Doug Taylor

The Black KeysChulahoma(Fat Possum)Fat Possum is the Mississippi-based label for blues that won’t wear a monkey suit, home for the late Junior Kimbrough and, more recently, of Akron, Ohio band the Black Keys. Kimbrough evidently sired 36 children. It’s these skinny white boys who revel in his musical legacy. Though there are vocals, the focus […]

The FratellisCostello Music(Drop the Gun)A thread flows from skiffle through the Small Faces, pub rock and the Sweet to make The Fratellis so identifiably British (two-thirds Scot, actually) that it’s refreshing. It’s like they can’t help it. The songs might change tempo from frenetic to jerky to flighty. Guitar aggression occurs with sparing but dramatic […]

Loudon Wainwright IIIHere Come the Choppers!(sovereign artists)Wainwright appears to be adjusting well to suddenly being known as the father of Rufus and Martha. His 21st album features perhaps the best band he’s ever had, including guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Jim Keltner. That’s just as well, because the songs run more to bittersweet recollection than […]

Jonathan Richman Not So Much to Be Loved as to Love (Sanctuary/Vapor)Openness and innocence are what distinguish Richman, along with an engagingly flat vocal style. “Vincent Van Gogh” is brought back, to be joined by “Salvador Dali,” praised for being Richman’s “guide to the dream world.” Two tunes each in Spanish and French are a […]

April VerchTake Me Back(Rounder)As a child, the Ottawa Valley native won enough fiddling trophies to fill a garage. Her command is in evidence on the instrumentals, as is what separates Upper Canada and Cape Breton. Verch sets toes to tapping, but is less likely than Natalie or Ashley to inspire rhythmic convulsions. On her originals, […]

Greg BrownThe Evening Call(Red House)Midwest folkie Brown is entering a Delta impressionist phase, where the overall impact of his sound outweighs the fine points. Astute observations on the mess in America are down, as if he wishes not to repeat himself. The focus is more on aging, kindness, rural life and the voice, like a […]

Various ArtistsDig Your Roots: Creative Jazz(Corus)The Dig Your Roots series is a project of campus radio stations across the country. Three of the 15 acts here hail from Atlantic Canada, and they represent mightily. On “Acting on the Assumption,” Halifax’s TFC builds a rhythmic dialogue between guitar and drums, using what they may have learned […]