "Jericho"!
Kaz Murphy "Ride Out The Storm" (CD, Own label, 2018).
Seattle singer-songwriter Kaz Murphy's fourth solo album once again shows a heart for the underdog.
These live sessions are a gutsy stroll along rutted roads through locked backdoors and into fragile slices of American life.
Kristina Murray "Southern Ambrosia Sampler" (Download, 2019).
Kristina Murray plays Americana and country music rooted and steeped in troubadour storytelling and southern-rock grit.
She currently lives in Nashville, where she is active in the independent music scene that pays homage to acoustic guitar, Telecaster, tight harmonies and the walking bass line rather than the synth & drum machine of contemporary pop country.
Grab a sampler from her second album, Southern Ambrosia,
@ NoiseTrade!
Narthen "Narthen" (CD, No Masters, 2018).
Narthen are seasoned instrumentalists and vocalists Barry Coope and Lester Simpson (Coope Boyes & Simpson),
Jo Freya (Blowzabella, Moirai) and Fi Fraser (PolkaWorks, The Old Fashioned).
Previously renowned for their winter shows, the group wanted to be out and about throughout the year.
Check it out @ SoundCloud!
NewTown "Long Hard Road" (Video, 2019).
Fronted by vocalist/fiddler Kati Penn Williams and her singing/banjo-picking husband Jr. Williams, Kentucky-based
NewTown has gained a strong following by playing at festivals throughout the US and made a name as
one of the most exciting acts in contemporary bluegrass. Watch the video for “Long Hard Road,”
written by Tyler Childers about the longing a couple feels while they are apart,
@ YouTube!
Richard Neylon "Sonda" (CD, Own label, 2018).
Sonda (the Irish/c word for sonorous, meaning a voiced sound) is the debut album from Galway piper Richard Neylon -
All-Ireland Senior Champion for uilleann pipes fast and slow airs, flute and saxophone player, previous member of Fullset and Aldoc.
The album features both traditional Irish music and newly composed music, including the never-before-recorded lament ‘Cumha Mhíchíl Bhreathnaigh.’
He is backed by Conal Early on guitar, bouzouki and keyboards; they are joined by Stephen Doherty (accordion), Fiachra Hayes (fiddle) and James Frawley (concertina).
Check it out @ BandCamp!
Danni Nicholls "The Melted Morning" (CD, Own label, 2019).
"The Melted Morning" is Danni Nicholls' first collection of songs she's ever had on vinyl:
"I've always been in love with the format. The romance, nostalgia, cool factor. So blooming exciting."
Danni will be travelling all over the UK (trio) and Denmark (full band) playing the new tunes.
Check out The Melted Morning @ YouTube
& BandCamp!
Anne Niepold Trio "Vita Brevis" (Video, 2019).
Anne Niepold is a renowned Belgian diatonic accordion player and composer in the folk genre.[61]
Check out "Vita Brevis" from her upcoming album ft. Hendrik Vanattenhoven on double bass and Etienne Plumer on drums
@ YouTube!
Ruth Notman & Sam Kelly "Changeable Heart" (CD, Pure Records, 2019).
Two of the finest young UK folk singers, Ruth Notman
and Sam Kelly,[64]
have joined forces to record a duo album. This dreamteam offers six new takes on traditional songs,
covers of Ewan MacColl's "School Days Over" and Paul Brady's "The Island," as well as two stirring originals.
Watch the English folk song "The Bold Fisherman" live @ YouTube!
Old Riley & The Water "Biting Through" (EP, Own label, 2018).
“The musicians and people of New Orleans are a major inspiration for me every day,” singer-songwriter Sean Riley says.
He collaborated with his bandmates from the Crescent City of New Orleans as well as friends from out of town to create
his debut EP, "Biting Through," a fine collection of blues songs speaking of love, loss and missteps.
Paul Oscher "Cool Cat" (CD, Blues Fidelity Recordings, 2018).
