Album Reviews8/10
Brandi Carlile’s ‘Give Up the Ghost’ Turns Grief Into Rock That Holds Its Ground
A review of Brandi Carlile's 'Give Up the Ghost,' a ghostly rock record of grief, defiance, and strange hope.
CLAY TRIBUNE / THE ARCHIVE
Category: Album Reviews
Records we have scored.
Album Reviews8/10
Six Years On, Willie Nelson’s Cowboy Arms Sessions Still Cuts Through the Grass
A record of bluegrass reimaginings, played by a tight band at a single session, with one original song to anchor it.
Album Reviews7.9/10
Sturgill Simpson trades Merle Haggard for ZZ Top on ‘Sound & Fury’
Sturgill Simpson's Sound & Fury is a bold, uneven rock record that mostly lands. Here's our track-by-track review.
Album Reviews8/10
Sturgill Simpson Covers Bluegrass Standards Live-In-The-Studio on ‘Cuttin’ Grass, Vol. 1′
A live-in-the-studio record of bluegrass covers, warm, honest, and worth the listen.
Album Reviews8/10
Sturgill Simpson’s ‘High Top Mountain’ Gets Quiet — and Mostly Earns It
Sturgill Simpson's High Top Mountain trades noise for a lean, traditional sound. A record about loss, anger, and quiet sitting.
Sturgill Simpson Trades Flash for Focus on The Ballad of Dood & Juanita
A brief tale of Dood and Juanita, wherein Sturgill Simpson's ten songs weave a narrow, singular narrative of two souls ever crossing paths.
Nick Cave’s Let Love In Trades the Bad Seeds’ Dark Sound for a Warm, Soft One
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds lighten their sound on Let Love In, trading dread for warmth across ten tracks.
Album Reviews8.8/10
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds dig deeper on Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
A review of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' dark 2004 double album, weighing its highs against its middling stretches.
Album Reviews7/10
‘The Boatman’s Call’ Outtakes: 16 Leftovers, Mostly Worth Hearing
A record of leftovers from Nick Cave's The Boatman's Call — demos, alternate versions, and songs left out, mostly worth the listen.
Album Reviews8/10
Nick Cave’s 1997 Album Ditches Loud Guitars for Quiet Confession
A quiet, tender record of confession and faith, Nick Cave's Boatman's Call weighs stillness against the weight of being alive.