Jim Moray (A Beginner’s Guide) jimmoray.co.uk With material drawn from his three English-only releases, (A Beginner’s Guide) allows American critics to finally ponder the question that’s confounded their overseas counterparts: Is Moray folk, fusion or a fresh amalgam? Based on the evidence here, the answer leans towards the third option. Although his songs originate from traditional sources, the undercurrent of digital beats and electronica... 

Shannon McNally and Hot Sauce Coldwater shannonmcnally.com Americana by definition, but possessing the soul, skill and savvy to blur boundaries, Shannon McNally hasn’t missed a beat since parting ways with major label Capitol Records and striking out on her own. Coldwater contains a mere eight tracks, but within those limited confines she covers ample ground. Southern soul (“Lovely” “Bolder Than Paradise”) and a dusty road song (Steve Young’s... 

Anne McCue Broken Promise Land annemccue.com With her latest album, this versatile Australian-born guitar slinger redefines herself as one hard-rocking mama. Sassy and suggestive, McCue amps up the attitude and borrows liberally from both Melissa Etheridge and the early blues-based version of Fleetwood Mac. “Rock ’n’ Roll Outlaw,” “Broken Promise Land” and “Lonesome Child” show her partiality to blues and boogie, but it’s the seductive... 

Jason & the Scorchers Halcyon Times jasonandthescorchers.com Attitude is everything, and on this riveting new album—their first in a decade—reconstituted Nashville rock band Jason & the Scorchers demonstrates it still has plenty to spare. Singer Jason Ringenberg and guitar foil Warren E. Hodges are in full roar, aided by a new rhythm section and ace collaborators like Dan Baird, Tommy Womack and producer Brad Jones. They raise a ruckus... 

Adam Falcon Bohemian 959 adamfalcon.com The sheer love of music exhibited by the beaming kid holding the toy guitar on the cover and the man leaping enthusiastically on the inside sleeve continues well into the grooves of Adam Falcon’s Bohemian 959. Smooth melodies frame the voice of a classic crooner with influences from Seal to Smokey Robinson, but when he gets his groove on more aggressively with “Soul Satisfied” and “Like a Soldier,”... 

Paul Curreri California paulcurreri.com Paul Curreri’s music inhabits hazy realms where elements of blues, folk and rock swirl into an amorphous brew. Curreri has never fit neatly into any one niche, and his sprawling California places the emphasis on mood as much as melody. Songs such as “Now I Can Go On,” “Stephen Crane” and “Wildegeeses” amble along loosely as Curreri single-handedly multitasks on guitar, piano and literally every... 

Susan Cowsill Lighthouse threadheadrecords.org Anyone who thought Susan Cowsill vanished along with family band the Cowsills may be surprised to learn that the family’s youngest sibling continues making music, both on her own and as a member of another communal combo, the Creekdippers. But the real surprise is that after the tragic deaths of her brothers Barry and Billy and the toll Hurricane Katrina took on her native New Orleans, her superb second... 

Kasey Anderson Nowhere Nights kaseyanderson.com With his fourth album, Anderson firmly entrenches himself in the tradition of Steve Earle, Graham Parker, Townes Van Zandt and other insurgents whose cynical perspective found them swimming against the tide. Alternately rowdy and remorseful, he stirs up a cantankerous brew, his smoky vocals perched atop ragtag arrangements and defiant posturing. A brace of raucous anthems (“All Lit Up,” “Sooner/Later,”... 

MICHAEL MAZZARELLA SODA POP GRAMOPHONE myspace.com/michaelmazzarella After establishing himself both with rock band the Rooks and as a solo act, Michael Mazzarella continues to fly below the mainstream’s radar. Happily, Soda Pop Gramophone may improve his chances of reaching a wider audience—specifically, anyone with a hankering for cheery Beatlesque pop, heavenly harmonies and a semi-psychedelic perspective. The package includes a book illustrated... 

BOOK REVIEW Robert Rodriguez Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles’ Solo Years, 1970-1980 [Backbeat Books] No act in the history of rock ’n’ roll has been as thoroughly documented and dissected in print as the Beatles, from Hunter Davies’ 1968 authorized biography The Beatles to recent major efforts like Bob Spitz’s The Beatles: The Biography. But just when it seems like every possible angle on the group has been covered, one more writer suffering... 

