Singer/songwriter Andrew Combs, now a father and long a questioner of all things spiritual, uses his new album, Ideal Man, to double down on that pursuit, perhaps hoping to figure some things out to pass on to his daughter.
After last year's full-band effort with All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn’t Do, The Milk Carton Kids return to their roots with a new seven-song EP, The Only Ones, that recaptures their intimate, duo magic but also stretches in a new direction.
With 14 tracks to choose from, Home has something for everyone and feels like Billy Strings has found his place. It's an impressive effort, to be sure, from the wunderkind from Michigan who says he learned how to play from bluegrass, but learned how to perform from heavy metal.
With Humbird's debut full-length, Pharmakon, singer/songwriter Siri Undlin has woven an intricate tapestry of ideas. Even the title is a Plato-defined philosophical theory dripping with complexity, meaning that something can be a remedy, poison, or a scapegoat, depending on the circumstance.
Singer/songwriter Pieta Brown has done so before, and does so again with Freeway, crafting a sonic environment that utterly envelops the listener in the best possible way.
Taken all together, 'Who Are You Now' is a wondrous tapestry, each block telling one part of the whole story that is this remarkable young artist's life. With so many years ahead of her, Madison Cunningham is going to be exciting to watch push boundaries, hers and others'.
Dori Freeman has teamed up with producer Teddy Thompson once again for a remarkable album of toe-tapping, classic-style country songs. Every Single Star is a beautiful album from one of the finest singer-songwriters outside of Nashville’s gravitational pull.
It’s refreshing to hear music so beautifully composed and thought-through, where the production follows the lead of the song. Given all this, there’s no telling why Joan Shelley isn’t more of a household name so far. Perhaps Like the River Loves the Sea will change that.
Kelly McCartney reviews Fires for the Cold, the latest release from Jonah Tolchin.
Sunny War's Shell of a Girl is, at once, dark and hopeful – a perfect combination of vibes for the year in which it was released. And though she tackles some topics, like the tendency to medicate children (“Drugs Are Bad”), the album is more of a rumination on adulthood and how to navigate it when one realizes everyone’s just faking it until they make it.
