After a four-year sabbatical, Chicago’s very own “organicore” (my term) ensemble has returned as if lead nerds Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt had never done their sublime solo outings. It’s a timely return for this quietly influential band — meaning, influencing people who have no idea they’ve been influenced (ahem, the, ahem, Shins). While no [...]

On their debut disc, Seattle’s North Twin melds classic and southern rock with roots and country influences along the lines of Go To Blazes or Blue Mountain. Lead singer and songwriter Tony Fulgham has a big, soaring voice that can go rough or sweet and sounds just right over North Twin’s righteous jagged crunch. Fulgham [...]

Longtime followers of Matthew Hebert and his stately roots rock band the Ware River Club should dig the results of his new ensemble’s debut disc. The collection of talented musicians the Northampton, Massachusetts, singer-songwriter has pulled together showcases Hebert’s story-songs with a subtle new luster, adding nuance without drawing too much attention from the spirited [...]

The insanely talented 19-year-old Andrew Collberg composed, arranged and played all the instruments on his home-recorded debut disc, including drums, organ, harmonica, banjo and guitars, plus lots of special effects. The all-original set is a wonderfully integrated but varied, grit-pop romp around the edges of country and blues. There’s some Dylan flavor, although Collberg’s phrasing [...]

Raised in Portland but now residing in New York, Keegan Dewitt has also studied acting and written a play. He brings the more positive aspects of his dramatic experiences to his songs. His debut is a treasure of well-constructed, relatively mellow Americana. Songs such as “Bed Of Mercy” and “So High So Low” are radio-friendly [...]

“May The Sun Always Shine”, the parade of good wishes that opens Love’s Come To Town, sounds like Whiskeytown at its earliest. Violin and weepy pedal steel co-star in the rootsy, waltzy mix, while a female singer gradually joins in with the male lead vocalist. However, the role of Ryan Adams is played by African-Norwegian [...]

Ann Savoy has explored Cajun and zydeco music and collaborated with Linda Ronstadt (last year’s Adieu False Heart). Her new disc is a well-executed set of jazz-tinged standards that demonstrates her versatility as a vocalist. Savoy swings on the title track, co-written by Benny Goodman, and convincingly explores the emotional complexities of Rodgers & Hart’s [...]

“Spilling out before you like fish guts on the kitchen floor/Everything you loved, everything you thought was yours,” Ben Weaver sings on “Rain Leaves Smoke” over a lazy, lonesome banjo. Lay it all out and never flinch is the code Weaver adheres to as a songwriter, and he lives up to it on Paper Sky, [...]

Whether he’s having fun or being deadly serious, on Red Dog Blues Michael Fracasso is the epitome of a wordsmith. Every song clicks lyrically and, funny or serious, the most obvious thing about them is that they all truly mean something to Fracasso; there’s never a feeling that these are half-drunk ideas written on a [...]

Rodney Hayden’s third album follows the template of his previous discs, and that’s not a bad thing. Hayden offers an appealing balance of Nashville-friendly hooks and Texas dancehall grit. A Robert Earl Keen discovery, Hayden displays several Keen-like qualities, from his character-rich tales (“I’ll Ride Again”, the Tex-Mex-flavored “Nuevo Laredo” and “Silverado Boys”) to his [...]