AJ JANSEN Bars, Scars and Old Guitars ajjansenmusic.com New England singer and songwriter AJ Jansen is in full strut on Bars, Scars and Old Guitars, a punchy EP that further refines the contemporary country sound she explored on her previous two albums. The sweetly vulnerable ballad “I’ll Let You” and pensive slow-burner “All Over This Town” are appealing in their own terms, but the comparably raucous remaining four songs set the overall... 

FRED EAGLESMITH Cha Cha Cha fredeaglesmith.com As the title implies, Cha Cha Cha recreates vintage sounds like classic gospel and retro rock ’n’ roll. Eaglesmith usually plays the irrepressible troubadour, but here his wry observations and critical commentary are tempered by the album’s romantic allure. Throughout these 10 tracks, Eaglesmith segues smoothly from the gypsy sway of “Careless” and the bottleneck shuffle of “Car” to the... 

THE DIRTY GUV’NAHS Youth Is in our Blood thedirtyguvnahs.com Youth may be in their blood, but tradition guides their instincts. With this sophomore disc, the Knoxville, Tenn. sextet channels respected forebears like the Allman Brothers, Doobie Brothers and the Black Crowes. The Guv’nahs reflect other influences along the way—specifically, the Stones’ strut and swagger on “It’s Dangerous” and John Mellencamp on “New Salvation.” The... 

AMY CORREIA You Go Your Way amycorreia.com Three albums on, Amy Correia continues to expand her palette, expressing herself through songs that cover a wide musical terrain, both stylistically and geographically. With Correia’s sturdy vocals at the fore, the arrangements range from laidback to brassy to string-laden serenades. The vocal performances on the fan-financed You Go Your Way conjure up comparisons to Bonnie Raitt (on “You Go Your Way”)... 

CARRY ME OHIO Oak and Iron Bound carrymeohio.com Colorado singer, guitarist, songwriter and onetime solo act Evan Pugh formed Carry Me Ohio in 2009 to play his songs in a full-band context, but the emphasis on Oak and Iron Bound remains on songcraft rather than showy musical fireworks. That said, this is a real band—guitarist David Goodheim’s licks pointedly punctuate Pugh’s vocals, bass player Jeff Miller’s low-end contributions are melodic... 

THE CHAPIN SISTERS Two thechapinsisters.com The aptly titled Two is a solid sequel to the Chapin Sisters’ critically hailed 2008 debut, Lake Bottom LP. With Jessica Craven on hiatus and focusing on her family, siblings Abigail and Lily Chapin take up the slack, their delicate, shimmering harmonies effectively filling the newfound space in the sound. The daughters of veteran singer and songwriter Tom Chapin (and the nieces of his late brother Harry),... 

ANDREW ANDERSON As Long as This Thing’s Flyin’ andrewandersonmusic.com The initial outing by Idaho-to-Austin transplant Andrew Anderson combines a sense of austerity with a hard-bitten, road-weary resolve. He and colleagues Luke Meade and Jeremy Harris rummage through a veritable acoustic instrumental arsenal on As Long as This Thing’s Flyin’, providing their ramshackle narratives with a distinctive back-porch flavor. Anderson wails defiance... 

LUKE DOUCET AND THE WHITE FALCON Steel City Trawler lukedoucet.com With a burgeoning reputation in his native Canada as both an incisive songwriter and a riveting guitar slinger, Luke Doucet now makes a determined effort to balance both aspects of his talent. Steel City Trawler is as gritty as its title implies, its pure, unapologetic rock ’n’ roll referencing the Stones, the Faces and even the Who in all their frayed and tattered glory. An amped-up... 

