Rodney Crowell’s ‘Diamonds and Dirt’ at 35: A Shining Link in a Musical ChainThere was a glorious moment in country music. It was wedged right between two distinct eras and didn’t last long, but it was beautiful. It was near the end of the 1980s, just as a largely forgettable era of pop-country radio was ending. It was just… Feb 23 23February 23, 2023Article at PopMatters
Defeatism Isn't A VirtueWell, it terrifies the life from out of meIt's really such a lazy way to beHiding in the bedroom, climbing up the wallsYou've got to kick it out of me gently'Til it begs and pleads, and crawls — “Shameless,” The Fratellis Not to get too personal, but… Dec 09 22December 09, 2022Article at UnTaking
Darkness on the Edge of the Tunnel of LoveIn 1987, Bruce Springsteen took a career-turn that many saw as radically conservative, an understandable reaction. Tunnel of Love was, on the surface, a major departure from the artistic road Springsteen had been traveling. For nearly 15 years… Nov 28 22November 28, 2022Article at UnTaking
A Late Style for the End of DaysThe 2020’s have dragged the world through one disaster after another. For those of us interested in art, living in apocalyptic times can raise rather embarrassing questions. To use an example from my world, as an English professor, I find the endless… Aug 06 22August 06, 2022Article at The Curator
21st Century Men: The Kinks’ Muswell Hillbillies at 50On the 50th anniversary of the Kinks’ classic album Muswell Hillbillies, the time has come to appreciate the unique genius of Ray Davies’ political vision. The Kinks have always been an enigma. Though firmly part of the British Invasion that swept… Nov 23 21November 23, 2021Article at PopMatters
Remembering Chris Wall: A Cowboy Poet PassesLate in July 2021, word came that Chris Wall died of cancer. Compounding the tragedy is the fact that too few people knew his work in the first place. Outlets that covered the news refer to him as a “cult icon”, and that’s a fair assessment, but… Aug 12 21August 12, 2021Article at PopMatters
Joe Pug’s ‘The Diving Sun:’ A Sublime Dive Into the Deep EndIn the middle of Joe Pug‘s rich new album, The Diving Sun, I found myself completely lost in the rapturous anthem “Deep End”. The song, a desperate, romantic call to commitment, is a microcosm of everything special about Joe Pug’s music, which… Jun 11 21June 11, 2021Article at PopMatters
Matisyahu’s “One Day” and the Burden of Hope: An Advent ReflectionBy Danny Anderson This semester, I taught Chaim Potok’s The Chosen, the story of young, Hasidic Jew, Danny Saunders, and his journey to an orthodoxy that still engages the world outside his Hasidic community. In an attempt to explain that dynamic to… Dec 16 20December 16, 2020Article at Popular Culture and Theology
Willie Nelson’s “Sad Songs and Waltzes” and the Art of AlienationSomeday, when the world finally loses Willie Nelson, there will be an eruption of sadness. He is an icon, yet many people will still be shocked at the depth and profundity of his body of work. At this point already, the unbroken length and quality of… Dec 05 19December 05, 2019Article at soundthesirens.com
Justin Townes Earle’s The Saint of Lost Causes: Trading Daddy Issues for Radical PoliticsSomeday, when the world finally loses , there will be an eruption of sadness. He is an icon, yet many people will still be shocked at the depth and profundity of his body of work. At this point already, the unbroken length and quality of his career… Jul 03 19July 03, 2019Article at soundthesirens.com
Tom Waits’ “Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis,” or How to Sing a True Christmas SongDr. Daniel Anderson I was shopping with my daughter and the irritating, happy version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” began playing through the store speakers. I reacted with an apocalyptic eye roll and my daughter asked why. I had to… Dec 17 18December 17, 2018Article at Popular Culture and Theology
