Arty, airy and ethereal, Bukka Allen’s first solo record since 1999′s Sweet Valentine is a moody, introspective, highly poetic collection of originals. Like his father Terry, Bukka is a master of dark, brooding melody and lyrics that cut to the ethical quick with surgical elegance, such as “Slip through the hands of an angel/Land on [...]

Arty, airy and ethereal, Bukka Allen’s first solo record since 1999′s Sweet Valentine is a moody, introspective, highly poetic collection of originals. Like his father Terry, Bukka is a master of dark, brooding melody and lyrics that cut to the ethical quick with surgical elegance, such as “Slip through the hands of an angel/Land on [...]

With stomping takes on Jerry Lee Lewis’ “End Of The Road” and the 1950s Buddy Knox hit “Party Doll”, Red Hot From Blue rock follows in the steps of Lucky Tomblin’s 2006 release In A Honky-Tonk Mood. Tomblin’s all-star Austin assemblage specializes in loving recreations of deep tracks from classic artists, and even on cheeseballs [...]

The words roll out in Gurf Morlix’s old soul voice as if from a seer delivering eternal knowledge, a medicine man calling up the Great Spirit or a miracle cure: “Birth to boneyard, boom to bust/Everything falls apart like it must.” On his fourth solo album, Morlix’s themes are living and dying, transience and permanence, [...]

Perhaps the most relevant question asked by Jimmy LaFave on Cimarron Manifesto is: “Whatever happened to Johnny B. Goode?” Except for a couple of tracks, this is LaFave’s quietest, prettiest, most sensitive record — and that’s saying a lot, as LaFave has done a lot of quiet, sensitive and pretty songs. For a guy who [...]

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 [...]

Loaded lineups like this can make for great sounding albums, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re tied together well. No matter how good the musicians are, squeezing pop vocalist Bruce Hughes between the grit of Jud Newcomb and Jon Dee Graham makes for some jarring transitions. Add Steve Bruton to the mix, and there are [...]