The Jayhawks The Jayhawks [Lost Highway] In 1986 a young band from Minnesota released its self-titled first album, pressing only 2,000 vinyl copies on a small local label called Bunkhouse Records. The Jayhawks went on to find a national audience for their peculiarly Midwestern blend of rock and country, highlighted by the harmonic and creative interplay between singer-songwriters Mark Olson and Gary Louris. As the group’s influence grew and its... 

DVD REVIEW Rock ’n’ Roll High School [Shout Factory] After making his name with low budget sci-fi fare such as Little Shop of Horrors, Piranha and Humanoids From the Deep, producer Roger Corman decided that he wanted to pull in a younger audience via a music-themed film. He came up with a concept he called Disco High School and enlisted director Allan Arkush to transform his vision into reality. Fortunately, Arkush convinced him to scrub the disco... 

PAUL WELLER Wake Up the Nation [Yep Roc] Each new Paul Weller album is cause for cautious optimism. He’s never really made a bad record, but over the last three decades, he’s failed to recapture the energy of his seminal mod-punk trio the Jam. On his 10th solo effort, Weller comes as close as he likely ever will to a Jam reunion. That’s true in terms of personnel—Jam bassist Bruce Foxton joins him on two tracks—and performance. Despite moments... 

TIFT MERRITT See You on the Moon [Fantasy] From the first downbeat of the opening track, “Mixtape,” Tift Merritt’s latest boasts songwriting far deeper and more visceral than anything she’s done to date. Set against a sparse combo arrangement and some darting Gamble & Huff-worthy strings, Merritt lays out a love letter without sounding the least bit mawkish. From there on out she opts for a sparser sound that’s no less effective. The... 

THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS Things That Fly [Sugar Hill] Since the late ’60s, acoustic string bands have taken the bluegrass format and pushed it beyond its strict confines. The Infamous Stringdusters fall somewhere between traditional bluegrass and those genre-blasting progressives—Things That Fly, the sextet’s third album, wouldn’t sound entirely alien to Bill Monroe, but neither should the jam-band crowd shy away from it. The basic instrumentation—guitar,... 

JONNY LANG Live at the Ryman [Concord Records] Since Jonny Lang’s been absent from the recording studio since 2006, a cynic might assume that this live package (recorded in the summer of 2008 at Nashville’s famous Ryman Auditorium) exists merely to keep the former blues prodigy’s name alive. The thing about Lang, though, is that the two talents that made him famous—the shockingly mature growl and guitar work—only ran so far on his proper... 

ROKY ERICKSON WITH OKKERVIL RIVER True Love Cast Out All Evil [Anti-] Roky Erickson’s mid-1960s singles with the 13th Floor Elevators—and even his mid-’70s solo singles—are garage-rock classics, not so much for the writing as for the amazing vocals. He was one of those rare rock ’n’ roll singers who could be melodic even as he was wildly yelping. But after 45 years of hard living, that voice is gone. What remains is the legend—and the... 

JOHNNY GIMBLE Celebrating With Friends [CMH Records] Johnny Gimble’s record company is calling the latest release from the Western swing veteran Celebrating With Friends. The artist himself seems to know where the emphasis ought to be and is marketing the same album online with the title Still Swingin’.Whatever you call it, this isn’t an album that’s enhanced much by guest spots. Its joys come from the 83-year-old fiddler himself, who still... 

VARIOUS ARTISTS Glee: The Power of Madonna [Columbia] So long has “Like a Virgin” been a camp classic that to see it performed on TV by characters actually contemplating their sexual awakening is astonishingly moving. That’s the kind of reinvention that Glee, the music-packed hit show about a high-school glee club, does best. It’s no surprise, then, that the standouts on this EP featuring the seven songs from the show’s April all-Madonna... 

GREG LASWELL Take a Bow [Vanguard] Over the course of three albums and three EPs, Greg Laswell has fostered a subdued sound that whispers softly but leaves an enormous impression. The self-produced Take a Bow is no exception. It’s his most formidable set yet, one that dispels the ambiguity of earlier efforts and replaces it with more stirring melodies and a genuinely compelling sonic palette. As always, Laswell specializes in minor-key ballads,... 

