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Articles by Jon Young
Ma Rainey – Mother of the Blues, The Complete Paramount Recordings 1923-1928 (Black Swan Records)
SUBSCRIBE NOW Shop our Big Takeover store for back issues, t-shirts & CDs Follow The Big Takeover Before Robert Johnson, before Lead Belly, even before Bessie Smith, Gertrude “Ma” Rainey defined what it meant to sing the blues, belting out lusty, downhome songs with a charismatic force that comes through loud and clear today.
Various Artists – What’s happening!! The Chariot Records Story (Omnivore Recordings)
Having chronicled the output of bygone Baltimore soul label Ru-Jac some years back in a standout series of reissues, the peerless archaeologists at Omnivore Recordings return to Charm City to survey the more modest output of Chariot Records. From 1966 to 1972, Chariot issued a series of singles (as well as an album) featuring appealing local artists with big ambitions and an abundance of energy.
Split Enz – ENZcyclopedia Volumes One & Two (Chrysalis Records)
Were they prog rockers? New Wave pioneers? Psychedelic tricksters? From the early ‘70s to the mid-‘80s, New Zealand’s Split Enz defied easy categories with a uniquely strange mix of ingredients that could hold listeners spellbound, even when it wasn’t clear what was happening. Spanning 1973 to 1976, the five-disc ENZcyclopedia Volumes One & Two offers a deep dive into this wonderfully odd collective’s formative days, collecting its first two albums and an intriguing batch of odds and ends.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Bold as Love (Experience Hendrix/Legacy Recordings)
Jimi Hendrix faced a daunting challenge when it came time to follow up his astounding 1967 debut Are You Experienced, since it was probably impossible to match the ferocious shock and awe of that mind-blowing album. So he didn’t try. Instead, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, which also featured Mitch Mitchell (drums) and Noel Redding (bass), became mellower, funkier and more playful on Axis: Bold as Love, pointing the way for Hendrix to explore diverse sonic avenues in the future.
Françoise Hardy – Tous les Garcons et les Filles, Le Premier Bonheur du Jour, Mon Amie la Rose, L’Amitié, La Maison où J’ai Grandi (Omnivore)
French teenager Françoise Hardy scored a big hit in her homeland in 1962 with the melancholy “Tous les Garcons et les Filles,” a gentle revision of Paul Anka’s 1957 smash “Diana,” going on to become an international pop superstar. Although this charismatic singer would forge a remarkable career highlighted by dozens of standout albums, the U.S. has remained largely indifferent to her considerable charms.
Various Artists - Stax Revue: Live in ’65! (Stax Records & Craft Recordings)
SUBSCRIBE NOW Shop our Big Takeover store for back issues, t-shirts & CDs Follow The Big Takeover Recorded at clubs in Memphis and Los Angeles during summer 1965, this essential document – an expanded edition of the previously released Funky Broadway: Stax Revue Live at the 5/4 Ballroom – spotlights a vital soul label emerging as a mighty cultural force.
Elvis Presley - Sunset Boulevard (RCA Records and Legacy Recordings)
Following the scheme of last year’s Elvis Presley compilation Memphis, the five-disc Sunset Boulevard collects recordings from a single place, exploring the vaults of RCA Recording Studios in Hollywood. Spanning 1972 to 1975, this intriguing set finds The King’s devotion to rock’n’roll waning, although he can raise an occasional ruckus when the urge strikes. The high point is the master recordings on the first disc.
The Kinks - The Journey - Part 3 (BMG)
SUBSCRIBE NOW Shop our Big Takeover store for back issues, t-shirts & CDs Follow The Big Takeover The Journey – Part 3, the latest in a series of retrospectives from The Kinks, collects highlights spanning 1977 to 1984 on its first disc, among them “Sleepwalker,” “Come Dancing,” their final Top Ten hit, and the tender gem “Better Things.” While it’s an excellent introduction to the band’s rewarding later period for new fans, longtime listeners will prefer the second disc, which contains a...
Sly and the Family Stone - The First Family: Live at Winchester Cathedral 1967 (High Moon Records)
SUBSCRIBE NOW Shop our Big Takeover store for back issues, t-shirts & CDs Follow The Big Takeover Scheduled for release before Sly Stone’s recent passing, The First Family: Live at Winchester Cathedral 1967 is a mindblowing document, chronicling the early days of one of the great groups of the ‘60s – or any era.