STONE RIVER BOYS Love on the Dial stoneriverboys.com QUICK TAKE + While they come across as a down-home country combo, replete with smooth harmonies and steel guitars, Stone River Boys are remarkably versatile—as evidenced by a heartfelt take on the R&B standard “Can I Change My Mind.” But even their soulful, deep-throated originals sound like instant classics.  Read More →

DAN NAVARRO WITH STONEHONEY Live at McCabe’s dannavarro.com QUICK TAKE + The pairing of Dan Navarro with rookie country-rock combo Stonehoney reaps dividends for both parties. Navarro’s breezy style adds a distinctive lead voice that supports Stonehoney’s early-’70s sensibilities, while the group muscles up Navarro’s more easygoing inclinations.  Read More →

MARK EVANS Rain on the Roses markevansmusic.com QUICK TAKE + New York City-based Mark Evans has composed for film, radio and television. His musical skill, as well as his obvious affinity for catchy country, are just as evident here. Given its instantly appealing melodies, this impressive debut should help him find his own place in the spotlight.  Read More →

ELLERY This Isn’t Over Yet ellerymusic.com QUICK TAKE + The sophomore effort by husband-and-wife duo Tasha and Justin Golden ups the ante over their highly praised debut. Enlisting the services of famed producer Malcolm Burn, Ellery further affirms its penchant for shimmering melodies, rich textures and emotional clarity.  Read More →

GEOFFREY GURRUMUL YUNUPINGU Gurrumul www.gurrumul.com QUICK TAKE + A native of the northern territories of Australia and blind since birth, singer and guitarist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu creates a soothing, hypnotic sound from little more than acoustic guitar and lush harmonies. Singing in the native tongue of the indigenous people, he creates lullabies that transcend language or locale.  Read More →

KEVIN WELCH A Patch of Blue Sky kevinwelch.com Ending an eight-year absence, Kevin Welch’s new album shows us all over again why he’s regarded as an Americana icon. Accompanied by an ace band that includes son Dustin on banjo and guitar, and frequent collaborator and fellow Dead Reckoner Fats Kaplin on pedal steel, he delivers touching songs of remorse and redemption with stoic conviction and indomitable resolve. “The Great Emancipation,”... 

SAHARA SMITH Myth of the Heart myspace.com/saharasmithmusic All of 21, Sahara Smith soars with the conviction and authority of someone several times her age. The Austin resident garnered honors at a songwriting contest sponsored by A Prairie Home Companion and eventually gained the attention of impresario T Bone Burnett. He oversaw the recording of this debut album, although Emile Kelman handled the production duties. Smith’s vocals soar to her... 

MATTHEW RYAN Dear Lover (The Acoustic Version) matthewryanonline.com Over the course of a dozen albums, Matthew Ryan has created a singular sound that combines low-lit arrangements with a pensive perspective. The haunting music is so consistently somber it often makes Leonard Cohen seem giddy by comparison. Regardless, Ryan’s opted to strip the sound down even more by reimagining his last album with the barest of instrumentation—acoustic guitar... 

DAVID RHODES Bittersweet davidrhodes.org David Rhodes’ lengthy résumé as a guitarist and composer includes work with Paul McCartney, Roy Orbison and Robert Plant, but he is perhaps best known for his 25-year collaborative partnership with Peter Gabriel. Bittersweet is the first solo album of his prodigious career, and his most concerted effort since his work with the band Random Hold in the late ’70s. Not surprisingly, songs like “Bittersweet,”... 

JODY PORTER Close to the Sun jodyporter.com Taking temporary leave of his day job with Fountains of Wayne, guitarist Jody Porter hews to his edgier inclinations. With only a couple of exceptions—“Aurora” and “In Between Time”—there’s little here that resembles the playful pop his usual band is best known for. Close to the Sun is more in line with Belltower, the artsy British band Porter played with early in his career. Then as now, Porter... 

GREAT BIG SEA Safe Upon the Shore greatbigsea.com After 18 years and 10 albums, Newfoundland’s leading musical proponents are newly independent and pared down to a core trio. The newfound flexibility becomes a launching point for Great Big Sea to veer from their usual overarching anthems. Recording in far-flung locales—studios, buses and basements—they welcome special guests, including producer Steve Berlin of Los Lobos. Following last year’s... 

ALBERT CASTIGLIA Keepin’ On albertcastiglia.com On his aptly titled fourth album, Castiglia, a Cuban-American guitar slinger, walks the line between traditional treatments and contemporary reinvention. His back-to-basics approach follows in the footsteps of those who fostered the blues in the Mississippi Delta and the smoky late-night haunts of Chicago. Castiglia’s muscular style is reflected in the fluid fretwork of “Cadillac Assembly Line,”... 

