BEYONCE – Cowboy Carter
The previous album was Beyonce’s club music album, this one is supposedly her country album but it’s not: Instead, Beyonce just uses country imagery and signifiers as a springboard to make a statement about black women artists in a white man’s world. None of this would matter without decent songs, but “Cowboy Carter” has some great ones. I really enjoyed this. (8)
SCOTT H. BIRAM – The One & Only Scott H. Biram
A true road warrior honing his craft in sleazy honkytonks all over Texas, Biram mixes southern rock, outlaw country, blues and punk and kicks some serious ass. “Sinner’s Dinner” even sounds like prime Steppenwolf, and I love fuckin’ Steppenwolf. (8)
BLACK KEYS – Ohio Players
Probably their best album since 2011’s “El Camino”, certainly the most fun. (8)
CEDRIC BURNSIDE – Hill Country Love
The “Mississippi Country Hill Blues” subgenre, made popular in juke joints across the South by the likes of Cedric’s grandpa R.L., in all its joyous glory. If you thought blues was sad music, check this out and bring some moonshine and fried chicken to the party. (8)
COFFIN STORM – Arcana Rising
A bunch of Norwegian underground metal lifers including Apollyon and Fenriz play some riff-tastic epic doom, like Candlemass with Hellhammer’s attitude. (8)
SHERYL CROW – Evolution
Her previous album was supposed to be her last one but I’m glad it wasn’t, Crow remains one of the best songwriters out there and this album once again proves that her radio-friendly heartland rock with huge pop hooks is up there in the Pantheon with the likes of Tom Petty. (8)
ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO – Echo Dancing
Legendary septuagenarian Texan revisits 14 tracks from his long solo career and bands he played in like Buick McKane and The True Believers. Given his ease in moving between diverse genres from punk to country, it’s not entirely surprising that a lot of these reinterpretations sound nothing like the originals and might even remind one of Suicide in places. (8)
PHOSPHORESCENT – Revelator
Competent country rock by a guy who obviously knows what he’s doing even when he’s singing about not knowing what he’s doing. (8)
THE SECRET SISTERS – Mind, Man, Medicine
Americana duo from Muscle Shoals, Alabama knit their close harmonies once again on a wonderful little album that will appeal to fans of everyone from the Everly Brothers to Phoebe Bridgers. (8)
SARAH SHOOK & THE DISARMERS – Revelations
File under “cowpunk with pop ambitions” next to Lydia Loveless. (7)
VAMPIRE WEEKEND – Only God Was Above Us
I always liked bands coming out of NYC but that ended sometime in 90’s with people like Cibo Matto and Soul Coughing, the 00’s New York scene always seemed a bit too preppy/upper class for my tastes (with the notable exception of hard-drinking working class classic rockers The Hold Steady, of course). Vampire Weekend are among the survivors of that scene and on this album the intelligent pop (slightly) dominates over the preppiness. (8)
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