Enjoy Boston Camerata’s Free America! for its high spirits and its crafty, delicious way of making the iconoclasm of the past come alive.
Folk
Music Commentary: Ken Burns’ “Country Music” — Superb Cinematic Storytelling
Country Music digs into the rich, deep dirt of a music with a complicated past, a hybrid genre soaked in soulful suffering, twangy glory, and times both high and tough.
Music Preview: Guitarist Jimmy Herring — Seeking the Simple Root
Veteran guitarist Jimmy Herring and the 5 of 7 play groove-heavy tunes that barrel into unexpected and interesting places.
Music Interview: Singer/Songwriter Chris Smither — Coming Full Circle
His songs have been recorded by the likes of Bonnie Raitt and Diana Krall. For many, his rank — just short of superstardom — remains a mystery. He’s just too good to be less than a household name.
Folk Music Review: Dueto Dos Rosas, Five Songs
Dueto Dos Rosas’s tunes can be classified as rancheras or corridos, but their style has a very particular historical resonance.
Music Review: Newport Folk Festival 2019 — A Historic Occasion
When the 80-year-old Judy Collins, who sang at Newport in the 1960s, declares the current weekend to be “historic,” you had to believe her.
Music Review: The de-Stones’d New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival 50th Anniversary
“Forgiveness is the key and love is the answer… Have a good Jazz Fest, but also have a good life.”
Folk CD Review: Mountain Man’s “Magic Ship” — There’s Magic in Them Thar Hills!
When Vermont’s Mountain Man brings us its Appalachian vocal stylings the trio is venturing into the hollers of both the Green and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Folk CD Review: Lonnie Holley’s “MITH” — An Act of Restoration
Lonnie Holley’s music on MITH sounds like a choir of better angels whose multi-layered voice is hard on the outside and soft on the inside, like so much Alabama clay.
Music Preview: Les Poules à Colin — Definitely Not Celtic Lite
Les Poules à Colin specializes in mix-and-match: their music channels old medieval ballads and sugar shack Quebecois dance tunes.
