A CONVERSATION ON 'BLACKBIRDING,' HER STUNNING NEW RECORD The fearless, enthralling new album from Queen Esther  centers on the American Civil War, a peculiar choice even for one of the most distinctive Black artists in roots music. You likely haven‘t heard anything quite like Blackbirding .  Released digitally on Feb. 6, the album could be labeled country-soul. In truth, the songs range from rustic gospel blues to galloping honky-tonk, gorgeous soul-shaking ballads, and 1970

NEW ORLEANS — The International Folk Music Awards here became an evening to honor music legends and activists, celebrate Louisiana culture, and instigate pushback on the current climate of fear rising in America.   “We are remembering why folk music matters,” said Jennifer Roe, the executive director of the Folk Alliance International (FAI), during the Jan. 21 awards ceremony, part of the roots music organization’s 38th annual conference .   The conference theme, Rise Up,

FLORENCE, Alabama — John Paul White has been around — a top-notch singer, songwriter, and producer, Grammy winner, and now college professor in this legendary but still under-appreciated American music mecca, the Shoals area in north Alabama.   Last week, White left little doubt that few endeavors are as close to his heart than the annual holiday concert to benefit the University of North Alabama Entertainment Industry degree program , in which he teaches. He leads the even

Todd Snider photo by Angelina Castillo  (from Todd’s social media channels) The brilliant, quirky troubadour singer-songwriter Todd Snider passed away on Nov. 14, and my Nashville friends who knew him — and avid fans far beyond Music City — are devastated by the loss of this untamable, incredibly special artist.   I’ll miss Todd’s steady stream of story-songs on the eccentric characters of East Nashville, his commentary on the state of music and the world,  and his adventure