Author: Jim Allen

Jim Allen's night job is fronting country band The Ramblin' Kind, rock band Lazy Lions, and working as a solo singer/songwriter. His day job is writing about other people's music. He has contributed to NPR, Billboard, RollingStone.com, and many more, and written liner notes for reissues of everyone from OMD to Bob Seger, but his proudest achievement is crafting a completely acceptable egg cream armed only with milk, Bosco, and a SodaStream seltzer maker.

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Saluting the Many Sides of Roy Hargrove

When Roy Hargrove’s sounds were stilled unexpectedly at the tragically early age of 49 by cardiac arrest, it left a huge hole in jazz.

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Today’s Troubadours: 7 New Releases You Need to Know

For coal-black humor, there’s Ward White’s “Diminish”; for garage-band rock n’ roll, Sarah Borges’ “Love’s Middle Name.” Music by the greatest living guitar stylist? Richard Thompson’s “13 Rivers.” Plus four more killer albums.

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The Louvin Brothers Rewrite Musical History Again

Brothers Ira and Charlie Louvin wrote some major country music hits in the ‘50s. The 2018 release of their “lost demos” shows just how influential these two truly were.

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In Memory of Marty Balin: Soulful Psychedelic Pioneer

Marty Balin was a founding member of Jefferson Airplane and later, Jefferson Starship. Grace Slick get all the press, but Balin’s contributions to the San Francisco sound were major.

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Geoff Emerick: Fabulous Without the Fab Four

The late engineer’s input on many Beatle classics is legendary. But Geoff Emerick also lent his exceptional talents to the Zombies and prog-rock’s Robin Trower.