Americana Archive
07 Jan 2020
Samantha Fish: More Than Just a Girl with a Guitar (Part Two)
Continued from Part One … “Kill or Be Kind” is as far away as you can get from the idea of a song that’s merely an excuse for a guitar solo. I get the sense that you’ve got a confidence that you don’t have as much to prove as you did in the past. Honestly,
06 Jan 2020
Samantha Fish: More Than Just a Girl with a Guitar (Part One)
Early in her career, Missouri-born guitarist and singer Samantha Fish was featured on an album titled Girls With Guitars. It’s difficult to imagine the Samantha Fish of today allowing herself to be billed that way. And though she’s won many awards in the blues idiom, Fish is determined not to be painted into a stylistic
04 Jan 2020
David Holt’s ‘State of Music’
It’s important to shine a light on the musical traditions associated with North Carolina. And one of the most entertaining and effective efforts in that regard is the public television series David Holt’s State of Music. Launched in 2016, the program hosted by the four-time Grammy winner has welcomed a wide variety of music’s top
28 Dec 2019
Album Review: Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters — Christmas on a Greyhound Bus
When an artist releases an album (or EP) of holiday music, it need not be designed to fulfill an obligation to a label. It also needn’t be a placeholder while a creatively spent artist treads water, waiting for the muse to return. And it doesn’t have to be a schmaltzy, pandering and overly sentimental collection
25 Dec 2019
Musoscribe’s Best of 2019: New Music
Today’s Christmas. Whether you observe the religious traditions of the holiday or not, Quit reading this and go spend time with loved ones! Okay, before you go, a very brief post. There were some great albums released this year as well. Some of my favorites include: Watermelon Slim – Church of the Blues Luther Russell
20 Dec 2019
Album Review: The Black Tones — Cobain & Cornbread
Ice-T (among many others) has long made the point that African Americans’ role in the creation of rock ‘n’ roll doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. While I agree, I suspect that in part the reason for that is that comparatively few people of color work in the rock idiom. I recall vividly just how
14 Dec 2019
Hundred-word Reviews for December 2019, #2
With the end of 2019 on the horizon, I figure now’s as good a time as any to bring things up to date with another batch of quick reviews. In this edition: all new music, ten titles. Blues, powerpop, jazz and more. All worth your time. Maybe even a Great Gift Idea™. Happy holidays! Coco
02 Nov 2019
Album Review: Zoe & Cloyd — I Am Your Neighbor
The student and feminism movements that came to prominence in the late 20th century both made use of the slogan, “the personal is political.” And whatever side of an issue one might come down upon, there’s little disagreement regarding the truth in the phrase. In today’s interconnected world, our actions take on a political dimension.
18 Sep 2019
Penny and Sparrow: Rosé Rock vs. Emo-country
The crystalline instrumentation and emotionally resonant vocal harmonies of Penny and Sparrow have earned the Austin, Texas folk duo both critical plaudits and a dedicated following. But Penny and Sparrow are about much more than indie-folk: their latest album, Finch, draws from a wide (and perhaps unexpected) array of styles, most notably rhythm and blues.
15 Sep 2019
Alexa Rose: No Contest
Though she can attribute at least some of her success to doing well in songwriting contests, Asheville-based singer-songwriter Alexa Rose has mixed feelings about competition. But as she put the finishing touches on Medicine for Living, her album due in this month, Rose teamed up with a recent fellow competitor for a songwriter-focused show at