Nika Heals Beautifully on “I Deserve to Be Calm”
Czech artist Veronika Boráková performs under the name NIKA – and she’s a conservatory-trained pianist and singer. Her new single “I Deserve To Be Calm” will remind listeners of all-time greats like Kate Bush, Norah Jones and Tori Amos. “I Deserve To Be Calm” chronicles the emotional healing that took place after another artist heaped […]
Laura Musgrave Delivers Pop Perfection on “Play Again”
Laura Musgrave is an artist from northern England who is winning new fans in the U.S. and Australia with her infectious power pop. Laura’s new single “Play Again” has the energetic appeal of New York’s Charly Bliss and UK group Pale Waves. Musgrave is no stranger to ballads, having garnered 2023 Single of the Year […]
Jaryn Jones and Brandon Scott Soar on “Dry Bones”
“Dry Bones” is an impressive new duet from Nashville artists Jaryn Jones and Brandon Scott. Musically, it sounds like the best of seventies rock from artists like Fleetwood Mac and Heart. From the first note to the final harmonies, Jones and Scott vocalize beautifully together, just like Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham back in the […]
Hamish Anderson Leads a Blues/Rock Revival on “Everybody”
(Photo: Emma Gillett) Australian artist and guitar ace Hamish Anderson is almost singlehandedly reviving a genre we used to fondly call “rock”. His new album ELECTRIC will remind you a bit of The Foo Fighters and Led Zep’s Jimmy Page. But my favorite track is “Everybody”, which has a bluesy John Lennon feel. Anderson’s album […]
Daena Celebrates Her “Lucky Number” from Debut Album
(Photo: Acacia Evans) Nashville artist Dana Rogers goes by the stage name “daena” – and her debut album Alter Ego feels destined to make a lot of “Best of 2024” lists. The new album is a showcase not just for daena’s superb songwriting but for her incredibly versatile voice as well. It’s hard to convey […]
Linda Dunnavant Shines on “Meet Me There”
Nashville-based Americana artist Linda Dunnavant has a great new album called Hidden Lake. Songs like “Meet Me There” and “Me Against Me” are haunting and richly melodic, reminding me a lot of Kacey Musgraves. Dunnavant grew up in Moultrie, Georgia, a region of the South that has given us (among others) Tom Petty, Ethel Cain […]
Imogen Clark Masters “The Art of Getting Through”
(Photo by Michelle Grance Hunder) I’m not sure about a lot of things. Not sure if the Middle East is heading for an all-out war. Not sure if the stock market is teetering. But I am sure that Imogen Clark’s The Art Of Getting Through is the best album of this decade so far. The […]
Hunter Metts is Iconic on “Monochrome”
(Photo: Travis Shinn) Listening to Hunter Metts’ debut EP Monochrome made me wonder: what does Zach Bryan have that this guy doesn’t have? Nashville-based Metts writes great songs and has a hypnotic, Bon Iver-type voice. When people hear this new collection of songs, he could easily become our next breakthrough indie-folk sensation. Metts’ songs remind […]
Paul Nye is Brilliant on “Everybody Wants to Be an Adjective”
Minnesota-based artist/songwriter Paul Nye is a throwback to the days when artists like Dylan, The Beatles and Crosby Stills Nash & Young gave us albums that were exceptionally eclectic. Nye’s new album Songs Well-Traveled has echoes of those artists, plus Al Kooper’s organ whoosh and the guitar stylings of Jeff Beck and Bruce Cockburn. In […]
Courtney Farren Ponders “Will I Ever Love Me?”
(Photo: Garrett Borns) Some albums – like Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour – have enduring beauty. You enjoy listening to them from beginning to end, year after year. I’m sure that Courtney Farren’s new debut album Punchlines will likewise sound just as marvelous in 2034. On the strength of her songwriting alone, Farren is already in […]
