by Steven Miller
If bluegrass is a tradition built on memory, then Live At The Legion is its muscle memory rendered audible. Captured live on April 7, 2024, at Nashville’s American Legion Post 82, this 20-track collaboration between Billy Strings & Bryan Sutton is a showcase of repertoire and its tradition of timing, tone, and touch.
Forget studio polish. This is the sound of two guitars, two voices, and two minds working in millisecond synchronicity. The stereo mix tells you everything you need to know: Strings panned left, Sutton right. It’s a gift to listeners who understand that flatpicking is more [...]
by Shannon Smith
Released in October 2024, Kelsea Ballerini’s fifth studio album, Patterns, marks a significant evolution in her blend of country roots and mainstream pop appeal. Ballerini steps into a more introspective and sonically adventurous space with this release. Co-produced with Alysa Vanderheym, the album collaborates with artists like Noah Kahan and boasts her highest charting debut yet. Beyond its commercial success, Patterns invites a deeper reflection on the cyclical nature of relationships and self-discovery, an aspect that permeates the album but has yet to be fully explored in reviews.
The album’s title, [...]
by Shannon Smith
Megan Moroney’s Blue Christmas… duh brings a fresh, candid perspective to country holiday music, infusing it with her signature “emo cowgirl” style. This surprise EP—featuring two of her new original songs and a take on Elvis’s timeless “Blue Christmas”—showcases Moroney’s knack for blending playful, light-hearted charm with deeply resonant, melancholic storytelling, a combination that has quickly set her apart in the country music scene.
The EP opens with “All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy,” a fun, honky-tonk romp that captures the magic of the holiday [...]
by Steven Miller
Sierra Hull has built an impressive career that has been precocious and prodigious, with her mandolin mastery and vocal gifts earning her a place among bluegrass royalty. From her early Grand Ole Opry appearances to Grammy nominations, Hull has continually expanded the boundaries of her artistry. Her latest single, a cover of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World,” provides another example of her ability to transcend genre labels while staying rooted in the craftsmanship that has made her a bluegrass standout.
“Mad World,” a song originally released in 1982 by Tears for Fears, has been covered by many [...]
