No Depression: Roots Music and Culture Journalism

EDITOR’S NOTE: No Depression’s new “Top 5” series features a quick playlist in which roots musicians share what they’re listening to at the moment. It gives artists the chance to highlight their contemporaries, as well as classic songs getting them through the days. This installment comes from beloved Rhode Island roots-rock band Deer Tick, whose new...

In 1970, Linda Martell, the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry, released her album Color Me Country. “Color Him Father,” the first single from the album, hit number twenty-two on the Billboard country charts. Over fifty years later, Beyoncé was the first Black person to win the Grammy for Best Country Album. Now, in an entertaining and revealing bo...

Broken hearts and uncomfortable truths tell the story in Bella White’s unsettling A Sign in the Weather. The powerful third album from the Calgary-bred, New Orleans-based singer examines fatally-flawed relationships with brutal honesty, taking no prisoners. Rejecting sunny outcomes, her unsparing insights ensure memorable listening.

Co-producing with Ross Farbe...

Rare is the bar that hasn’t had at least one heated debate about who is the best member of The Beatles. The opinion changes person to person, day to day. While this conversation is warranted and entertaining, it’s probably time to the future: Futurebirds, specifically. The Athens, Georgia-born, three-headed frontman monster celebrates the roots of American music while weaving...

With his seventh album, Caleb Caudle tackles such themes as ageing, feeling like a misfit, and navigating the ups and downs we all endure. His first self-produced project, Heavy Thrill occasionally lacks the depth and mystery that a more strategic use of studio options might render. That said, his drier and restrained production puts the focus on his voice and pop-in...