Kasey Anderson

Nowhere Nights

Red River Records

By Geoffrey Himes

There are echoes of other singers in Kasey Anderson's raspy, twangy voice--most obviously Steve Earle and Chris Knight--but Anderson’s sandpaper drawl is lower, younger and wearier. In contrast to Earle, who always sounds confident that he can wriggle out of the direst circumstances, Anderson sounds frighteningly aware of the limits to possibility. His guitar plows through his alluring chord changes with the implacability of fate's grinding gears, while his husky, tired voice describes that fate with the clarity of long study and the calm of reluctant acceptance.

Peter Stampfel

Dook of the Beatniks

PFAM

By John Morthland

If there was ever any doubt that longtime folkie misfit Peter Stampfel has a rock ‘n’ roll heart, this album should dispel it once and for all.

Bobby Charles

Timeless

Rice ‘N’ Gravy Records

By Chris Morris

Bobby Charles, who died in January at the age of 71, cruised just underneath the radar of the nation’s consciousness for more than half a century.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Preservation

Preservation Hall Recordings

By Phil Gallo

The eight musicians who make up the current lineup of the New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band have a tough road to plow.

Johnny Cash

American VI: Ain’t No Grave

American Recordings

By Roberta Penn

Ain't No Grave is a funeral for fans of Johnny Cash. It's not the kind of service in which a minister prays for salvation, mentioning the high points of a life along the way.