Country

The singer and songwriter's new double album, High Wide and Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project, is a tribute to the old-time country banjo player who died in 1931.

Will Oldham's new album Beware, released under his country music name, Bonnie Prince Billy, offers lovely music with a tinge of "lonesome-cowboy pokiness." Ken Tucker has a review.

Jeb Loy Nichols has recorded a half-dozen albums since the late 1990s and before that, fronted the band The Fellow Travelers. Rock critic Ken Tucker says Nichols' new album, called Parish Bar, coheres as one of his more adventurous musical experiments.

Bassist Charlie Haden is known as a great jazz musician, but his lineage is all country: Growing up, he performed alongside his brothers and sister in the Haden Family Band, a country group led by parents, Carl and Virginia.

He's put out hit records for half a century, toured with the Beach Boys, even hosted his own TV show. So why is the latest album from the indefatigable country-pop singer called Meet Glen Campbell?

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new Silver Jews album, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea. The band is fronted by singer, songwriter, poet and occasional cartoonist David Berman.

The best little bar-band in Texas is back with more ballads of heartache and anthems for getting over it. The Old 97's have just released Blame It On Gravity. Front-man Rhett Miller joins Fresh Air to talk about the recording and to perform some new songs.

When Hank Williams died on New Year's day in 1953, he left behind a legacy of honky tonk hits as well an extended family who would continue making music for decades to come. Milo Miles reviews "Family Tradition: The Williams Family Legacy," an exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame. "

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Sounds So Good, the debut album by 21-year-old country singer Ashton Shepherd.

Chris Gaffney, vocalist and accordion player for the Hacienda Brothers, died last week from liver cancer at the age of 57.

Fresh Air music critic Ken Tucker reviews Trouble in Mind, the new album from country singer Hayes Carll. The 32-year-old Texan says his music is inspired by Beat poetry, Bob Dylan and singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt.

Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the Waco Brothers' album Waco Express: Live and Kickin' at Schubas Tavern. It's the seventh album from the Chicago cowpunk outfit, but only its first live disc.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Big Love in a Small Town, the debut album from country singer Sarah Johns.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new album by country singer Gene Watson. It's called In A Perfect World.

Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant and bluegrass star Alison Krauss teamed up recently for a joint album, Raising Sand.

Critic Ken Tucker has a review.

On his third album, Up Front & Down Low, singer-songwriter Teddy Thompson covers classic country songs including "She Thinks I Still Care," "(My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers," and "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone." On his earlier discs, including his self-titled 2000 debut and 2006's Separate Ways, Thompson performed more of his own songs. He's also appeared on various recordings with his parents, the British folk-rock legends Richard and Linda Thompson.

Kelly Willis' Translated From Love is the first release from the "new traditionalist" country singer since 2002's widely acclaimed Easy.

The 12-track album features originals and covers — including the title tune (by Stephen Yerkey) and Willis' reading of Iggy Pop's "Success."

Translated From Love was produced by Willis' longtime collaborator Chuck Prophet.

Two weeks after its debut, Toby Keith's Big Dog Daddy remains No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The country singer was voted Favorite Male Artist at the American Music Awards last year.

Country music singer Miranda Lambert returns with a second album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Her debut album, Kerosene, went platinum in 2005 and earned her a Grammy nomination.

Alt-country musician Robbie Fulks doesn't get much airplay on country radio, and he often takes an adversarial stance against the Nashville establishment. So a big part of his reputation is based on his more humorous songs — and his raucous live shows.

Fulks has just released his first live album, a two-disc set called Revenge; critic Ken Tucker has a review.