As Ray Wylie Hubbard rocks through Texas and southern swamps, he doesn't sound like he's running out of steam. Reel 2 Reel 4 Real should be a continuation, not a capstone.

So Much for Goodbyes can feel overstuffed at times, but no individual track runs overlong. Strings has plenty to say, and he says it. Often, he does so by blending where he came from with other places...

The real success of Deep Purple’s Splat! lies in its freshness.

The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales thrives on a fair bit of ambition — it's a 20-track concept album, after all — but doesn't move too far from Shaboozey’s established aesthetic.

Some American Rough might have nontraditional topics, but the music finds deep roots in classic country.

Aaron Lee Tasjan gets his groove back, using catchy pop songs to think through our self-destructive tendencies, struggles with celebrity, gender issues and more.

The record finds its biggest success in its communal sense, as Russell's resistance doesn't come through polemical statements, but through brightness and persistence.

Grey DeLisle and Les Greene create one of her most immediately exciting works, and the genre-crossing keeps it entertaining throughout.

Niblock Hooker Soldier First - Guitar, Banjo, Drums, River (section 1 on CD) This album might be haunted by waters; it certainly makes no pretense not to be. Paiva River Songs has its beginnings with....

A Feature Review of Watch and Wonder: Birding as a Spiritual Practice by Ragan Sutterfield (Broadleaf Books, 2026)

Merritt maintains her ability to write smart songs without sacrificing simplicity, and Sugar certainly sweetens its environment.

Unlike Nelson’s statement albums from the previous decade, Dream Chaser is a lighter and more playful record than recent work.

If Violet Grohl can solidify a band and push herself a little, she should become an exciting artist to watch.

Ashley McBryde’s Wild is, as the name suggests, musically and thematically aggressive and incisive, although not necessarily at the same time.

With its brains and polish, folk rock band Widemouth's No Gasoline doesn't feel like a debut album, but it does suggest more and better to come.

Kevin Morby - 100,000 The allusions come quickly on Kevin Morby's latest album, Little Wide Open. Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, David Berman, and Belinda Carlisle references show up almost immediately...

Your Favorite Toy presents Foo Fighters doing the one thing they do well: making Foo Fighters songs.

"Making records isn't for the faint of heart," notes songwriter Salim Nourallah, who is in the middle of a year when five full-length albums are planned.

The reunited alt-country band isn't breaking new ground, but they're still traveling in style.

Kim Gordon - NOT TODAY Kim Gordon long ago left behind the noisy art-punk of Sonic Youth, exploring textured guitar work as half of Body/Head and increasingly beat-focused music on her solo music. The...

Oldham thinks through heavy topics on We Are Together Again, but he provides outlets. The music itself usually offers a soft loveliness that provides its own sort of relief.

The Lowest Pair's new record is steady and confident. It sounds like both a journey and its end point, and in finding peace within turbulent seas.

It's not just about aesthetics.

Callahan’s look back at his 58th year delivers all of this still world, sometimes with a wink, but always with a calm consideration.

A Feature Review of Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: An Invitation to... Indigenous Interpretation by Hoklotubbe and Zacharias (IVP, 2025)

Photo by Domenico Gruosso, used with permission. After posting about Dusted mainstay Jennifer Kelly's cancer diagnosis, we received an email from one of the artists Jenny has reviewed here. "She gave....

The album's progression from near pop-punk to elegiac pedal steel gives Steiner's psychological explorations the multifaceted presentation they deserve.

Caitlin and Brent’s self-titled album is not a simple album to listen to, but fortunately, it's a pretty painless kind of pleasure.

World's Gone Wrong, while plenty angry, turns out to be less a protest album and more a mix of reportage and a call for resilience, all written in a style that allows it to be a timeless piece of resi...

On Valentine, Andrews expresses her insecurities and strengths as she navigates various types of relationships.

On a frigid evening, Miller warmed an audience with music releases over the span of 31-plus years.

These are the best books we read in 2025.

The happiness in Cave's work doesn't last, but the joy does, and the difference between the two makes an essential understanding of his thought.

A weird, fidgety album of experiments from a trumpeter and a percussionist still sounds vital and surprising.

On Memories and Empties, Colter Wall is ready for stardom, but the stardom of the '60s or '70s — these are songs for old honky-tonks and for life on the road.

Through the Open Window does something ambitious in exploring Bob Dylan's early development and capturing the essence of a scene.

Even in retrospect, 1985 feels almost miraculous for the punk band Hüsker Dü, and new box set 1985: The Miracle Year captures that moment through a hefty set of live recordings from a wild season.

The Who Are You (Super Deluxe Edition) adds wonderful insight (and more than a few great tracks) to the history of one of the decade's greatest bands.

Through This Fire Across from Peter Balkan pushes The Mountain Goats into new territory as a band and as storytellers, marking a rich new entry worthy of close reading, musically and lyrically.

The Bats’ ability to provide subtle shifts throughout both an album and a career demonstrates their continued sense of nuance.

William Prince's mix of character studies and thoughtful meditations combine for an album with staying power. Further From the Country looks at change and distance.

If Public Enemy persists, and the cultural problems persist, it would be easy to sound discouraged, but Chuck D and Flavor Flav sound newly invigorated five years after their last release.

An album like Songbird, with its covers and archival feel, isn't likely to ever feel essential, but that doesn't mean it isn't valuable.

Shires creates a relatable narrative in Nobody’s Girl where things fall apart, but Shires can find ways to vine back up.

Rhett Miller's A Lifetime of Riding by Night isn't an instant attention-grabber; it likely suits its titular setting. It is a deep and rewarding meditation.

Several of Twilight Override’s 30 songs are excellent and almost none of them stumble, yet few of them justify the album's sprawl.

You can come for the fiddle, you can come for the conversation, you can even come for the humor, but you won't leave disappointed. Mostly, though, you come for the music.

Kathleen Edwards sounds as confident as ever, with a clear vision of what matters. This latest record is marked by wisdom, heart, and varied Americana.