As half of husband-wife duo the Innocence Mission, guitarist Don Peris provides a sonic signature as important to the band’s sound as his partner’s exquisite voice, if less front-and-center. On his second solo outing, Peris wisely goes the instrumental route (save for a couple of carefully-sequenced exceptions, with vocal assistance from Karen Peris and Denison [...]

Wisely ditching the name Vagenius for the more commercially palatable Hello Stranger, this Los Angeles trio (recently expanded to a four-piece) coolly navigates classic femme-pop waters on its own eclectic terms. Vocalist Juliet Commagere never turns in a rote performance despite having studied her iconography charts, from Debbie Harry (the Latin-flavored new wave of “Dancing [...]

Tiffany and Brit Ginn have had a lifetime together to perfect their head-spinning harmonizing, and it’s been time well spent. Born thirteen months apart, the Texas sisters are confident, soulful vocalists who sing every song like their family’s honor depended on it. Tiffany penned most of Blood Oranges — Bill Passalacqua co-wrote three songs, and [...]

With song titles such as “Shaking Like A Flame”, “Poor Boy”, “Headstones And Dead Leaves”, and “As Far As Fear Will Take You”, Glossary doesn’t blow a lot of sunshine up your…well, whatever. But singer Joey Kneiser infuses songs of restlessness, weariness and growing older with the belief that something better lies ahead, even if [...]

Los Angeles songwriter/rock journalist Neal Weiss has no qualms about wearing his rock literacy on his sleeve. Throughout the eleven tracks on Weed Patch’s sophomore offering, he drops references to Ray Charles, Nick Cave, Jimi Hendrix, the “Wall of Sound”, and the Velvet Underground (to name a few). But this is no trite music history [...]

The fifth album by Austin quintet the Weary Boys is rough-and-tumble country with a rock ’n’ roll heart. It’s as suffused with the loopy and confident vigor of high octane spirits and boozy antics. While the actual subject of drinking shows up in a number of songs on Jumpin’ Jolie — lazily hopeful imbibing in [...]

Boasting the addictive harmony vocals of Billy Brent Malkus and Rebecca Lucille Cannon, a sweaty, tattooed take on classic country, and some great songs, the Texas Sapphires have earned a following down Austin way. Like the similarly geography-defined band Porter Hall, TN, the Sapphires bring to mind X, but they puts their own stamp on [...]

Considering what a musical melting pot New York City is, it’s not remarkable that a promising bluegrass band like the Dixie Bee-Liners would assemble there. New York was actually where Kentucky native Brandi Hart first began performing the music of her home state. She splits the sextet’s songwriting and vocals with Buddy Woodward, a leader [...]

Lots of bluegrass artists have excelled at singing gospel, but the coup­ling of country singers and gospel has produced a more inconsistent output. A successful example is Justin Trevino, who wraps his velvety vocal chords around songs of faith on his fifth album. Trevino tackles a cross-section of well-known old gospel songs such as “How [...]

Bernard Fanning, the front­man of Australian radio-friendly rock band Powderfinger, showcases his affection for acoustic-based Americana to great effect on his debut solo release. Evoking at times the simple yet unforgettable melodic charm of Neil Young’s Harvest as well as the harder-edged, rootsy rawness of Rod Stewart’s Gasoline Alley, the album drips with soul-stirring emotion [...]