Various Artists - That’ll Flat…Git It! Vol. 50: Rockabilly & Rock’n’Roll from the Vaults of Columbia & Epic Records (Bear Family Records)
Since 1993, the peerless German reissue label Bear Family has collected rockabilly and rockabilly-adjacent recordings in their fascinating That’ll Flat…Git It! series, which compiles mostly-obscure releases from a single label, or family of related labels, in each volume. The half-century entry returns to the archives of the Columbia Records group for the fifth time, continuing to offer intriguing perspectives on rock’s early days.
ALBUM REVIEW: Southern Avenue Cooks Up a Memphis Soul Stew on ‘Family’
With voices soaring, beats pulsing, and spirits on fire, Southern Avenue’s thrilling Family could initially be mistaken for an old-fashioned gospel record. Between the irresistible grooves and unflagging positivity, it’s impossible not to feel reborn and uplifted after spending time with this dynamic quartet. Named after a street in the group’s hometown, Southern Avenue calls its fourth album Family for good reason.
ALBUM REVIEW: Irma Thomas and Galactic Join Forces on the New Big Easy Classic ‘Audience With the Queen’
The pairing of Irma Thomas, known as “The Soul Queen of New Orleans,” and the veteran Big Easy band Galactic goes so smoothly that it’s hard to believe they haven’t been collaborating for decades. In fact, she recorded one song with the group in 2010, but this is their first full-length joint venture. Better late than never, because the irresistible Audience With the Queen is a funky and thought-provoking delight.
ALBUM REVIEW: ‘The Standard School Broadcast Recordings’ Unearths an Overlooked John Lee Hooker Session from 1973
Mississippi-born bluesman John Lee Hooker, who emerged in the late 1940s, played strikingly-original songs that helped fuel the 1960s’ blues-rock boom in England and the U.S., including “Boom Boom” and “Boogie Chillen’ ”; among the artists who recorded his tunes were Van Morrison, The Doors, and Tom Petty.
ALBUM REVIEW: Sunny War’s ‘Armageddon in a Summer Dress’ Keeps the Spirit of Resistance Burning
The world is an alarming, scary place right now. But if you’re looking to escape the turmoil, Sunny War is the last person to turn to. Fiery and blunt, this eloquent singer-songwriter delivers powerful broadsides intended to keep the spirit of resistance burning hot on the rousing Armageddon in a Summer Dress, seasoning her messages with enough positive thinking to ward off defeatism. As urgent as breaking news, this stirring album feels like it could have been recorded yesterday.
Horsegirl - Phonetics On and On (Matador Records)
SUBSCRIBE NOW Shop our Big Takeover store for back issues, t-shirts & CDs Follow The Big Takeover Formed in Chicago, Horsegirl made a striking debut with Versions of Modern Performance in 2022, when its members were still teenagers.
ALBUM REVIEW: Pat Kearns Tells Dusty Tales of Tough Times on ‘Together and Alone’
Pat Kearns likes to tell stories. On the first Kearns Family album, the Mojave Desert resident unspools stark tales of cursed outsiders and sentimental fools with an empathetic touch, presenting these dusty sagas without passing judgement or romanticizing tough times. Sharing musical DNA with John Prine, Leonard Cohen, and other kindred balladeers, Together and Alone feels timeless and immediate at once, sure to resonate in any era. A former Portland, Ore.
ALBUM REVIEW: Early James Reboots His Music on the Riveting ‘Medium Raw’
Growling, yelping, and shouting with unnerving fervor, Frederick James Mullis, Jr. brings a rogue’s gallery of characters to life on the riveting Medium Raw. The Alabama native, who records as Early James, echoes the boisterous folk mavericks of long ago with his flashy performance, railing at the corrupt world and challenging his inner demons to a death duel. If he’s putting on a show, it’s a convincing one.
ALBUM REVIEW: Nick Carpenter, aka ‘Medium Build’, Turns Small Moments Into Big Events on ‘Marietta’
Nick Carpenter doesn’t do things halfway. The Georgia-bred singer-songwriter, who performs as Medium Build, transforms small moments into big events in widescreen pop songs, yet retains a striking sense of intimacy. His talent was on full display earlier this year in the album Country, which doesn’t sound like roots music, title to the contrary. But it does boast the same eloquent directness that made some classic Nashville songwriters so compelling.
ALBUM REVIEW: Haley Heynderickx Explores the Divide Between the Natural World and Modern Life on ‘Seed of a Seed’
Feeling stressed by the modern world? Haley Heynderickx is too. The Portland, Oregon folkie has plenty to say about the unhealthy, attention-deficient lives many lead today on the absorbing Seed of a Seed, her first album in more than six years. Heynderickx is no mere scold, though. This thoughtful singer-songwriter also points a way out of the noxious morass generated by consumerism, tech, and other contemporary afflictions, touting such organic remedies as flowers and hummingbirds.
