CD Reviews

Colter Wall
Memories and Empties

Presenting a consistent, uniform approach to his traditionally-inspired music, Saskatchewan, Canada's Colter Wall has established himself as a great last hope for genuine country. While occasionally present, clever and attention-grabbing wordplay and repetitive hooks are less important to Wall ...

Willie Nelson
Workin' Man: Willie Sings Merle

Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard were and are troubadours, longtime friends, collaborators on three albums and pop culture icons. Merle passed away in 2016. Willie is still going strong at age 92. For this, his 155th album, Willie and company pay tribute to the Hag by showcasing 11 of his best songs in ...

William Prince
Further From the Country

Two-time JUNO-award winning singer-songwriter William Prince, a member of Peguis First Nation on Canada's prairie, is a bold, confident voice, one who allows his art to speak for itself. Praise for Prince has been universal and well-deserved. Prince has created memorable songs on four ...

Noah Cyrus
I Want My Loved Ones to Go with Me

Nashville-native Noah Cyrus doesn't merely return to her country roots — she fertilizes its soil and waters the base. In ethereal sophomore album "I Want My Loved Ones To Go With Me," Cyrus creates an exceptional collection of gloomy melodies with bright lyricism. ...

Dierks Bentley
Broken Branches (Extended)

Despite his massive, continued success since the early '00s, Dierks Bentley seems like one of those Nashville artists that gets taken for granted. Consistently likable records and a minimum of personal drama will do that, but that lack of notoriety means he can just continue making the records he ...

Brennen Leigh
Don't You Ever Give Up On Love

In this blurred genre world, sometimes we lose track of what pure country music sounds like. Texas singer-songwriter Brennen Leigh, however, remains pure and faithful to both forms and tradition. "Don't You Ever Give Up on Love" is a shining example. Produced by Kevin Skria, with he ...

Waylon Jennings
Songbird

Psychologist Barry Schwartz has been quoted as saying "The secret to happiness is low expectations." It is also the secret to enjoying posthumously released records from artists you admire. So, don't get excited when you see that this collection was compiled by Waylon's son Shooter. ...

HARDY
COUNTRY! COUNTRY!

For a guy who wrote hits with Florida Georgia Line, Blake Shelton and Morgan Wallen, a song paying tribute to the sometimes hated "Bro Country" genre makes perfect sense, but the song "Bro Country (Feat. ERNEST)" actually questions whether it's still relevant to its audience: ...

Charles Wesley Godwin
Live From The Steel City

If "Live From the Steel City" is indicative of a typical Charles Wesley Godwin concert, then it's safe to say you get your money's worth at such an event. Clocking in at just under two hours, Godwin somehow manages to keep the band's energy and the audience's enthusiasm ...

Various Artists
The Rich-R-Tone Folks Star Story: Appalachia on Record 1946-1954

A 12-CD box set. 317 tracks. 144-page hard cover companion book. With extensive scholarly notes from Ted Olson (professor, Appalachian Studies/Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies at East Tennessee State University) and Matteo Ringressi (The Truffle Valley Boys and an eminent researcher and ...

Dallas Burrow
The Way the West Was Won

Far too often, those who sing about cowboys and Indians come across as hokey or pretentious. Singer-songwriter Dallas Burrow breaks that pattern. He is authentic and sincere. With four independent albums to his name and several EPs, he has arrived on a widely respected label, 40 Below. Consider the cast. ...

KP Hawthorn
Til the Glitter End

The co-founder of the HawtThorns, KP Hawthorn, steps out with her first solo record. Originally from California, Hawthorn blends her West Coast roots with the pop and Americana of her newly adopted Nashville. This is her ninth full-length recording, as she was also a member of the band CALICO the ...

Jake Worthington
When I Write The Song

Why do reviewers call an artist's second album their sophomore release, but you never see anyone calling someone's third or fourth record their junior or senior album? If you're going to use high school analogies, you shouldn't be allowed to skip a grade, should you? That's ...

Robbie Fulks
now then

The recent and unexpected death of Todd Snider reminds that none of us are immune from the passage of time, and (as we are reminded here within "Ol' Folks") that we must give flowers while we can, and that includes to under-appreciated (by any commercial measure) singer-songwriters. ...

Rodney Crowell
Airline Highway

2025 has been a big year already for Rodney Crowell. In addition to "Oh What a Beautiful World," Willie Nelson's acclaimed album of Crowell covers, he was also inducted into the prestigious Texas Institute of Letters alongside such literary lions as Cormac McCarthy and Larry McMurtry. ...

Stephen Wilson Jr.
Blankets

Stephen Wilson, Jr. has made a name for himself as an Americana songwriter, but his live performances have always owed a debt to his love for 1990s grunge rock. For this EP, Wilson dips into the classic grunge songbook for covers of some of his favorites. The centerpiece is his riveting, heartfelt ...

Molly Tuttle
So Long Little Miss Sunshine

An uplifting and powerful creation, with "So Long Little Miss Sunshine," Molly Tuttle confidently steps away from bluegrass to establish herself as a modern country-pop artist replete with acoustic flair. As evidenced by this collection of 11 originals and a breezy, charged cover of Icona ...

Charley Crockett
Dollar A Day

The second volume of the promised "Sagebrush Trilogy" finds Charley Crockett exploring a Muscle Shoals-influenced version of his 'Gulf & Western' country music. Almost evenly split between originals and songs mined from elsewhere, "Dollar A Day" is like many of ...

Hayes Carll
We're Only Human

Singer-songwriter Hayes Carll begins "We're Only Human" with an elegant piano intro to the title track that reminds us of our imperfections (and that we're anything but elegant) in a world where too many have become annoyingly egotistical. The tune is filled with classic Carll ...

Cody Jinks
In My Blood

Like all artists worthy the name, hard-living country outlaw Cody Jinks has matured as a singer-songwriter and human. Some bad habits have been left behind, but Jinks hasn't abandoned what has brought him success. While he tends to limit himself to writing of current circumstances — life ...