by Nick DeRiso

You're to be forgiven for expecting this to be a guitar record. First, there's Ned Evett himself -- a master of this specially created fretless version of the instrument. And his producer, gearhead Adrian Belew.

Heck, Evett has toured with Joe Satriani, for chrissakes.

Yet here, on Evett's sixth solo release, there are precious little brain-pretzelling solos. It's not that kind of record. Instead, Evett -- winner, you're reminded, of the 2003…

Returning with his first new album in seven years, Nashville singer-songwriter Kevin Gordon drills in on the second half of that descriptor -- telling stories that resonate like age-old fables, even on the first listen. Produced by Dove Award winner Joe McMahan (Freedy Johnston, Allison Moorer), Gloryland is another milestone in a career that's already seen Gordon craft well-regarded sides with producer Garry Tallent of the E Street Band, singer Lucinda Williams and Bo Ramsey, now…

by Mark Saleski

Back when Tom Waits released Real Gone, I used the concept of the essential nature of a pair of bluejeans to illustrate how that record could be used to get at what Waits' music is all about — an introductory album of sorts, one with a high score on the "Waits-y Scale."

Much of the idea of Waits'…

by Nick DeRiso

It was the first John Prine song I ever heard, and it still sends shivers of sad wonder. Learning more about his life around the time that "Hello In There" was composed only gives me a deeper appreciation for Prine's innate sense of humanity -- and the depth of talent he had as a writer from the first.



This newly released version, recorded the year before Prine's career-making self-titled debut, is included on The…