soul Archive

30 Days Out, March 2023 #2: Satsang, Sawyer Fredericks, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Winery Dogs

This edition of 30 Days Out takes a look at a well-known and beloved national touring act as well as some lesser-known artists whose work is well worth investigation. Artist: […]

Album Review: Johnny Rawls – Going Back to Mississippi

Johnny Rawls has deep Mississippi roots. Born and raised in small towns in the state, he developed proficiency on a number of instruments, and by his twenties Rawls had joined […]

30 Days Out, March 2023 #1: Stews, Beths, Martin Sexton, Bask

There’s lots going on musically in and around Asheville in the next 30 days. Here are some highlights. Artist: The Stews Venue: Salvage Station Date: Friday, March 3, 8 p.m. […]

Album Review: Ruthie Foster – Healing Time

It’s the rare artist capable of creating a body of work that transcends genre. True, Ruthie Foster has been recipient of many, many awards in the blues idiom. Foster has […]

Short-format Roundup

Nearly all of my reviews focus on albums. Only when the material truly merits an exception do I cover EPs or singles. Here are quick looks at three new releases […]

Joel Selvin and ‘Sly & the Family Stone: An Oral History’

In 1998, Joel Selvin was well into his third decade as pop music critic/journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle; he had also authored several books. But his 1998 book, Sly […]

30 Days Out, January 2023 #2: Andrew Scotchie, ABACAB, Neal Francis, Free Planet Radio

Here we are in mid-January. As I’ve observed countless times before, this is the “quiet season” in Western North Carolina. The weather can be blustery, but the season presents an […]

30 Days Out, January 2023 #1: GA-20, Larkin Poe, Firecracker Jazz Band, Samantha Fish

There’s definitely something of a theme to this, the first 30DO of the new year. All of the live music performances previewed this time are blues or jazz. One of […]

30 Days Out, Dec. 2022 #2: Russ Wilson, Datrian Johnson, Asheville Jazz Orchestra, Moon Hooch

The end of the year and the cold of winter represent something of a return to form for Asheville; most of the tourists are gone, and locally-based artists who tour […]

Album Review: The New Mastersounds — The Deplar Effect

For more than two decades now, The New Mastersounds have been creating and refining their winning brand of fusion/funk/what-have-you. Right out of the gate, the result of their creative endeavors […]