CINDY BULLENS Howling Trains and Barking Dogs cindybullens.com It’s fitting that 30 years after her solo bow with “Survivor,” Cindy Bullens remains as spirited as ever. It hasn’t been easy; after contributing to the Grease soundtrack and singing with Elton John, family obligations curtailed a promising career. A move to Nashville in 1990 boosted her fortunes, offering opportunities to write with noted vets Radney Foster, Bill Lloyd, Matraca... 

WILLIAM BRITTELLE Television Landscape myspace.com/williambrittelle William Brittelle demonstrates the distinction between a traditional songwriter and a sophisticated composer through a series of symphonic soundscapes bearing an expansive and thematic feel. Synths, strings, supple acoustic guitars and flailing metallic riffing provide a shifting setting, as Brittelle braces the arrangements with rich, vibrant textures and continual kinetic fluidity.... 

THE BRITANNICAS The Britannicas myspace.com/thebritannicas Chicago’s Herb Eimerman, a member of America’s power-pop elite, goes international with the Britannicas—literally and figuratively. Featuring Eimerman on bass, joined by Swedish guitarist Magnus Karlsson and Aussie drummer Joe Algeri, the Britannicas’ self-titled debut overflows with ear candy and retro touches. The soaring harmonies that grace “Those Good Vibrations” suggest the... 

THE JASON ADAMO BAND Transistor jasonadamomusic.com The Jason Adamo Band’s latest album bulges with emotive anthems, surging melodies, towering refrains and passionate performances. This is music that would sound just fine on rock radio playlists between mainstays U2, Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen. Transistor bodes well for that possibility, with songs like “Los Angeles,” “Guilty Bystander” and “Far Away From Here” conveying the angst... 

EDWARD ROGERS Sparkle Lane edwardrogersmusic.com Edward Rogers finds inspiration in the quaint melodies and elaborate arrangements first conjured up by acts like the Kinks, the Hollies and the Zombies as they were crafting their seminal ’60s sounds. As an English expatriate, Edwards comes by that heritage naturally. His earlier work with the folk-rock quartet Green Rooftops and his chamber pop duo, Bedsit Poets, offered the initial evidence, and... 

STRIPMALL ARCHITECTURE Feathersongs for Factory Girls stripmallarchitecture.com Though the songs do bear a psychedelic feel, the enigmatic quartet that calls itself Stripmall Architecture generally defies categorization. Rebecca Coseboom’s dreamy vocals compete with weird sonic elements and akimbo melodies, but the end results are consistently intriguing.  Read More →

MILAGRES Seven Summits myspace.com/milagresmusic Milagres maintains a mysterious aura, a dark yet dreamlike sound that recalls the likes of the Moody Blues, Genesis, Ultravox and other cosmic contemporaries. Its debut finds the band fixated on a mountain-climbing theme, expressed through related tales of tragedy and intrigue.  Read More →

SARAH DASHEW Where I Belong sarahdashew.com QUICK TAKE + Dashew’s emotive vocals and lithe arrangements make Where I Belong a formidable follow-up to 2006’s much-lauded Jealous Girl. The catchy title track and haunting “Anywhere” and “Almost Here” find her channeling a variety of emotions while still creating a coherent whole.  Read More →

JENNIE ARNAU Chasing Giants jenniearnau.com QUICK TAKE + Jennie Arnau’s blend of vibrancy and vulnerability brings a fresh approach to Chasing Giants. Whether accompanied by the pluck of a banjo and a brace of fiddles (the cheery “For the Winter”) or simply ambling along contentedly (the assuring “Safe Tonight” and “No Guarantees”), Arnau is always appealing.  Read More →

ÓLAFUR ARNALDS And They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness olafurarnalds.com QUICK TAKE + This 23-year-old Icelandic composer casts a haunting spell. These brooding, overcast tunes meander at a sobering pace before finally gathering momentum and building into a series of sweeping crescendos. This is beautifully crafted neo-classical music, with an emphasis on mood as much as melody.  Read More →

THE WELL WISHERS Post Modern Romantic myspace.com/thewellwishers Tallying 10 albums in 17 years, first with his band Spinning Jennies and more recently with acclaimed power-pop champs the Well Wishers, singer, guitarist and chief musical architect Jeff Shelton has racked up an impressive track record. Post Modern Romantic is his most formidable effort to date, a non-stop barrage of power chords, relentless riffing and hard-crunching melodies. The... 