YUSEF LATEEF AND ADAM RUDOLPH Towards the Unknown [Meta] Yusef Lateef and Adam Rudolph get so much out of so little. Lateef, 90, remains one of the most adventurous composers and performers in jazz and an improviser nonpareil. Armed with tenor saxophone and several flutes, he and longtime percussionist collaborator Rudolph create rich sonic panoramas on Towards the Unknown by augmenting the spare instrumentation at the core with unconventional orchestral... 

AQUALUNG Magnetic North [Verve Music Group] It’s not surprising that Aqualung leader Matt Hales’ career was kickstarted by a song featured in a Volkswagen television ad. A purveyor of lightly orchestrated piano pop, the Brit-turned-Californian makes populist music that goes down easy and runs determinedly forward. Nothing wrong with that, mind you, but Hale’s yearning falsetto and tinkly melodies—on full display on Magnetic North—are flavored... 

GOGOL BORDELLO Trans-Continental Hustle [Columbia] Hearing no style of music manic or multicultural enough to express his lusts for life and travel, Ukrainian native Eugene Hutz was forced to create one. The result is Gogol Bordello, a band whose brand of  “gypsy punk”—a propulsive ska-polka-thrash fusion—is as divisive as it is distinctive. Since 1999, Gogol Bordello has released a series of albums whose neon covers speak volumes about the... 

THE GOLDEN FILTER Voluspa [Brille Records] After carefully cultivating an enigmatic air through a series of singles, remixes and artfully composed photographs obscuring their faces, the Golden Filter finally steps out with its full-length debut—and dispels none of the mystery. Voluspa, named for an ancient epic Norse creation-myth poem, is 11 tracks of gauzy electro-pop, with ethereal vocals from Penelope Trappes over pulsing synthesizers and gently... 

CROOKED STILL Some Strange Country [Signature Sounds] Crooked Still’s fourth album arrives with a fitting title, for with this release the band has solidified its hold on musical territory that few if any have trod before. Is it folk? Or old-time? Is it bluegrass, or newgrass? Some species of classically styled chamber music? It sounds like all of those things, sometimes within the span of a single song. (The sweep of “Locust in the Willow”... 

MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER The Age of Miracles [Real World] Is there a songwriter who needed a dose of big-picture perspective less than Mary Chapin Carpenter? Even her 1990s country-pop hits practically defied radio with their profundity. Nevertheless, The Age of Miracles explores the emotional aftermath of a pulmonary embolism that nearly killed Carpenter in 2007. “Everything that you know can disappear,” she muses on “Iceland,” while the upbeat... 

JEFF HEALEY Last Call [Stony Plain] Although he was known primarily for his scorching electric blues-rock guitar work, the late Jeff Healey was also a passionate lover of early 20th-century jazz. Last Call, recorded in 2007, is the fourth album to feature Healey paying tribute to that music. Healey, who here sings and plays trumpet (as he did on his other jazz outings), is accompanied by only two other musicians, clarinetist and pianist Ross Wooldridge... 

CARRIE RODRIGUEZ Love & Circumstance [Ninth Street Opus] On her third solo release, fiddler Carrie Rodriguez covers a collection of influential songs with the ease and finesse of someone far older than her 31 years. Pedal steel ace Greg Leisz anchors the understated folk-country arrangements, while the harmony vocals of Aoife O’Donovan and Buddy Miller (the latter on Merle Haggard’s “I Started Loving You Again”) add depth to Rodriguez’s... 

JOSH ROUSE El Turista [Yep Roc] Longtime Tennessee resident Josh Rouse’s relocation to Spain has clearly given this soft-spoken singer-songwriter a burst of inspiration. However, the sound of El Turista suggests his true fascination these days resides with Brazilian rhythms, as filtered through the influences of Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto and Gilberto Gil. Sung partially in Spanish and only occasionally in English, El Turista exudes charm befitting... 