He's a Cool Cat! No one knows the blues better than vocalist/guitarist Paul Oscher, who joined Muddy Waters' band in the 1960s
and shared a flat with Otis Spann. His new songs take you on an exciting ride to Chicago and New Orleans in equal measure.
Watch "Cool Cat" live (Red Clay Music Foundry 2016) @ YouTube!
Judith Owen "redisCOVERed" (CD, Twanky Records, 2018).
Singer-songwriter and pianist Judith Owen (the opening act for Bryan Ferry's recent tours)
presents an album of cover songs, something of a gift for her fans:
“Over the years, so many people have always had the question, ‘Why don’t you make a collection of these things because they’re so unique and unusual?’
And I had to really ask myself why I do these covers and why they bring me so much pleasure.
The line I always use is, ‘I don’t do karaoke’. I don’t perform or sing music unless it means something to me.
I knew I had to make these songs matter to me, to have my truth in them.”
Watch "Shape Of You" live in a New Orleans salon @ YouTube!
PARK88 "The Fearlessness" (EP, Brendan Entertainment Records, 2018).
Coming together in New York City but relocated to Park City, Utah, the musical marriage between pianist Rich Wyman
and singer-songwriter Lisa Needham have eventually released their debut EP The Fearlessness:
"When we sing harmonies together, we’re having a musical conversation in the same way we’ve been communicating as partners. It feels magical, we’re excited to finally tour together".
Watch "The Fearlessness @ YouTube!
Peter V Blues Train "Shaken But Not Deterred" (CD, Own label, 2018).
“My musical focus is to create a unique sound of blues music which is more upbeat and influenced by jazz and funk,”
says vocalist/guitarist Peter Veteska. Peter V Blues Train has been tearing up the airwaves and touring routes
since their formation in New York five years ago.
Watch them live (Paoli Blues Festival 2018) @ YouTube!
David Philips "Acoustic Cover Versions 1" (EP, KuvVer Records, 2018).
There are a few ways to do a cover version of a well known song.
David Philips[46]
enjoys taking a song to another genre completely, changing the feel and context ("Freedom" and "Heart Of Glass"
are 1980's pop hits turned into country blues); he also likes to stay true to the original but strip it down to
the bare bones of acoustic guitar and voice without ruining the original feel ("Dock Of The Bay" and "Hit The Road Jack").
KuvVer Records is Black&Tan's new sub label, specially created to release cover versions of well known songs.
The tracks are released digital only and available on all download and streaming platforms.
Have a listen @ SoundCloud!
Joe Rollin Porter "Take this hammer" (CD, Own label, 2018).
American singer and finger style guitarist Joe Rollin Porter presents on this album an attractive combination of Appalachian folk songs, traditional ballads and Blues songs, with a touch of Celtic influences. Titles include “Saro Jane”, “Black Jack Davy”, and Blues songs from the likes of Robert Johnson and Mississippi John Hurt.
Check out Joe Rollin Porter's FARM Folk DJ Showcase Performance @ YouTube!
Missy Raines "Royal Traveller" (CD, Compass Records, 2018).
Over the years and miles (e.g. as a member of the Claire Lynch Band), double bass player Missy Raines has become a true icon in bluegrass music.
On her solo albums though, she delves into indie folk and jazz-inspired material. Moreover, Royal Traveller announces her debut as a songwriter.
Watch "Swept Away" (featuring Alison Brown, Becky Buller, Sierra Hull & Molly Tuttle)
and "Allegheny Town"!
Jason Robert "John the Revelator" (Video, 2019).
Southern California-based singer/songwriter/guitarist Jason Robert has released his new album The Death of Stone Stanley.
(“He has taken the premise of Delta Blues and infused it with a sound that is rough, raw, and, indeed, unique.” - Nashville Blues & Roots Alliance)
His previous 2017 album The Mudstomp Tapes (released under the Stone Stanley moniker) had received great reviews as well.
Check out the 1926 blues classic "John the Revelator" @ YouTube!