VARIOUS ARTISTS Sing Me to Sleep: Indie Lullabies indielullabies.com With all proceeds going to the Valerie Fund, an organization helping children with cancer and blood disorders, this effort succeeds before the first note is ever strummed. Despite contributions from a broad contingent of shoegazing ensembles, there aren’t many headliners—Stars, Neil Halstead and Tanya Donelly are the few better-known names. Yet given a selection of standards... 

CHRIS PUREKA How I Learned to See in the Dark chrispureka.com With How I Learned to See in the Dark there’s only a little light cast on Chris Pureka’s surroundings. It’s a more plaintive set of songs, as defined by its measured tones and a sense of quiet contemplation. Mournful violin and subdued guitars provide the accompaniment, giving Pureka’s emotional delivery all the emphasis it needs. A closer listen is occasionally required to fully... 

JAZZ MAFIA Brass, Bows and Beats jazzmafia.com Doggedly blurring boundaries between genres, Jazz Mafia’s music seems a bundle of contradictions. After all, reconciling an entire jazz orchestra and a small army of musical virtuosos with hip-hop rhythms, rappers, singers and MCs would appear tough enough in the studio, but particularly unwieldy in concert. So it’s impressive that on the aptly named live disc Brass, Bows and Beats, this extraordinary... 

HOODOO GURUS Purity of Essence hoodoogurus.net While their résumé encompasses three decades and nine albums, the Hoodoo Gurus evince an energy that should make bands half their age envious. Co-producing with Charles Fisher (and employing veteran producer Ed Stasium for the mix), the group turns Purity of Essence into a blistering tour de force, as formidable a rock ’n’ roll record as anything in recent memory. “Crackin’ Up,” “Burnt Orange,”... 

TERRI HENDRIX Cry Till You Laugh terrihendrix.com With a stylistic sweep that encompasses country, blues, jazz and practically everything in between, Texan Terri Hendrix has created a flourishing cottage industry with a consistent string of albums hailed by fans and critics alike. Partnered once again with erstwhile producer and multitasking session pro Lloyd Maines, the new record finds Hendrix stirring the pot even more, opting to go it alone with... 

HALSTED Life Underwater halstedmusic.com Singer-songwriter Ryan Auffenberg reaped critical kudos with his last LP, 2008’s Marigolds, a title that hinted at the fact that his talents had just started to bloom. Now that he’s re-launched himself under a new name, his methods may have changed—but happily, his means have not. Auffenberg continues to purvey his hushed vocals and haunting pop melodies with equal aplomb, but in the company of the other... 

MARK ERELLI AND JEFFREY FOUCAULT Seven Curses markerelli.com, jeffreyfoucault.com Fans of forlorn folk music take note—this low-key summit of two exceptional singer-songwriters is a marriage made in the heartland. Taking on a set made up mostly of murder ballads penned by giants like Bruce Springsteen (“Johnny 99”), Steve Earle (“Ellis Unit 1”) and Neil Young (“Powderfinger”), Erelli and Foucault find a common thread in rustic arrangements... 

STEVE DAWSON I Will Miss the Trumpets and the Drums stevedawsonmusic.com As chief steward of Chicago’s alt-country combo Dolly Varden, Steve Dawson’s status as an Americana original is unquestioned.  Yet even though his tenure with the band has produced five albums over the course of a 15-year history, Dawson still has plenty to offer individually. This, his second solo album (third if one counts Duets, recorded with foil Diane Christiansen),... 

