Claire Uebelacker

Americana’s greatest material has been born of rich harmonies, starting with a powerful vocal, of course, which is essentially the biggest cornerstone of David Sparrow’s Beggars & Choosers. While there’s something to be said about the poetic depth that Sparrow has as a lyricist, this is an even more melodic effort than I would normally expect

In any of its incarnations, the first element that strikes out at us in the song “I’m Falling off of the World” by Project Grand Slam is its rambunctious beat, and considering the potency its players are giving it in the new single from The Shakespeare Concert, this is all the more accurate a statement.

Aditi Iyer is building something special. The Indian singer/songwriter’s first two EP releases Dollhouse and The Girl They See received a lot of airplay from major platforms around the world and generated considerable critical enthusiasm. She hasn’t rushed her releases and takes sufficient time between each one to finetune every aspect of her material. It makes each new release

Brian Shapiro and his band’s second album, It’s Amazing, includes ten songs that you will agree, without qualification, are different from anything else out there today. It isn’t necessarily that he’s remade the songwriting wheel or anything so groundbreaking; instruments are still necessary, songs still have titles, and you’ll hear verse, chorus, verse – at least

Singer/songwriters are at the heart of the pop movement we’re seeing on all corners of the globe right now, and in his new single “Trespassing,” Morten Nygaard gives listeners plenty of reasons to take his style seriously. The passion that he offers his lyrics with is too moving to be artificial, too human to be

In a time of absolute dreary gloom and unanticipated turmoil, there will undeniably be days where the typical poppy playlist isn’t going to help you make it through the workweek. Avoiding problems by relegating the real world to the ranks of radio-friendly hits can get the job done when it needs to, but sometimes you

Trisha & Thara have a lot on their plate and show no signs of not being able to handle the demands. Sisters and exceptional singers, the pair’s third single “Too Late Again” pushes past the “slow bop” of their first two songs. The new release finds them and producer Brad Young blending two key styles,

There’s nothing quite like the rousing sting of the amplifier hum that comes with seeing a bar band ripping through the last organic outlet of live music in America, and in their new album A Señorita, A Sweet Tea and A Few Good Songs, country-rockers Water to Wine manages to bring this vibe into the studio

It’s a little American heartland roots rock, a little alternative, and sometimes bluesy. It swears allegiance to the guitar as its main musical vehicle. The Great Lands’ EP release 1400 Piedmont is the first of two EP’s slated for release in the coming months and its five songs derive much of their power from Jordan Armstrong’s songwriting

Wreckless Strangers is one of my favorite kinds of bands. The California-based outfit is a loose conglomeration of Bay Area session musicians and longtime friends who intermittently gather to write and make music. The relaxed design produces egoless music within a traditional music sphere and the genuine joy you hear in their songs never sounds

When you have as illustrious a career as Dale Ann Bradley, there’s only so much you can do to keep things feeling fresh. From the time her first album was released over twenty years ago to her most recent project only dropping last year and the ten spaced out in between with another new one

Not Ashamed merges the best of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) with strong influences of rock on their latest single “In Spirit and Truth.” Opening with magnetic and lively bagpipes that transport you to the rocky cliffs of Scotland or Ireland, “In Spirit and Truth” seems to take you higher with every bar. With rich electric

Although some ignorant critics will say that folk music is the most barebones style of music you can play, what they aren’t accounting for is the demand placed on the singing element of being a singer/songwriter. Without the right voice to match the tone of a passionate guitar part, there’s no moving forward in a

Americana is not an aesthetic created on singularities, and we’re reminded as much quite frequently in the new album Le Olam from Alex Krawczyk. Krawczyk’s poignant singer/songwriter style is given the lion’s share of the spotlight through a diversely-appointed set of material, from the lush country-folk of “Up Ahead” to the jangle pop of a reserved “Turning,”

Noir Dream’s “Perception Deception” captivated me with a single listen and later plays confirmed my first impression. William and Jared Wade’s songwriting and music, however, serve multiple purposes. Struggle fueled much of the band’s formation and still does as both men searched for a way to process and heal from experiences with, respectively, schizoaffective disorder

Acoustic music doesn’t have to be pastoral by design. It can be electrifying, powered by beats, and even lyrical to the point of replacing the demand for traditional verses. If there’s a goal that Bettman & Halpin had when making their new record Timeless, it was proving this very point, and they do so all too

Dynamyte’s new single “Come Thru” blends cool melodies with an “I’m over it” attitude, we all know too well. “Come Thru’s” origin began when Dynamyte found herself alone at the club after her friends bailed on her last minute. This sparked the beginning of “Come Thru,” which she finished co-writing with Zak Waters and Myah