God bless the Chieftains for a half century of stirring, even daring, music in a traditional Irish framework—no matter the collaborators, Paddy Maloney makes sure the end results are distinctly, evocatively resonant of the ould ...

Bruce Springsteen’s latest solo album, Wrecking Ball, is a collection of populist songs powered by the recession-driven fear and unfocussed rage of working (and out-of-work) Americans. These rough-hewn protests harken back to Woody Guthrie, Pete ...

Bluesman Eric Bibb heads to Louisiana to explore the intersection between the African, French, Spanish, Caribbean, and Native American influences in that region’s music. Recorded at Dirk Powell’s Cypress House Studio in Pont Breaux, Louisiana, ...

Sonically sparse and emotionally raw, the twelve ballads on Little Broken Hearts drift through a stark-blue landscape strewn with heartache, disappointment, and despair. Teaming up with producer Danger Mouse (Black Keys, Gnarls Barkley), singer and ...

Forget Jimi versus God, forget the Beatles versus the Stones—in the late Sixties the stiffest competition involved the most bizarre musician on the planet. Arthur Brown and Captain Beefheart were definitely upper tier, but first ...

Recently more recordings have started showing up on audiophile vinyl within a few years of their initial release, including albums originally only available as CDs or downloads. Such is the case with Priscilla Ahn’s A ...

It’s a lot to expect for a band to be bursting with ideas at the 25-year mark, but that’s what the Cowboy Junkies had to be to make The Nomad Series, a four-CD project now ...

What’s an Italian-American boy from the Bronx doing singing the blues? Telling the tales of his life, and reinvigorating a career that never really ended. Dion DiMucci started in 50s doo-wop with the Belmonts, and ...

Lyle Lovett’s final project for a major label is a mixed bag of covers and original songs from blues to bluegrass, gospel to pop. Fittingly, most of the songs are about movin’ on. There’s the ...

Otis Taylor may just be the last authentic bluesman. His often intimate songs, informed by the dreams and disappointments of generations of Africans and African Americans, give voice to those, past and present, scattered by ...

Those Willie Nelson critics who bait the red-headed stranger for coasting too much as a recording artist will regard Remember Me, Vol. 1 as prima facie evidence. Granted, he could use a bit more glide ...

Coming out of a resurgent Kansas City blues scene, Levee Town is a basic, unrelenting quartet with a powerhouse guitarist in Brandon Hudspeth, an inspired harmonica master in Jimmie Meade, and a right-on-the-money rhythm section ...

Ever wonder why no one ever sings anymore about the budget delights of Boone’s Farm wine? Especially the strawberry flavored kind? Well the Kentucky Headhunters haven’t forgotten the small pleasures and cheap thrills that make ...

Audiophile releases often document polished performances, sometimes to the point of fussiness, so reissuing Recycling the Blues might seem an odd choice. The live performances are deliberately rough around the edges while some studio cuts ...

Muddy Waters’ Folk Singer is no stranger to the reissue circuit. From MoFi in the early 90s to Classic Records’ more recent vinyl release, this is a perennial audiophile favorite. So what could justify another ...