BOB CHEEVERS Tall Texas Tales bobcheevers.com The album cover offers a first hint of Bob Cheevers’ venerable nature—with a portrait that resembles the rugged Indian chief once etched on an old nickel, he projects an air of grizzled authenticity. And Cheevers is the real deal, a dusty Texas troubadour with a wise perspective and a weathered set of tunes. Whether he’s crooning everyday observations (“Grown Up People,” “Luckenbach”) moaning... 

ADMIRAL RADLEY I Heart California admiralradley.com Although the band is made up of members of nu-folk combos Earlimart (Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray) and Grandaddy (Aaron Burtch and Jason Lytle), Admiral Radley bears only a passing resemblance to the music the players make at their day jobs. For starters, this new conglomerate tends to eschew the hazy musings that those two groups are known for, substituting a cheerier approach suitable to warm... 

PERNICE BROTHERS Goodbye, Killer pernicebrothers.com Massachusetts’ Joe Pernice has honed his craft under a variety of guises over the last two decades—recording with the alt-country outfit the Scud Mountain Boys in the early 1990s, as a solo artist using both his own name and the pseudonym Chappaquiddick Skyline, and on and off for the past dozen years with his main vehicle, the Pernice Brothers. He mixes things up on this latest effort with... 

The Rubinoos Biff-Boff-Boing! rubinoos.com QUICK TAKE + Billed as a children’s album, Biff-Boff-Boing! moots the distinction between camp and kids’ stuff with a nostalgic tone that carries echoes of both bubblegum and Broadway. The power-pop veterans’ own kooky creations fit seamlessly alongside beloved novelty numbers like “Boris the Spider” and “Sugar Sugar.”  Read More →

Eric Roberts My Brazilian Heart ericroberts.org QUICK TAKE + Titles can be misleading: First, no, Roberts isn’t the actor of the same name. And while this six-song EP dabbles in the occasional tropical rhythm, it’s really more about mellow jazz. Roberts, an accomplished guitarist, mostly cedes the spotlight here to superb ensemble performances.  Read More →

Ruby James Happy Now rubyjames.com QUICK TAKE + Ruby James makes a striking first impression on Happy Now, bolstered by the production work of Charlie Sexton. The album combines sinewy ballads, sultry vocals and sensuous hooks into a very inviting package. Newcomers to this burgeoning talent will be impressed.  Read More →

Dick 50 Late Show facebook.com/dick50 QUICK TAKE + It’s reasonable to assume that the first “solo” set by Delbert McClinton’s backing band will be blues-based. It’s notable, then, that the band clearly doesn’t feel confined to any format on Late Show, with songs such as “Like You Did” and “2012” stepping far outside the roadhouse.  Read More →

Amy Cook Let the Light In amycook.com QUICK TAKE + Having Alejandro Escovedo at the production helm of her new album is certainly an attention-getter for Amy Cook—but her own spirited vocals command respect regardless of his presence. Let the Light In is a compelling album full of tangled emotions.  Read More →

The Successful Failures Three Nights thesuccessfulfailures.com Any attempt at unraveling the seemingly contradictory halves of their handle finds the Successful Failures demonstrating much more of the former than the latter. Frontman Mick Chorba, who also leads the Dipsomaniacs, has gradually made the Successful Failures his primary focus—and their fourth album, Three Nights, offers plenty of reasons why. The key to their success basically boils... 

Rachael Sage Delancey Street rachaelsage.com Rachael Sage’s soft, sultry vocals and solitary piano-plied gravitas might imply she’s a diva of the first order, especially given the fact that she includes leadingly titled songs like “Meet Me in Vegas” and Hall and Oates’ “Rich Girl” as part of her latest set. Fortunately, Sage proves she’s more than a mere drama queen by injecting a tattered vulnerability and quiet resolve into originals... 

Rooney Eureka rooney-band.com Productivity doesn’t necessarily come easily to Los Angeles-based Rooney—they’ve managed only three albums in 10 years, and they took three separate stabs at recording their second. That places high expectations on this new outing, and the band clears the bar nicely. Rooney aspires to pop perfection and often succeeds, with tuneful influences like Cheap Trick, the Raspberries and Badfinger pushed clearly to the...