ALBUM REVIEW: Joy Oladokun Reckons with Success on ‘Observations from a Crowded Room’
Help us continue to keep our web content free and accessible to all – without paywalls or invasive pop-up ads. Your support is important because it helps us cover our costs so that we can continue bringing you the independent music journalism you know and trust. Please consider subscribing or donating to No Depression now. As one of the last resources dedicated to covering roots music and related stories, we need the support of our readers.
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision (Experience Hendrix / Legacy Recordings)
It’s a biggie: 39 tracks, all but one previously unreleased, on three CDs (or five LPs), plus, on Blu-ray, a feature-length documentary on the creation of Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios and 20 new mixes of previously released tracks. Though not intended for beginners, anyone curious about Hendrix’s legacy will be dazzled.
ALBUM REVIEW: Julian Taylor Stares into the Abyss on Haunting New ‘Pathways’
Help us continue to keep our web content free and accessible to all – without paywalls or invasive pop-up ads. Your support is important because it helps us cover our costs so that we can continue bringing you the independent music journalism you know and trust. Please consider subscribing or donating to No Depression now. As one of the last resources dedicated to covering roots music and related stories, we need the support of our readers.
SPOTLIGHT: JD McPherson Reboots with 'Nite Owls'
EDITOR’S NOTE: JD McPherson is No Depression’s Spotlight artist for September 2024. Learn more about him and his new album, Nite Owls, coming Sep. 27 on New West Records. “Everybody I know wants me to be more prolific,” JD McPherson says and laughs. “But I don’t make things just to make them.” That’s for sure. Speaking on the phone from Seattle, where he’s touring with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, the Oklahoma-born, Nashville-based singer and guitarist is promoting the Sep.
ALBUM REVIEW: Guy Davis Casts a Country Blues Spell on ‘The Legend of Sugarbelly’
Help us continue to keep our web content free and accessible to all – without paywalls or invasive pop-up ads. Your support is important because it helps us cover our costs so that we can continue bringing you the independent music journalism you know and trust. Please consider subscribing or donating to No Depression now. As one of the last resources dedicated to covering roots music and related stories, we need the support of our readers.
Elvis Presley - Memphis (RCA Records / Legacy Recordings)
In the ongoing quest for new ways of marketing their wares, the custodians of the Elvis Presley archives have come up with a good one, compiling music recorded only in his hometown. The five-CD Memphis presents a fascinating, albeit sobering, history lesson, offering a chance to compare The King’s glorious mid-‘50s work on Sun Records with his more grown-up efforts in the late-‘60s and ‘70s, culminating in his final sessions.
ALBUM REVIEW: As Johnny Blue Skies, Sturgill Simpson Wrings Every Drop Out of Heartbreak
Sturgill Simpson says he intended to release five albums under his own name, and then record as someone else. (He’s already put out seven, but never mind.) So now he’s become Johnny Blue Skies, whose “debut” longplayer, Passage du Desir, is a harrowing account of terminal loneliness and romantic disaster. Should this rebranding raise fears of an unwelcome tangent — hold the synths, please! — don’t worry.
ALBUM REVIEW: North Mississippi Allstars’ Cody Dickinson Sticks Close to Home on Solo Debut
“No problem! Only solution! Love riot!” exclaims the irrepressible Cody Dickinson near the end of Homemade, summing up this supremely satisfying album quite nicely. On his first solo outing, the co-pilot (along with brother Luther) of Americana mainstays North Mississippi Allstars makes a joyful noise as he celebrates the restorative powers of family and music, expertly playing the wise downhome philosopher.
Nat King Cole - Live at the Blue Note Chicago (Iconic Artists Group)
Nat King Cole was a gifted jazz pianist who played with such greats as Lester Young and Illinois Jacquet. But he was an even better pop singer, enjoying widespread fame in the ‘50s and ‘60s as a mainstream crooner. Recorded at a small club in 1953, Live at the Blue Note Chicago finds the peerless vocalist combining the best of both worlds in a luminous, 25-song set that functions as a roundup of his greatest hits to date.
ALBUM REVIEW: Pokey LaFarge Strives for Higher Ground on ‘Rhumba Country’
Pokey LaFarge displays such easy grace when he sings that it’s tempting to consider him a supplier of light entertainment. Don’t believe it. The stirring, deceptively fraught Rhumba Country presents vivid vignettes of restless hearts gripped by desire and loneliness, and yearning for higher ground. If this smooth troubadour ultimately strikes a positive note, his progress is hard-earned.
