Album Reviews: Revealing Solo Guitar Outings from Duck Baker and Nathan Salsburg
Two albums reviewed, Duck Baker's Demos & Outtakes, and Nathan Salsburg's Third
Kenny Berkowitz
Tommy Emmanuel and Friends Shine on ‘Accomplice One’
Star duets bring out guitar slinger’s best
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CD Review: Bruce Cockburn Is Still Searching for Answers on ‘Bone on Bone’
In the six years since Small Source of Comfort, his last album of new songs, Bruce Cockburn has gotten married, settled in San Francisco, become a father for the second time, and started going to church again. That’s a lot,…
Album Review: Tommy Emmanuel and David Grisman
On their first recording together, mandolinist David Grisman and guitarist Tommy Emmanuel prove to be perfect partners.
Charlie Parr’s Guitars Bring Lightness to a Heavy Album on ‘Dog’
Dog is a triumph of Parr’s art, grappling with mortality, mental illness, desperation, and the urge to stay inside all day long.
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Joe Bonamassa Mostly Sticks to Rhythm on Live Disc
For years, Joe Bonamassa used to sneak three or four acoustic songs into the middle of his live shows. That changed in 2013, when he retooled his back catalog for An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House, and four…
Album Review: Fleet Foxes Return with Ambitious ‘Crack-Up’
With some maturity and distance, the 31-year-old Pecknold said he was finally ready to resume; the result—Crack-Up—is worth the wait.
The Suitcase Junket’s ‘Pile Driver’ Finds the Junkyard Virtuoso Better Than Ever
Junkyard virtuoso’s DIY approach is heartfelt and intense
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Country Bluesman Reverend Peyton Is a Force of Nature: Watch Him Play 18 Instruments on 1 Song
"No blues society is going to come in and save blues music. That’s not how it works. The only thing that can save it is people making good music that other people want to hear."
Ann Savoy Is a Driving Force in Louisiana’s Folk Scene & the Matriarch of a Kick-Ass Musical Dynasty
“A friend of mine once said, ‘You’re the most egoless guitar player I’ve ever met,’” Ann says. “It’s not about me, it’s about how I fit into the band and how I can make them happy."
Guitarist Shawn Camp of the Earls of Leicester Gets to Wear a Colonel Sanders String Tie & Emulate Lester Flatt—Life is Good
Covering a range of standards and rarities, these 17 new tracks with guitarist Shawn Camp find the Earls of Leicester at the top of their game.
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Guitar Legend David Bromberg Goes Back to the Blues on New Album: Q&A
David Bromberg is back at the top of his game, playing blues that are as funny as they are sad and talking about old songs, new chords, and his custom Martin 0000s.
In the Age of Disco, Windham Hill Founder Will Ackerman Helped Solo-Acoustic Guitar Thrive
It's hard to overestimate the impact Will Ackerman’s first album of reflective music had on the acoustic-guitar world.
Dolly Parton, Bryan Sutton, and More Revive Appalachian Tunes on ‘On Top of Old Smoky’
Album focuses on simple, direct folk versions that hew close to the heart of these tunes.
The Earls of Leicester Combine Standards and Rarities on ‘Rattle & Roar’
They’re not trying to recapture these Flatt and Scruggs songs, they’re trying to keep them alive
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Todd Snider’s Hard Working Americans Offer a Sobering Vision of Life on ‘Rest in Chaos’
Snider is still brilliantly unpredictable, still sharp as a broken bottle.
Billy Bragg and Joe Henry Turn a Rail Trip into a Record of Forgotten America
Billy Bragg and Joe Henry took a long train ride, from Chicago to LA, stopping at stations to record great railroad songs.
Remembering Studio Guitar Legend Bruce Langhorne, the Real ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’
“At one point, I was like Mr. Guitar in Greenwich Village,” says Bruce Langhorne, talking by telephone on the 50th anniversary of "Mr. Tambourine Man"'s release.
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Guitar Great Bryan Sutton Delivers Bluegrass Playing Tips & More
There’s a lot about the way Bryan Sutton plays guitar, but it’s all about flow and movement, and moving forward through something.
Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle Join Forces on ‘Colvin & Earle’
For this first album as a duo, they’re collaborating as songwriters
Freakwater Returns with Songs that Feel Old and Grim and Magical on ‘Scheherazade’
Their first album in 11 years is at least as good as anything they’ve ever done, and probably better.
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American Primitive Guitarist Richard Osborn Marks Long-Awaited Return
In a debt to Robbie Basho, Osborn calls his approach “free-raga style” or “American raga.”
Duke Robillard Releases Acoustic Blues Album
It marks the first time he’s recorded an entire album on acoustic guitar—and it was well worth the wait.
Sultans of String’s ‘Subcontinental Drift’ has a Swirl of Worldly Influences
Sultans of String succeeds brilliantly, thinking like classical musicians and listening like jazzmen
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Luther Dickinson’s Folk Celebration of Family and Community
On the new Blues & Ballads: A Folksinger’s Songbook, Volumes I & II (New West), he’s taken songs from his catalog, re-recorded them as folk song