Rodrigo y Gabriela "Mettavolution" (CD, Rubyworks Records, 2019).
Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela
are back on tour around Europe. Five years since their last album, they have released the most ambitious music of their twenty year career. Mettavolution brings together their interest in Buddhism, human evolution and the liberation of the potential we have as a species - all expressed through the means of two acoustic guitars.
Listen to "Echoes" @ YouTube!
Dylan Rodrigue "Cat's Game" (CD, Palomino Records/Bad Paintings, 2019).
Dylan Rodrigue says, “I’ve have always thought of myself as a songwriter, rather than a guitarist. I love playing guitar,
but writing is what I do every day and it’s what makes me strive to move forward.” The twenty-something L.A. singer-songwriter
tackles both intimate acoustic folk and electric rock music, sort of Neil Young.
“My main concern was to have no instrument get in the way of the lyrics,” Rodrigue says.
Watch "If You're Not My Lover" @ YouTube!
Richard Shulman "A New Awareness" (CD, You Are More Music, 2018).
Richard Shulman has been making new age music for four decades, and is totally committed to gentle and relaxing
music that is spiritual, meditative, and healing. His new recording is the sound of multiple synthesizers plus
the occasional piano, flute, strings, horns and chimes.
Moira Smiley "Unzip The Horizon" (CD, Own label, 2018).
Singer/composer Moira Smiley left L.A. and went nomadic for 2 years to tour with tUnE-yArDs,
Solas[59]
and Jayme Stone’s Lomax Project.[59]
The lonesome freedom of this time was the midwife to this album, ft. Seamus Egan, Jayme Stone,
Darrell Scott, Anna & Elizabeth, Sam Lee, Leah & Chloe Smith (Rising Appalachia).
Check out Moira's YouTube channel!
Sultans of String feat. Richard Bona and Waleed Abdulhamid "Sing For Kwanzaa" (Video, 2018).
Kwanzaa is a celebration honoring African heritage in African-American culture and culminating in a feast and gift-giving,
which was created by Black Power activist Maulana Karenga in 1966 and is observed ever since from December 26 to January 1.
Sultans of String have a new video for their Sing for Kwanzaa song @ YouTube!
Tellico "Woven Waters" (CD, Organic Records, 2018).
At Asheville-based Tellico’s core is Anya Hinkle (vocals, guitar, fiddle), rooted in the mountains of her native southwestern Virginia,
boosted by fellow songwriter Greg Stiglets (vocals, double bass, harmonica), Aaron Ballance (dobro, lap & pedal steel) and Jed Willis
(mandolin, clawhammer banjo, electric guitar). "Woven Waters," produced by noted Irish musician John Doyle,
blends the group's bluegrass sensibilities with Anglo-Irish influences, creating an eclectic body of Appalachian Americana folk songs.
Check out Tellico live @ YouTube!
Allan Thomas "Two Sides To Every Story" (CD, Black Bamboo Recordings, 2018).
Easy listening with part dark, part humorous overtones! Allan Thomas sends his 6th recording of original material from Kauai, Hawaii,
taking inspiration from pop, rock, blues, jazz and soul music.
Watch "On Another Note" @ YouTube!
Jure Tori "Man Without Shadow", "Dance of the Trees"(Video, 2018).
Jure Tori is a Slovenian composer and accordionist who has performed all over the world with groups such as
Orlek[14]
and Tori Tango[61]
Watch Jure Tori solo: "Man Without Shadow",
"Dance of the Trees"!
Tsuumi Sound System "Blinking Light" (CD, Own label, 2018).
New album, new tour 2019/2020! Rooted in folk traditions and innovative ideas, this 7-piece ensemble
is one of Finland's internationally most notable folk-rock-jazz bands.
Watch Tsuumi Sound System Live at Montelago 2017 @ YouTube!
Marco R. Wagner "Music Love Magic" (CD, Several Records, 2018).
Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Marco R Wagner’s mother was a pianist and his father a painter from Spain.
He decided to pursue a career as singer-songwriter drawing upon his Brazilian roots and Spanish guitar training
(his anti-war-single "Democratize" has been featured on Neil Young’s website).
Wagner currently resides in his father’s hometown in Spain where he runs a weekly radio program, 'In Between Worlds,'
and Several Records has released a self-produced collection of songs laced with countless acoustic guitars.
Nichole Wagner "and the sky caught fire" (CD, Own label, 2018).
"This is unashamedly a relationship record, and all of the songs on it are very honest”, says
Austin-based Nichole Wagner about her full-length debut, ”And The Sky Caught Fire.”
Featuring intimate lyrics, hard truths and a cameo of fellow singer-songwriter Rod Picott.
Check out Behind the Scenes @ YouTube!
Sunny War "I'm Human" (Video, 2019).
L.A. folk-punk musician Sunny War[67]
has dropped a new video for the start of Black History Month, a simple plea for humanity in the face of brutality:
"The day I wrote I'm Human I saw a video of a black man being shot in the back by a police officer while his hands were in the air. I started crying and hyperventilating because I was overwhelmingly sad and angry. I was hurting for him and his family. I thought about my father, uncle and brother. I fear for the lives of black people in this country. When I see police in person I fear for my own life as well. I hope one day I'm Human will not be relevant."
Watch I'm Human from Sunny's 2018 album With the Sun @ YouTube!
Dale Watson "Call Me Lucky" (CD, Red House Records, 2019).
Texas Alt-Country/Ameripolitan" singer Dale Watson delivers a batch of new original tracks and keeps the honky-tonk fires burning:
“I’ve always been a fan of keeping songs short. Long ago, I went to a library and checked out Tom T. Hall’s How I Write Songs. And in there, he said it’s not about keeping the songs short, it’s keeping the point. Make your point and get out. That’s always been my way of writing. There are some songs I’ve written that go on a bit more like a story, but I guess it’s probably my ADD that I don’t drag it out too much.”
Look out for a UK tour in May 2019, meanwhile watch Call Me Lucky live @ YouTube!
We Banjo 3 "Don't Let Me Down" (Video, 2018).
We Banjo 3[60]
have released a new video for Don't Let Me Down from their 2018 album "Haven."
The song deals with issues of mental health, anxiety and depression, and so they partnered with Irish suicide prevention organisation, Pieta House.
Watch "Don't Let Me Down" @ YouTube!
Donate to Pieta House!
Timothy Wenzel "Running Away" (CD, Own label, 2019).
Timothy Wenzel[51]
is a popular new age keyboarder and arranger who had a a string of Top 10 albums.
"Running Away" brings in three guest musicians for great interaction:
violinist Josie Quick is a member of the progressive groups Perpetual Motion, The Coyote Poets of the Universe and the Frontera String Quartet;
English horn and oboe player Jill Haley is one of the early pioneers of new age music with numerous recordings to her credit; percussionist Jeff Haynes
has played with hundreds of top acts in the genres of new age (Will Ackerman, Fiona Joy), pop (Joni Mitchell) and jazz (Pat Metheny, Cassandra Wilson).
The Willows "Through the Wild" (CD, Elk Records, 2018).
Cambridge folk band The Willows[51][56]
return with an awesome third studio album, featuring almost entirely original material
and drawing on both Anglicana and Americana music. Watch the haunting "False Light"
luring people off the path on the Fenland marshes @ YouTube!
Danny Lynn Wilson "Peace of Mind" (CD, SwingNation Records, 2019).
With a peace of mind you may find happiness under the most difficult circumstances. No, it's not new age music
but acoustic blues. After years of travelling along life's dusty roads, Danny Lynn Wilson
tries convincing us to look for the positive despite what life throws in our direction.
Wolfsheart & Robert Horak "Acoustic Ride" (EP, Own label, 2019).
