With five studio albums, the Stereophonics have garnered a sizable following in their native UK while managing only marginal stateside success. At this juncture, a live offering would seem the right move, both to consolidate their fan base and to retrench after recent personnel shakeups. Live from Dakota will likely…

Though drummer Glenn Kotche’s role with Wilco may be all the credence needed to draw the indie faithful, little evidence of his day job shows on this, his third solo outing. Drum solos were once the rage, but Kotche’s ability to hammer out increasingly complex rhythms on a variety of…

Like Lucinda Williams, to whom she’s frequently compared, Shannon McNally packs a wallop of a vocal — a tough, tenacious delivery that’s equally adept at conveying both pain and poignancy. McNally’s latest album — a live showcase for a signature style she’s dubbed “North American Ghost Music” — emphasizes a…

What an odd yet adventuresome fellow this Nick Wright, a.k.a. Dogme 95, appears to be. Although the music that graces The Reagle Beagle and last year’s companion piece, Arcadian Hymns, is the lowest of lo-fi, even downright primitive in places, Wright’s current concept — a fictionalized voyage with social scientist…

What a difference a couple of decades make. Richard Butler’s long-awaited, self-titled debut is a perfect example of what happens when a onetime rebel rocker sheathes his barbs and opts instead for easy-listening accessibility. It’s not that Butler has sold out; these aren’t the sort of songs that populate radio…

The Subways, a postpubescent power-punk trio from the UK, have launched their career with the type of hype usually reserved for whoever happens to be dubbed this year’s next big deal. Critical darlings at home, they hit pay dirt when they were signed by Sire and bequeathed producer Ian Broudie…

Eef Barzelay is best known as the erstwhile leader of the power-pop combo Clem Snide, but with his first solo effort, Eef finds a new motif. Discarding the effusive sound associated with his day job, Bitter Honey is a low-key acoustic ramble that finds Barzelay shoring up his sentiments with…

Jason Collett redefines the traditional notion of the dewy-eyed, shoegazing folk-rock troubadour. On this, his sophomore solo set, Collett — a professional carpenter when he’s not gigging with the Toronto musical co-op known as Broken Social Scene — offers a dozen concise acoustic gems enhanced by burnished, back-porch arrangements …..

In the song “Street Fighting Man,” Mick Jagger wrote a lyric that seemed to suggest an employment opportunity: “What can a poor boy do but to sing for a rock ‘n’ roll band?” Indeed the Stones have slogged it out for the better part of the past 45 years, but…

The four genetically blessed siblings collectively known as the Corrs hail from Irish environs, so it’s no surprise their sound boasts a certain measure of folk finesse. Despite the cute and cuddly approach that has marked their previous efforts, they have always stayed in touch with tradition through the use…

Tres Chicas’ second album is the auditory equivalent of a chick flick. It’s not so much because of the group’s name or the bandmates’ feminine bond or that the CD and cover booklet are swathed in pink. Rather it has to do with their wistful, starry-eyed themes and the music’s…

In the aftermath of the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina on their hometown of New Orleans, Cowboy Mouth’s new album finds the bandmates bloodied but unbowed. Voodoo Shoppe is the boldest, brashest album of their collective career. A set of songs that pays tribute to both their influences and environs,…

John Ringhofer, a.k.a. Half-Handed Cloud, gives the impression of being a bit of an eccentric. He turns his songs into a series of sacred psalms and then spears the sentiments with an irrepressible blend of wit and whimsy. At less than 30 minutes long, Halos & Lassos unfolds in a…

Rowdy, rambunctious, and oozing spit, grit and verve, Southern Culture on the Skids showcases the full frenzy of the band’s unhinged road show with this long-overdue live set. Anyone familiar with this trailer-park trio’s white-trash anthems should already know what to expect, and indeed the Skids deliver with a succession…

There may be bands that are more technically astute, but few can boast the melodic wherewithal of the Go-Betweens. Four albums and six years into its second incarnation, the group — specifically coconspirators/chief composers Robert Forster and Grant McLennan — is still at the peak of its prime, writing and…

On this, the band’s fifth album, as on the others before it, Lanterna offers up a sensuous mix of undulating, ethereal melodies; shimmering synths; and propulsive rhythms — a beautiful blend that combines new-age notions with an irresistible embrace. Hypnotic and transfixing, it unfolds as a series of mesmerizing melodies…

With two highly acclaimed albums to their credit, Hem bandmates take the unusual step of turning their third effort into a retrospective of sorts, with reworked versions of their early catalogue combined with a heavy infusion of outtakes, rarities, and live tracks. For most bands, this would be a premature…

Teddy Thompson hails from impressive lineage; his parents, Richard and Linda Thompson, are influential alums in high standing among Britain’s folk-rock elite. However, with this sophomore set, Thompson proves there’s no need to depend on pedigree; at this point in a still-fledgling career, he carves out his own credentials. Though…

Parton’s iconic stature as an artist for all occasions, along with Golden Globe and Oscar nominations, reinforces this backwoods ramble’s affable impression. Yet despite Dolly’s knack for straddling both sides of the good-ol’-gal divide, her attempt to bind religious rebirth to transgender transfiguration still seems a stretch. Culled from the…

Singer/songwriter/ace guitarist Richard Thompson is nothing if not prolific. After almost 40 years and numerous albums both on his own and with the seminal English folk-rock ensemble Fairport Convention — plus countless anthologies, tributes and session appearances — he’s spawned a body of work that soars in dimension and ambition…