OZOMATLI Fire Away [Mercer Street/Downtown] Ozomatli’s music has been called a collision of styles, a cultural mash-up, and a 20-car pileup of genres. It’s also some of the most joyfully energetic music you’ll ever hear. On its fifth album, the L.A.-based band stirs its blend of salsa, ska, samba, funk, and hip-hop in ways few groups could conceive. Imagine tossing the English Beat, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Caetano Veloso, and Sly... 

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu [Decca] For a dozen years, the arrangements on Rufus Wainwright’s albums got busier and his sometimes naughty, occasionally angry declarations of gay pride got louder. Each new offering suggested that its creator was a few strides closer to crafting something truly monumental in both musical and social terms. This cold and private set isn’t it, although that’s probably due more to personal... 

COURT YARD HOUNDS Court Yard Hounds [Columbia] A side project of Dixie Chicks’ Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, Court Yard Hounds delivers much-anticipated insight—both musical and personal—into the sisters who have for so long ceded center stage to Chicks singer Natalie Maines. Though steeped in familiar instrumentation, the album offers little of the barn-burning brashness that made the Chicks famous (save perhaps the gutsy “Ain’t No... 

HOLE Nobody’s Daughter [Universal] The first album released under the Hole moniker since 1998’s Celebrity Skin is really frontwoman Courtney Love’s second solo album—co-founder, songwriter and lead guitarist Eric Erlandson isn’t involved, nor is any other previous Hole member. So it’s Love and three ringers on 11 new songs—10 of which Love wrote with collaborators like Billy Corgan, Linda Perry and new guitarist Micko Larkin. (Perry... 

TOL-PUDDLE MARTYRS A Celebrated Man myspace.com/tolpuddlemartyrs QUICK TAKE + The Tol-Puddle Martyrs once had potential to be prime Aussie imports—and this revitalized edition of the band’s psychedelic instincts remain intact. The band’s driving delivery is still pop-perfect four decades on.  Read More →

HARLEM PARLOUR MUSIC CLUB Salt of the Earth harlemparlourmusicclub.com QUICK TAKE + A loose co-op including Darden Smith and Mary Lee Kortes, HPMC carries a distinctive back-porch sensibility. The banjo-plucking cover of Sly Stone’s “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” is an endearingly quirky touch.  Read More →

HAFDIS HULD Synchronised Swimmers hafdishuld.com QUICK TAKE + Huld sings shimmering (if sometimes sleepy) ballads with fragility and finesse, overseen by producer Calum MacColl, son of folk forebear Ewan MacColl. A cameo by singer-songwriter Boo Hewerdine on their co-composition “Vampires” adds flavor.  Read More →

PATRICK BLOOM Ghosts of Radio patrickbloom.com QUICK TAKE + With due respect, Iowa has never been known as a hotbed of original music—but the charming pop sounds spun by Patrick Bloom and his band the Mayflies could put his home state on the musical map.  Read More →

BIRDSONG AT MORNING Vigil birdsongatmorning.com QUICK TAKE + Birdsong At Morning’s penchant for hushed and sensitive chamber folk continues on Vigil, the third installment in a trilogy of albums. All six songs here maintain an elegiac atmosphere of repose and solitude.  Read More →

THE ORANGE PEELS 2020 theorangepeels.com One would expect a band dubbed the Orange Peels to sound sweetly effervescent, and this West Coast quintet doesn’t disappoint. Led by the engaging Allen Clapp, the Peels arrive at their fourth album fully reinvigorated after a brief Clapp solo stint. They sound as giddy as ever, with “We’re Gonna Make It,” “Shining Like Stars” and “Charmed Life” exuding the irrepressible enthusiasm their song... 

GREG TROOPER The Williamsburg Affair gregtrooper.com Greg Trooper has proven on album after album that he can craft material that sounds surprisingly familiar after a single listen. That’s the case here as well, with fully half of The Williamsburg Affair immediately offering up hooks that are the stuff standards are made from. Trooper mines an Americana vein here, but like fellow practitioners Steve Earle and Robert Earl Keen he’s willing and... 

