I know what you’re thinking. The second half of a mega-popular duo act releases his own solo album after his former cohort, John Rich. It has “Andrew Ridgeley” written all over it, complete with a trademark top hat.
But Big Kenny manages to dodge that “duo-gone-solo” curse. Is he the best vocalist in Nashville? No, and he seems okay with it, and since he’s one of the best songwriters working, we’re okay with it, too. With Quiet Time, Big Kenny gained freedom to create without the restrictions of label suits who …

As instrumental post-rock has largely faded from view, pushed to the side by the more exotic strains of noise collage and electronic soundscape, it’s easy to forget just how powerful the traditional tools of the trade can be when effectively utilized. Providing a reminder, brothers Jared and Michael Bell offer Shutter Release, a sonically diverse and melodically complex set of tracks carved out of analog synthesizers, fingerpicked acoustic guitars, tinkling found-sound percussion, majestic strings and purring horns. Worked out over a series of phone calls while the brothers lived apart …

It’s been nine long years since this Hieroglyphics crew last released a new album (see: 2000’s Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution), and more than 15 years since their seminal underground classic, 93 ‘Til Infinity. That’s an eternity in the hip-hop world, where trends change faster than Lady Gaga’s wardrobe. Peers such as A Tribe Called Quest and The Pharcyde have gone the way of the dodo, and the sort of complex, battle-tested lyricism the Bay Area’s brightest bohemian MCs have to offer is no longer in fashion.
No matter. A-Plus, Opio, Phesto …

Having emerged in 2008 with the thoroughly listenable but largely unremarkable Fighting Trees, the Swimmers seemed likely to be the sort of band to release a handful of pleasantly backward-looking tributes to 70s AM pop and then shuffle off into obscurity. People Are Soft seems to be a concerted effort to avoid just that fate, as the Philadelphia quartet sheds their pop classicism and embraces a whole new set of reference points, showing themselves equally adept at C86 twee (“Shelter”) as they are fizzy power pop (“Drug Party”) and radio-ready …

A little south of the South, Florida harbors an estuary of culture that lends itself to a bizarre melange of musical styles: Tropicalia rubs up against hick rock while gritty punk chats up booty-pop as cubanismo hip-hop looks on. Gainesville is Florida’s answer to Athens, a college town in the middle of nowhere and a haven for art starved, small town refugees. Morningbell plausibly claims king for a day to both Gainesville and the diverse Florida musical landscape with Sincerely, Severely, a sprawling psych-pop wall map. With so much going …

If I were to make a list of the coolest film soundtracks of the past decade, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ scores for “The Proposition” and “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” would be near the top of it.  After working together for over 15 years in the Bad Seeds and Dirty Three, the dynamic duo has honed an emotionally evocative sound perfectly suited for the big screen, and The Road marks yet another brilliant addition to their canon.
A gut-wrenching film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s …

From opening track “I Can Hear the Sound” (all ebullient piano and driving drums) to closing track “High Above” (a cascade of tubular bells and marching strings), The Great Divide pulls for your attention. Finely crafted and pieced together by Newnan, Georgia’s Stella StageCoach, Divide is a wonder of cellos, violas, saxophones, vocals, drums and guitars. It’s a sun kissed album of your favorite musical memory, whether it be decades old or from mere days ago.
Divide maintains a folky veneer even as it experiments with various styles. “We Have The …

Who said all reviews had to be about current releases? Nakia (pronounced with 2 schwas), is a powerful, soulful vocalist who croons Motown, gospel, and Southern blues on Water to Wine, which debuted in early 2009. This Alabama native set up shop in Austin, Texas and has garnered a groundswell of fans and accolades ever since.
“Choose Your Poison” kicks things off in a moderate third gear, and you’ll find yourself singing the line “Momma hit me with your whippin’ stick” long after you’ve put your iPod away. The standout on …

Ike Reilly’s got something to say, and dammit, you’re gonna listen — just like his audiences have been for over a decade. Reilly’s been developing, branding, re-developing and re-branding his raspy-voiced storytelling for some time now, and he’s back with Hard Luck Stories, a 10 song collection of whiskey, women and wine (whine, maybe) that follows the logical progression of this genre-bending journeyman, sampling the good (and sometimes bad) sides of everything from lazy lounge pop to grungy R&B and furious acoustic punk.
Reilly comes out of the gate swinging with …

Trent Dabbs makes his own music. Seems a silly statement to make at the outset of a music review, but chances are you’ve missed Dabbs’ own tunes for the sake of the attention given to his other works. Between co-writes for artists like Mat Kearney and Joy Williams and the attention given to his brainchild Ten Out of Tenn, Dabbs remains in the spotlight for things other than his own solo work. Your Side Now, then, presents the perfect opportunity to right the ship.
Dabbs’ previous songwriting efforts garnered placement on …