SOUL COUNTRY

NASHVILLE — More than three years after writer and musician Peter Cooper passed away, but Eric Brace and Thomm Jutz are now able to write, sing, and talk about their late friend like they were with him yesterday. The enormous hole that Peter left among his loved ones, in Nashville, and among his two brothers-in-music is evident on Circle and Square, the duo’s beautiful new album on Red Beet Records, a collection of gorgeous, restrained, folk-oriented songs about Peter and art

(Editor’s Note: This story contains potentially triggering language about sexual assault and addiction.) NASHVILLE — Country singer Ty Herndon can break your heart, but he sure knows how to put one back together. The man speaks from experience. In his intense and candid new memoir What Mattered Most, Herndon recalls how he became a child preacher in Alabama, rose to fame in Nashville, and suffered some devastating personal crashes — eventually coming out of the closet and fi

Joy Clark, at left, and Jennifer Knapp perform in New Orleans. (Photo by Alan Richard) It was the revival some of us didn't know we needed. When an array of talented LGBTQ+ singer-songwriters gathered for a special show in New Orleans following the Folk Alliance International back in January, it was a moving experience for artists and audience alike. It was spiritual. As singer-songwriters Joy Clark and Jennifer Knapp , two of the evening’s performers, finished their set of

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