Album Review: Brantley Gilbert – ‘Fire & Brimstone’
Fire & Brimstone is mostly filled with macho, outlaw-posturing sentiments that grew stale a long time ago… Read More Album Review: Brantley Gilbert – ‘Fire & Brimstone’
Fire & Brimstone is mostly filled with macho, outlaw-posturing sentiments that grew stale a long time ago… Read More Album Review: Brantley Gilbert – ‘Fire & Brimstone’
I want a gift card from God… Read More Album Review: Sturgill Simpson – ‘SOUND & FURY’
There’s a good idea behind “She’s Mine,” but it’s carried out in a lackluster way.… Read More Song Review: Kip Moore – “She’s Mine”
While a tad inconsistent, The Lowdown Drifters show off plenty of wit and personality on Last Call For Dreamers.… Read More Album Review: The Lowdown Drifters – ‘Last Call For Dreamers’
As always, Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown are excellent on a technical level, but their new album, Truth and Lies, is a mixed bag of songs … Read More Album Review: Tyler Bryant And The Shakedown – ‘Truth And Lies’
Jade Bird wears her influences on her sleeve like any artist, but on her self-titled debut album, she transcends those influences by imbuing her own fiery personality into her work… Read More Album Review: Jade Bird – ‘Jade Bird’
Hail Mary by Shane Smith and the Saints is a grand odyssey… Read More Album Review: Shane Smith And The Saints – ‘Hail Mary’
Harold Saul High is messy and unfocused, but it shows slight improvement for Koe Wetzel.… Read More Album Review: Koe Wetzel – ‘Harold Saul High’
While good, ‘Turn Off The News (Build A Garden)’ is a scatterbrained listen… Read More Album Review: Lukas Nelson & The Promise Of The Real – ‘Turn Off The News (Build A Garden)’
‘Hard Lessons’ shows improvement from Chris Shiflett… Read More Album Review: Chris Shiflett – ‘Hard Lessons’
The short version: ‘El Camino Real’ is another solid project from Joey McGee. Favorite tracks: “Stuck,” “Pining,” “Old Beat Up Car,” “The Cape” Least favorite track: “The War You Wanted” Rating: 7/10 The long version: It says something in the modern Internet age that reviewing an album just two months after its release counts as… Read More Album Review: Joey McGee – ‘El Camino Real’
The short version: Rod Melancon goes further than ever before with his primal, unsettling and visceral tones on ‘Pinkville.’ Favorite tracks: “The Heartbreakers,” “Westgate,” “Cobra,” “Rehabilitation,” “Lord Knows” Least favorite track: “Corpus Christi Carwash” Rating: 9/10 The long version: In troubled times, music is a either a source of refuge from turmoil or another channel… Read More Album Review: Rod Melancon – ‘Pinkville’
The short version: ‘Waves’ often finds itself on the edges of burnout in ways that feel depressing, angry, and most of all, cathartic. It also finds Austin Meade truly coming into his own as an artist to craft his own individual, artistic statement. Favorite tracks: “Waves,” “Pay Phone,” “Mountain Past,” “Colorblind,” “Brooklyn,” “Bad Habits,” “Savannah”… Read More Album Review: Austin Meade – ‘Waves’
The short version: Despite featuring a more refined sonic palette, ‘Easy Way’ by the Cactus Blossoms doesn’t offer much of anything interesting. Favorite tracks: “Easy Way,” “Got A Lotta Love,” “Please Don’t Call Me Crazy” Least favorite track: “See It Through” Rating: 5/10 The long version: In a way, artists being compared to their influences… Read More Album Review: The Cactus Blossoms – ‘Easy Way’
The short version: Vandoliers’ ‘Forever’ is the kind of tight, fun album that’s easy to enjoy, has more depth to it than one would expect, and features a unique sonic palette. Favorite tracks: “Tumbleweed,” “Cigarettes In The Rain,” “Shoshone Rose,” “Sixteen Years,” “Troublemaker” Least favorite track: “Nowhere Fast” Rating: 8/10 Author’s preface: I hate having… Read More Album Review: Vandoliers – ‘Forever’
The short version: For something different, I collaborated with Nathan Kanuch of Shore2Shore Country for a review of Ryan Bingham’s latest album! Zack: So I think to start this, we should give our personal history with Ryan Bingham’s music up to this point. Nathan: Sounds good. So I first noticed Bingham’s music, like most people,… Read More Collaborative Album Review: Ryan Bingham – ‘American Love Song’ w/ Nathan Kanuch
The short version: Maren Morris’ “GIRL” carries a strong message with a strong vocal delivery, but it lacks the right amount of punch to elevate its status. Writers: Maren Morris, Sarah Aarons, Greg Kurstin Rating: 6/10 The long version: Bro-country may be dead, but female artists are arguably faring worse than ever before in mainstream… Read More Song Review: Maren Morris – “GIRL”
The short version: The Steel Woods’ sophomore effort is somehow even better than their debut album. It’s a striking concept record filled with great stories, fantastic riffs and some of their stickiest hooks yet. In short, it’s an early contender for one of 2019’s best albums. Favorite tracks: “Rock That Says My Name,” “Without You,”… Read More Album Review: The Steel Woods – ‘Old News’
The short version: “What Happens In A Small Town” is no masterpiece lyrically, but the other elements are solid enough to call this a decent track. Writers: Brantley Gilbert, Brock Berryhill, Josh Dunne, Rhett Akins Rating: 6/10 The long version: A combination of Brantley Gilbert and Lindsay Ell actually doesn’t sound so far-fetched when you… Read More Song Review: Brantley Gilbert feat. Lindsay Ell – “What Happens In A Small Town”
The short version: I admire Amanda Shires’ experiment into electronic and rock music, but the album doesn’t quite completely stick the landing despite a few great moments. The long version: Can artists ditch their signature sound and still make it work? Amanda Shires promised something different on her new album, To The Sunset, leaving most… Read More Album Review: Amanda Shires – ‘To The Sunset’