For his new project "Acoustic Ride," New-Age/Native-American flutist Bernhard Weilguni from Vienna
(a.k.a. Wolfsheart)[61]
has teamed up with guitarist Robert Horak: "Together wecreate a very special atmosphere, full of heart and soul.
Our music is unique, strictly acoustic and close to the native spirit."
Watch "Restful Mind" @ YouTube!
Ruth Wyand "Tribe of One" (CD, Own label, 2018).
Ruth Wyand is a one-woman-band from Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, who reportedly "sings like an angel
and plays guitar like a demon". It's a mighty sound nevertheless. Tribe of One was recorded live
in the studio with no overdubs, and mixes 11 originals with 3 covers from the pen of Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan
and Etta Baker. Watch "Blame Yourself" @ YouTube!
9Bach "Ifan" (Video, 2018).
9Bach's[60]
song "Ifan" tells the true story of Ivan Mishukov, who left his poverty stricken home and was left to fend for himself on the streets of Moscow. Feeling the watchful eyes of the wild dogs on him, he soon learnt that if he fed them they would keep him warm in return. Trust was gained, and after several months the dogs made Ivan, 4 years old, the pack leader. Ivan had never felt love like this: “dogs don’t lie... humans do!”
Watch a new video featuring Ivan himself @ YouTube!
Read Lisa Jên explaining the story behind @ Real World records!
Various Artists
"ALEGRÌA e LIBERTÀ by Lucilla Galeazzi, Didier Laloy, Ialma, Carlo Rizzo, Maarten Decombel" (CD, Home Records, 2019).
Between muñeira and tarantella! "ALEGRÌA e LIBERTÀ" is a meeting of singers devoted to the 'passionaria' of Italian folk song
(Lucilla Galeazzi)[22]
and the 'cantareiras' of Galician (Ialma),[45]
enriched by diatonic accordion (Didier Laloy),[55]
tamburello (Carlo Rizzo) and guitar (Maarten Decombel).[47]
Listen to "ALEGRÌA e LIBERTÀ" @ BandCamp!
"An Introduction to LOCAL HERO - Season 2018/19" (Video, 2018).
Scottish fiddler Patsy Reid[55]
is very excited to be part of Mark Knopfler's musical adaption of Local Hero opening at
The Lyceum in Edinburgh in March 2019.
Based on the screenplay of the 1983 film, Local Hero is a comedy about a Texan oil executive
who sets out to buy a beach in Scotland and replace it with a refinery, but ends up losing his heart to this scenic spot.
Check out a short introduction @ YouTube!
"Music Maker Relief Foundation - Blue Muse" (Download, 2019).
The Music Maker Relief Foundation was founded to preserve the musical traditions of the American South by directly
supporting the musicians who make it, ensuring their voices will not be silenced by poverty and time.
Their 25th anniversary is celebrated with the compilation album "Blue Muse," featuring 21 tracks from
Eric Clapton, Taj Mahal,[48]
Dom Flemons,[66]
Cary Morin,[65]
and some of the most important musicians you’ve never heard.
The album spans a wide range of roots music traditions: blues, folk, soul, old-time, gospel.
"Blue Muse" serves as a musical companion to Blue Muse: Timothy Duffy’s Southern Photographs
(UNC Press, 2019)
and accompanying an exhibition organized by the New Orleans Museum of Art (on view April 25th – July 28th, 2019).
Please check out and download "Blue Muse" @ NoiseTrade!
"Songs of Our Native Daughters featuring Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla, Allison Russell"
(CD, Smithsonian Folkways, 2019).
Songs of Our Native Daughters shines new light on African-American women’s stories of struggle and resistance,
pulling from and inspired by 17th to 19th century sources and including slave narratives and early minstrelsy.
Kindred banjo players Rhiannon Giddens,[61]
Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla[65]
and Allison Russell confront sanitized views about America’s history of slavery, racism and misogyny from a black female perspective.
Check out The Making of @ "Mama's Cryin' Long"!