METZ - Up on Gravity Hill (Sub Pop)
“I’m wound so tight my head could pop,” shouts frontman Alex Edkins, summing up the vibe on the thrilling fifth studio album from METZ.
ALBUM REVIEW: Nicolette and the Nobodies Arrive Via ‘The Long Way’
Discovering a performer with a big voice can be a special kind of thrill. Think young Connie Smith in the ’60s, early Neko Case in the ’90s, or whoever gives you a buzz. There’s something uniquely exhilarating about encountering a singer who has the firepower to rattle windows. Now, get ready for newcomer Nicolette Hoang, who struts her stuff with exuberant flair on The Long Way.
ALBUM REVIEW: The Secret Sisters Offer a Warm Hug in a Scary World on ‘Mind, Man, Medicine’
The world is pretty scary these days, but The Secret Sisters are here to comfort on Mind, Man, Medicine. Reaching out to family, friends, and complete strangers — aka you, the listener — Alabama-bred siblings Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle confront a variety of troubles, from social dysfunction to interpersonal strife, with warm hearts and a whole lot of empathy. If they can’t make everything right, it’s still nice to bask in the glow of this lovely longplayer.
Laetitia Sadier - Rooting for Love (Drag City)
As singer for the French-British electro band Stereolab, and in her more-organic solo work, Laetitia Sadier embodies an entrancing serenity, regardless of subject matter. Having previously considered everything from the virtues of socialism to a loved one’s suicide, she remains her restless, probing self on the lovely Rooting for Love. But Sadier’s music is never simple, however inviting.
ALBUM REVIEW: The High Hawks Radiate Good Vibrations on ‘Mother Nature’s Show’
Expect good vibes when you encounter Mother Nature’s Show, the sophomore outing from The High Hawks. This easygoing sextet exhibits the kind of special team spirit that can’t be faked, working like an efficient, albeit nicely scruffy, groove machine as it spans a variety of roots styles to evoke Little Feat, The Grateful Dead, The Bottle Rockets, and other like-minded dudes.
ALBUM REVIEW: William Elliott Whitmore Dispenses Hard Wisdom on ‘Silently, The Mind Breaks’
Troubled souls who need an ally on the rocky road of life may find a kindred spirit in Iowa’s William Elliott Whitmore. Continuing to dispense hard wisdom more than two decades after his debut, this plainspoken country-folk troubadour ponders existential angst and other primal issues on the compelling Silently, The Mind Breaks. The good news: We’re all in this together. The bad news: We’re all going to die.
ALBUM REVIEW: Jacob Aranda’s ‘War Planes’ Reaches for Healing After Trauma
EDITOR’S NOTE: As the end of the year approaches, we’re taking a look back at albums we weren’t able to review when they first came out. War Planes was released in September. Trauma and sadness cut deep on War Planes, the gently devastating Americana gem from Jacob Aranda. Like a master short story writer, this Illinois-bred troubadour crafts unforgettable portraits of lives damaged by a heritage of neglect and denial.
Bob Dylan - The Complete Budokan 1978 (Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings)
Spotlighting two concerts at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan Hall, The Complete Budokan 1978 expands the original ‘70s release At Budokan, which was Bob Dylan’s third live album of the decade. With performances of 57 songs, 35 previously unreleased (plus two tracks of chatty band introductions), this four-CD set finds him striving to stay fresh by refusing to treat the songs as sacred texts, instead vigorously stretching, bending and twisting familiar material into new shapes.
ALBUM REVIEW: Compassion Colors Dori Freeman’s Songs on ‘Do You Recall’
Dori Freeman would likely make a good friend in real life. Do You Recall, her compelling fifth LP, features vivid tales of romantic friction that will inspire nods of recognition, introspective monologues sure to ring true for anyone used to self-interrogation, and righteous declarations of outrage at the lousy state of society today. This lovely album is like catching up with a pal who understands life’s ups and downs, and helps you make sense of its daily challenges.
The Beatles - 1962-1966/1967-1970 (Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe)
After all the attention bestowed on “Now and Then,” the touching “last” song from The Beatles, there’s plenty left to explore in the newly expanded compilations 1962-1966 and 1967-1970. Adding 21 more songs to the original collections, for a total of 75 tracks, these remixed sets are a solid introduction to the Fab Four (though there’s no replacing the albums as first released). The lion’s share of the material on 1967-1970 is drawn from recent years’ offerings in the ongoing Beatles remix series.
