Fresh off a couple of stops in rehab, Fort Worth’s Collin Herring releases his third effort, Past Life Crashing, an unflinchingly autobiographical journey through the heart of a troubled songwriter. Not surprisingly, the material here is much more somber (and sober) than that of his fantastic sophomore effort, The Other Side Of Kindness, but the [...]

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 [...]

After the political and emotional catharsis of 2006′s Hope And Other Casualties, Mark Erelli deserves the respite of this (mostly) covers collection. Performed primarily solo (with occasional help from Jeffrey Foucault), the material reveals Erelli as a fan of both conventional folk-rock and some experimental avenues of alt-country. Erelli doesn’t provide much interpretation to the [...]

Scottish wunderkind Roddy Hart has the heart and soul of a Nebraska farm hand. Tough, sentimental and straightforward, the songs collected on Bookmarks, his surprising debut, bear all the hallmarks of classic Americana. Hart’s big-eyed, yearning prose and wide-open sound goes well with Springsteen and Earle, two obvious influences; his supporting cast here includes such [...]

A side-man best known for his work with Wilco and Blue Rodeo, Bob Egan is a talented vagabond, a roots-rock virtuoso unafraid to cross borders and genres. The Glorious Decline, Egan’s third solo release, is an impressive collection of atmospheric country and folk, imbibed with weary narratives and suspicious characters. “An Airport Bar On Christmas [...]

The sophomore solo effort from Barton Carroll, noted for his contributions to Crooked Fingers, Azure Ray and Micah P. Hinson, is a rare treatise that can handle the overwhelming subject matter of its title. Focusing on the understated, Carroll delivers a collection of folk/country that features his dry, affecting vocals and inventive fretwork. Inspired by [...]

For a co-called psychedelic pop combo, the Great Lakes throw a surprising amount of rootsy irreverence into their third release. The Athens, Georgia, band’s lineup has included members of Neutral Milk Hotel and Of Montreal, so one might expect the kind of angular, retro new wave pop associated with those groups. Once the gorgeous opening [...]

Mark Erelli’s fourth effort is the rare treatise that works both as an artistic and political statement, an attentive examination of current times interwoven with matters of the heart. Erelli carried these songs around for several years, with thoughts of September 11 and some personal missteps stewing in his brain, nagging at him. “Imaginary Wars” [...]