SETH GLIER The Trouble With People sethglier.com The 20-year-old Seth Glier has already earned a respectable reputation in the expansive Northeast music scene, having shared stages with the likes of John Mayer, Martin Sexton, Erin McKeown and Cheryl Wheeler. It’s small wonder, seeing as his earnest style brings to mind such warmly familiar singer-songwriters as James Taylor, Elton John and Cat Stevens—and is abetted by a voice that soars several... 

HOT DAY AT THE ZOO Zoograss hotdayatthezoo.com Hot Day at the Zoo’s live Zoograss benefits as much from the audience’s audible enthusiasm and encouragement as it does from the group’s own prowess. This is a bluegrass band best witnessed in concert—appreciation for its rowdy, ramshackle sound is boosted considerably by a few beers and a dance floor. Even when the band dallies in heartfelt sentiment, as on “Back This Way,” there’s more... 

FYFE DANGERFIELD Fly Yellow Moon fyfedangerfield.com After a successful tenure with Britain’s eclectic Guillemots, singer Fyfe Dangerfield ventures out on his own with a consistently impressive debut that affirms his lofty ambitions. Opening track “When You Walk in the Room” initially takes a techno turn before quickly giving way to a sturdy rhythm. Likewise, the driving “Faster Than the Setting Sun” and the riveting “She Needs Me” further... 

SETH AUGUSTUS To the Pouring Rain sethaugustus.com A veritable one-man band, Seth Augustus first immersed himself in Boston’s experimental music scene in the ’80s before moving to San Francisco. The apprentice of bluesman Paul Pena has concocted an unusual musical mix influenced by both tradition and experimentation. It follows, then, that with this debut, Augustus sports a ragtag delivery that owes as much to Captain Beefheart and Robyn Hitchcock... 

THE JULIEN KASPER BAND Trance Groove julienkasper.com A graduate of the University of Miami jazz program, spawning such notable players as Pat Metheny and Bruce Hornsby, Julien Kasper is a guitar virtuoso whose instrumental excursions find equal footing in both jazz and blues without being bound to either. Kasper’s sound is a searing blend of Metheny and Steve Morse, although on tracks like “Trash Day” a hint of Jimi Hendrix enters the mix as... 

KENNY EDWARDS Resurrection Road kennyedwards.com Given his rich résumé of support stints with the cream of Southern California’s singer-songwriter brigade (including Linda Ronstadt, Andrew Gold, Karla Bonoff and Wendy Waldman), it’s a little surprising that Kenny Edwards has been content to reside in the shadows until now. It took nearly 40 years for him to record his first solo album, and another seven for this wonderful follow-up. Resurrection... 

THE NADAS Almanac thenadas.com The Nadas have logged a lot of time in near-obscurity, with a résumé that spans 15 years, eight albums and even a tribute disc from fellow indie artists. Their latest effort, released on their own Authentic Records label, ostensibly includes songs written for each month of the past year. Truth be told, there’s no clear reference to the calendar in these individual entries aside from “New Year’s Eve,” which... 

CHRISTINE OHLMAN & REBEL MONTEZ The Deep End christineohlman.net Long a fixture on the New York music scene—she sang in an early incarnation of Saturday Night Live’s house band—Christine Ohlman exudes blustery rock and soul authenticity from her wailing vocals to her beehive hairdo. The Deep End features guest spots from an all-star list of Ohlman friends that includes Charlie Musselwhite, Al Anderson, Ian Hunter, Dion DiMucci and Marshall... 

REAGAN BROWNE DAYDREAMS IN STEREO reaganbrowne.com The piercing wail and assertive riffs on the trio of opening tracks from Reagan Browne’s sophomore album make for a one-two-three punch that owes a heavy debt to the Scorpions, Whitesnake and Van Halen. Anyone inclined toward tamer fare might find the material startlingly direct, especially given the sexual innuendo of “Watch My World Explode” or the attitude of “It’s All Because of U”... 

BOOK REVIEW JACK BRUCE: COMPOSING HIMSELF By Harry Shapiro [Jawbone Books] Jack Bruce was arguably the most influential bass player of his time. One could easily make the case that it was his unbridled improvisational explorations with Cream in the late 1960s (along with bandmates Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker) that led directly to the birth of fusion music in the early ’70s. Before Jaco Pastorius, before Victor Wooten, there was no one flashier...