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Hollywood Bowl August 18, 1967 (Experience Hendrix/Legacy Recordings)
When Jimi Hendrix and bandmates Mitch Mitchell (drums) and Noel Redding (bass) opened for The Mamas and Papas at the Hollywood Bowl in August 1967, they were in an odd position. Though his Jimi Hendrix Experience had conquered England months before, the trio was yet to break through in the States. An electrifying appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival that June had generated buzz, but the mind-blowing debut album Are You Experienced? was still days from release.
IAN SWEET - SUCKER (Polyvinyl Records)
Intimate and epic at once, the stunning fourth album from Los Angeles’ Jilian Medford, aka IAN SWEET, meshes form and content with dazzling flair. Matching her sad, sweet voice to hazy, warped pop textures, SUCKER plunges headlong into unfiltered sagas of romantic desperation and existential dread, deftly using soft-loud-soft dynamics and dense, unpredictable arrangements to create a sense of relentless emotional chaos.
Elvis Presley - Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite (RCA Records / Legacy Recordings)
From his outlandish white jumpsuit to the grandiose “Also Sprach Zarathustra” introduction to the estimated billion-plus TV sets tuned in to the event, much about Elvis Presley’s 1973 Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite concert shouts uncool excess today. On the other hand, there’s the music itself.
ALBUM REVIEW: Lori McKenna’s ‘1988’ Looks Back While Hoping Forward
Lori McKenna lays her heart bare on the compelling 1988, painting vivid scenes of youthful discovery and taking a hopeful glimpse into the future. The Massachusetts native takes the weight of the world on her shoulders as she remembers friends and lovers who lost their way and ponders difficult life lessons.
Marshall Crenshaw - Field Day (Yep Roc Records)
Marshall Crenshaw – Field Day (Yep Roc Records) Released four decades ago, Marshall Crenshaw’s sophomore album felt like an odd career move at the time. The Detroit-bred rocker followed up his brilliant garage-pop debut by teaming with producer Steve Lillywhite, best known today for his epic work with U2. Hinting at dreams of mass appeal, Field Day shoehorned Crenshaw’s down-to-earth music into a big, stadium-friendly format, marked by clattering drums.
Brigid Mae Power - Dream from the Deep Well (Fire Records)
Brigid Mae Power – Dream from the Deep Well (Fire Records) Time passes slowly on the enthralling fourth album from Ireland’s Brigid Mae Power, but don’t mistake her leisurely pace for a lack of intensity. Suggesting a modern incarnation of Sandy Denny, the quietly dazzling matches her beautifully pensive voice with a fine set of mostly original tunes that echo traditional music, yet feel grounded in the present.
ALBUM REVIEW: M. Ward’s ‘Supernatural Thing’ Celebrates the Magic and Mystery of Music
A man of myriad moods, Matthew Stephen Ward from Portland, Oregon, can trade breathtaking tenderness for bitter despair in an instant, or display affection and contempt with a single breath. His transcendent Supernatural Thing captures indelible episodes of bright magic and dark torment, trading lightly in big ideas as it evokes a dreamy world of hidden meanings. Like a gently unsettling mirage, this radiant album percolates in the mind long after it ends.
Annie Bartholomew Finds Musical Treasure in the Stories of Klondike Gold Rush Sex Workers
It was Alaska folk singer Annie Bartholomew’s eureka moment. After playing a show in Skagway in 2016, she toured the brothel museum at the town’s Red Onion Saloon, which documents the lives of women who descended on the area during the freewheeling Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1800s. “I was floored by the stories I heard,” the Juneau native recalls.
Bob Dylan - Shadow Kingdom (Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings)
SUBSCRIBE NOW Shop our Big Takeover store for back issues, t-shirts & CDs Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Follow The Big Takeover Bob Dylan – Shadow Kingdom (Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings) The release of the audio album Shadow Kingdom, taken from Bob Dylan’s 2021 streaming film of the same name, is occasion for a curious bit of obfuscation.
ALBUM REVIEW: Brandy Clark Explores Love in All Its Complicated Glory
Love hurts, love consumes, and occasionally love uplifts, according to Brandy Clark. On her absorbing self-titled fourth album, this insightful singer-songwriter catalogs assorted varieties of love, from romantic and greedy to familial and spiritual, making the most universal of topics feel fresh and urgent. Brandy Clark is produced by Brandi Carlile, who seems to spend as much time supporting the music of others (Joni Mitchell, Tanya Tucker, et al.) these days as she does playing her own.
ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘Cadence,’ Cinder Well Finds Beauty in the Dark Places
Celtic mythology speaks of “thin places,” locations where the barrier between this world and the otherworld is permeable. Cadence, the new album from Cinder Well, is filled with thin places, moments when a strummed chord or a sung note is left to hang for just a second or two. It’s in those seconds that Cadence reveals its mysteries.
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