Music Country

This past February, Andrew Combs was sitting on a couch in a recording studio in Brooklyn, beer in hand, listening intently to the playback of his new song “Firestarter” in the control room. “I just feel like there’s something missing in the turnaround, maybe even the chorus,” he said. “I’m …

In mid-2018, Margo Price played a triumphant, sold-out three-night stand at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, proving her power as a capable headliner. She’s gone on to even bigger stages in 2019, opening several shows on Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show Tour in July and August. But on Saturday night, she found …

Eilen Jewell’s lyrically rich “79 Cents,” Miranda Lambert’s new “Bluebird,” and Lady Antebellum guitarist Slim Gambill’s jazzy numbers journey “54321” make up this week’s list of the best country and Americana songs. Jamie Lin Wilson, “Alice” A tribute to an old neighbor who’s “pretty as a flower [and] tough as …

Canadian singer-songwriter Tenille Townes is joined by Brandi Carlile for an acoustic performance of the song “Somebody’s Daughter,” which Townes released as a single in September 2018. Their collaboration is part of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store’s new “Five Decades, One Voice” initiative, a 50th-anniversary celebration of the restaurant chain …

Ruston Kelly puts an atmospheric, modern spin on one of the most mournful ballads of the last century with his just-released version of the Carter Family’s “Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow.” Shortening the title to “Weeping Willow,” Kelly’s rendition of the historic tune replaces the classic mountain-bred instrumentation and …

Early in her musical career, singer-songwriter Becky Warren had a band called the Great Unknowns that — like their name implies — didn’t make a huge splash, but they did make at least one high-profile fan in Amy Ray. The Indigo Girls co-founder was given a copy of their album …

In August 1995, Johnny Cash wrapped up an eight-show run that month with a concert at the now defunct Bud Light Amphitheatre in Harvey’s Lake, Pennsylvania. Such Cash trivia makes up the newly relaunched johnnycash.com, an exhaustive online archive that’s billing itself as “Everything You Need to Know About the …

“That’s a fucking hit,” calls out Dave Cobb in his customary denim uniform, seconds after the last note of the Highwomen’s debut single, “Redesigning Women,” plays through the speakers on the console at RCA Studio A. “There’s no excuse why this can’t be on the radio,” he says, turning toward …

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit are among the artists on the bill for the third annual Marcus King Band Family Reunion. Held in late September at Pisgah Brewing Company in Black Mountain, North Carolina, the two-day festival is the brainchild of Marcus King, the singer-guitarist of the burgeoning blues-rock …

Two weeks after setting an attendance record at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium with a marathon solo performance — i.e. no opening acts — Eric Church returned to the venue for CMA Fest on Friday night without any band at all. Walking onstage with just an acoustic guitar, the country singer launched …