Jeff McCord
309 Articles
Mary Karr and Rodney Crowell
On their new album, Kin, and more.
By Jeff McCord
Heroes
A new album by Willie Nelson.
By Jeff McCord
Sacred
The multiplatinum success of their debut made San Angelo’s LOS LONELY BOYS one of Texas’s biggest musical exports. Small wonder. The Garza brothers—Henry, Ringo, and JoJo—oozed charisma and played a melodic, amped-up brand of rock and roll. There are a few embellishments sprinkled about—keyboards, percussion, Willie Nelson—but the formula remains
By Jeff McCord
Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles
A tribute album by Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis, and Norah Jones.
By Jeff McCord
Two Men With the Blues
“Overexposed” doesn’t begin to cover it. After innumerable recent releases, not to mention all the seventy-fifth birthday hoopla, Willie Nelson again? You’d think no one else made records in Texas. Actually, Two Men With the Blues (Blue Note) was recorded in New York City. What distinguishes it from
By Jeff McCord
Woke on a Whaleheart
Recording for almost two decades under the name Smog, BILL CALLAHAN attracted an intensely devoted fan base as his work grew from lo-fi origins to a more orchestrated sound. Over a chugging rock beat, he juxtaposed his sad, narcissistic poeticism with a vocal range a notch above monotone, making his
By Jeff McCord
Apocalypse
A new album by Bill Callahan.
By Jeff McCord
Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle
Early on, when he was still calling himself Smog, indie rocker Bill Callahan buried his baritone voice beneath chugging, repetitive beats. Since he began recording under his own name, his rock drive has dissipated somewhat, but the thing that has continually made Callahan’s recordings so fascinating—a complete abhorrence of
By Jeff McCord
Edie Brickell
On two new albums, Edie Brickell and The Gaddabouts, and more.
By Jeff McCord
Dim the Aurora
The finest bands create not only great songs but also mood, and no one gets that like Austin’s Monahans. The four-piece group named itself after the tranquil West Texas oasis, but the band’s tone is dark and unnerving, like a storm rolling in— all pounding drums and big guitar
By Jeff McCord
Monahans
Singer Greg Vanderpool on the band's new online song series and more.
By Jeff McCord
The Shepherd’s Dog
Onetime film professor Sam Beam, who makes his records under the nom de plume Iron and Wine (and at his home in Dripping Springs), began his career tentatively, whispering confessional tales over meager accompaniment. But he’s gained confidence and ambition over the years, so much so that The
By Jeff McCord
Kiss Each Other Clean
A new album by Iron and Wine.
By Jeff McCord
In the Reins
Not every songwriter is a born bandleader. Iron and Wine (a.k.a. Sam Beam), who has relocated from Florida to Dripping Springs, originally chose to go it alone, and the sparse nature of his early recordings gave his ambitious lyrics, fairly or not, a sheen of preciousness. No longer. The tumbleweed-border
By Jeff McCord
Forgiven
After the stunning success of their 2003 self-titled release, San Angelo’s Los Lonely Boys settled in for a world-class sophomore slump. Sacred, in 2006, was formulaic and felt like a rush job; the record-buying public responded coolly. To a large degree, Forgiven (Epic) rights these wrongs: Its recaptured
By Jeff McCord
Passage to India
A new compilation by the Zakary Thaks.
By Jeff McCord
Symbolyc One
On collaborating with Rhymefest and Kanye West and more.
By Jeff McCord
The 100 Best Texas Songs
Two are by Willie. Which songs, exactly? And what about the remaining 98? You’ll have to check our list to find out.
By Jeff McCord and John Morthland
Who’s Next?
San Antonio's Marshevet Hooker is not just any old high school sprinter; she's an Olympic gold medalist in the making. Meet her and nine other women we're betting will lead the new Texas—and the world.
Featuring Norah Jones
A collection of collaborations.
By Jeff McCord
Not Too Late
Sell 20 million of your debut album and you suddenly bring a little clout to the table. No one has wielded hers more curiously than NORAH JONES, who followed her elegant Arif Mardin-produced 2002 triumph with a reluctant shrug: a homemade-sounding second album and a barely serious side group with
By Jeff McCord
The Laziest Girl in Town
A new album by Elizabeth McQueen.
By Jeff McCord
Amy Cook
On her new album, Summer Skin, and more.
By Jeff McCord
Grandfather Child
A new album by Grandfather Child.
By Jeff McCord
Funky Was the State of Affairs
A new album by Fergus & Geronimo.
By Jeff McCord
Jon Dee Graham
On his new album, Garage Sale, and more.
By Jeff McCord
Believe
A new album by the Cookers.
By Jeff McCord
Shakedown
A new album by Hacienda.
By Jeff McCord
Norah Jones
On her new album, Little Broken Hearts, and more.
By Jeff McCord
The Grifter’s Hymnal
A new album by Ray Wylie Hubbard.
By Jeff McCord
Nootropics
A new album by Lower Dens.
By Jeff McCord
Way Down Low
A new album by Kat Edmonson.
By Jeff McCord
The Body Wins
A new album by Sarah Jaffe.
By Jeff McCord
Lyle Lovett
On his new album, Release Me, and more.
By Jeff McCord
Meltdown
A new album by the Mind Spiders.
By Jeff McCord
Black Radio
A new album by Robert Glasper.
By Jeff McCord
Animal Joy
A new album by Shearwater.
By Jeff McCord
Arrow
A new album by Heartless Bastards.
By Jeff McCord
Craig Finn
The lyricist and lead singer for the Hold Steady on recording his first solo album in Austin, working with producer Mike McCarthy, and writing a song a day.
By Jeff McCord
Rocket
A new album by Danny Barnes.
By Jeff McCord
For the Good Times
A new album by the Little Willies.
By Jeff McCord
Houston Might Be Heaven: Rockin’ R&B in Texas, 1947–1951
Major labels are often maligned for their draconian business practices, but one thing they’ve always done well is archive and repackage vintage music. With CD sales in steep decline, though, the big players have all but given up producing lushly packaged box sets. Cue the fly-by-night independents. HOUSTON MIGHT
By Jeff McCord
The Monument Singles Collection (1960–1964)
A collection of early recordings by Roy Orbison.
By Jeff McCord
This One’s For Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark
Tribute albums have not traditionally fared well in the marketplace, and for good reason. Asking artists—either passionate fans or curious dabblers—to record someone else’s songs is a bit of a gamble, and the people who compile these collections often feel morally (and, let’s face it, financially) bound to use
By Jeff McCord
Exits and All the Rest
A new album by Girl in a Coma.
By Jeff McCord
Rancho Alto
A new album by Jason Boland & the Stragglers.
By Jeff McCord
Kool & Together
The seventies band of brothers from Victoria on getting into music, staying away from drugs and liquor, and releasing their first album.
By Jeff McCord
Old Mad Joy
A new album by the Gourds.
By Jeff McCord
Robert Earl Keen
The country singer-songwriter on sequestering himself in his scriptorium, learning how to write songs on the road, and answering Toby Keith in a song.
By Jeff McCord