Reviews | Country California

Quicksand – Randy Kohrs

February 2, 2010 by C.M. Wilcox 6 Comments

Randy Kohrs is one of those disgustingly talented guys who does it all: he's a Grammy-winning producer, for Jim Lauderdale's Bluegrass Diaries; a renowned session musician on more than 600 albums, ranging from Hank Thompson to Little Big Town; a familiar face in the touring bands of Hank III, Tom T. Hall, and Dolly Parton, among others; the man driving that wicked dobro on Dierks Bentley's "What Was I Thinkin.'" He writes, sings, plays, produces, engineers, mixes... he can probably juggle, … [Read more...]

Goodbye Rock N Roll – Derek Hoke

November 4, 2009 by C.M. Wilcox 6 Comments

Derek Hoke may begin his debut record with a fond farewell to rock and roll, but he doesn't leave it far behind. His gentle, unpretentious brand of throwback country often seems just a hiccup away from the early rock of Buddy Holly. Fans of The Wrights and The Little Willies should take particular note. While the album-opening title track finds Hoke bidding adieu to the “big guitars, the screaming and the shouting” (“I'll get by without 'em,” he promises), he wastes no time in … [Read more...]

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2009 Recap

October 7, 2009 by C.M. Wilcox 7 Comments

This past weekend marked the ninth annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in San Francisco, with about 80 roots-oriented acts appearing on six different stages over the course of three days. The festival is notable for its size (at an estimated 750,000 attendees this year, it dwarfs most other festivals), the caliber of talent it attracts, and its price tag: free to all who show up, thanks to the generosity of one man who foots the bill, billionaire investment banker and banjo-picking roots … [Read more...]

Tributes – Mike Dekle

October 2, 2009 by C.M. Wilcox 3 Comments

This is a contribution from reader David Jones. Fathers, beaches, teachers, photographs, Bob Dylan, unruly teenagers and even health spas: These are just some of the things Georgia-based singer/songwriter Mike Dekle pays tribute to on his fifth album, appropriately entitled Tributes – and it could easily be one of the best independently-released albums of the year so far. Age apparently breeds insight, and Dekle’s songs are not so much austere ruminations on the subjects he touches … [Read more...]

BlackTop Road – Angela Easterling

October 1, 2009 by C.M. Wilcox 10 Comments

There's an almost otherworldly quality to Angela Easterling's sophomore disc, a largely self-written Americana affair produced by singer/songwriter/sideman extraordinaire Will Kimbrough. BlackTop Road is soaked in an intelligence and far-reaching historical sense that makes you suspect its origins couldn't be entirely human, or at least that all of these songs and performances couldn't have emanated from one young woman. Easterling, whose voice comes with nary a hint of twang, offers one … [Read more...]

Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again – John Fogerty

September 29, 2009 by C.M. Wilcox 1 Comment

This is a contribution from reader David Jones. When I heard that John Fogerty was working on a sequel to 1973’s Blue Ridge Rangers album, I was delighted – particularly when I saw the track listing. I couldn’t help but play what I thought the album would sound like in my head, and I was both surprised and satisfied when I eventually heard the album and found it contradicted my imaginary playback. It just goes to show that John Fogerty is seldom predictable. The decision to thematically … [Read more...]

Speed of Life – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

September 29, 2009 by C.M. Wilcox 2 Comments

This is a contribution from reader David Jones. After over forty years in existence, you could forgive the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band a weak album or two. Fortunately, there's no such need when it comes to the legendary ensemble’s new disc Speed of Life, their first since 2004’s Welcome to Woody Creek. Of course, such a lengthy tenure for any band means line-up changes, but since the last record this has been limited to the loss of only one member, bass player Jimmy Ibbotson, whose most … [Read more...]