CD Reviews

Trading Cards for the Faithful is the latest from Michael Tiernan. The six-track EP is his seventh recorded release since 2004, and this time he draws inspiration from his eventful life, which has seen him survive cancer, travel Europe with his guitar in tow, spend time in a Vatican seminary, and end up in SoCal […]

Electric Moonshine (Tribute to Popcorn Sutton) is the latest album by the Sickstring Outlaws. It is the 2014 follow-up to Johnny Drank Jack, covering much of the same territory: Bakersfield-style country songs about the misadventures of living life on the edge, like predecessors Hank Williams, George Jones, and other outlaw country singers, especially Merle Haggard. […]

Jazz lovers are in for a treat: the Danny Green Trio is established as a solid presence in the San Diego area jazz scene, with five CD releases and well-earned international recognition. Leonard Patton likewise has a considerable cachet as an expressive jazz, gospel, and blues singer, with several of his own solo recordings, and […]

Between warm, golden sunlight and the cool darkness of a new moon’s night, between the soothing sounds of a lullaby and the rude awakening of an alarm clock… between sipping a cup of hot tea sweetened with fresh honey and slamming a shot of smoky mezcal that burns all the way down: this is the […]

Out of Kansas City come Hudspeth and Taylor, veteran blues performers who have teamed up for their new CD, Folie a Deux. This compilation of 13 mostly self-penned tunes finds inspiration from the blues of the 1920s, ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s, and even later blues influenced pop. Oklahoma native Brandon Hudspeth does all the guitar […]

Dreaming, the latest album by Watson, Beldock & Beach is a sumptuous tour de force of intimate acoustic minimalism. The songwriting team of Peggy Watson and David Beldock, each with successful individual singer/songwriter careers, added journeyman bassist Paul Beach (The Association, Mamas and the Papas, Gary Puckett), to their act and made a record. Watson […]

Enter the Blue Sky plays acoustic Americana music that is highly personal, built around Sande Lollis’ songwriting and striking vocals. Since 2016’s CD, Re-Entry, they’ve seen the passing of member John Seever and a change of bassist. In addition to Lollis’ lead and backing vocals and corrugaphone (look it up!), the band includes Karen Childress-Evans […]

Conrad Sansbury plays Americana with a country vibe, and before the quarantine he was singing originals at local hangouts like Navajo Live. His debut EP, Useless Love, includes five tracks that feature his vocals and guitar, backing vocals by Paty Sevener and Stuart Anthony, keyboards by Sharon Whyte, banjo and violin by string whiz Dennis […]

Imagination/No Boundaries is the new CD by the Richard James Trio, a collection of 11 jazz tunes by local keyboardist/bassist/vocalist James, with Russell Bizzett on drums and percussion, and Grant Clarkson on bass. James composed, arranged, and recorded all of the material and the set represents a broad palette of sound shadings, but the clear […]