Eliza Garth

By The River

Centaur, 2026

9/10

Listen to By The River

The esteemed pianist Eliza Garth presents an expressive and technical body of work that makes for 6 memorable and detailed pieces.

David Froom’s “Variations On An Early American” opens with Garth’s expressive keys emitting beauty and melody, and Scott Wheeler’s “Beach Spring” follows with detailed attention to mood, where the unpredictable piano is quite mesmerizing.

Entering the middle, “Teeth”, by Sheree Clement, spends 10+ minutes drawing us into the voice, ambience and curious keys, while “Six Choral Preludes, Op. 122” emits lush and poetic ideas across the many segments that can be firm, harmonic and heartfelt via Johannes Brahms’ vision.

Frederick Tillis’ “Spiritual Fantasy No. 4” exits, and it’s an atypical and charming bout that pays close attention to space, emotion and atmosphere.

An extremely well thought out effort, Garth takes the hymn influences and parlays it into a highly diverse and enlightening experience.

Travels well with: Daniel Strong Godfrey- Toward Light; Louise Dubin- Passages: French Cello Works

Orli Shaham/Pacific Symphony

American Tapestry

Tonsehen, 2026

9/10

Listen to American Tapestry

The pianist Orli Shaham and the Pacific Symphony present chamber music by living Americans, where many world premieres illustrate incredible chemistry between the artists.

Viet Cuong’s “Wax And Wire” starts the listen with Joshua Ranz’s animated clarinet complementing Shaham’s lively keys via the cinematic climate, and “Saans” follows with a gentle spirit amid Dennis Kim’s elegant violin that suits the dreamy piano of the Reena Esmail piece.

In the middle, Avner Dorman’s “Sextet” flows across 4 chapters of pounding keys and Richard Cassarino’s rumbling bass that leads into calm moments of soft trumpet from Tony Ellis, while “The Currents”, by Sarah Kirkland Shider, is just Shaham’s meticulous keys which radiate tremendous grace and color.

“Peace” and “Margaret Brouwer” exit the listen. The former, by Jessie Montgomery, pairs Shaham’s lush keys with Kim’s stirring violin, and the latter, by Margaret Brouwer, enlists Benjamin Smolen’s flute, Warren Hagerty’s cello, Kim’s violin and Shaham’s piano to cultivate a curious and unpredictable finish.

An accomplished effort where each track takes on its own identity, Shaham and company more than keep our attention from beginning to end.

Travels well with: Frank Morelli- From The Soul; Inbal Megiddo- Bach Cello Suites

Idith Meshulam Korman

Martines: The Complete Keyboard Works

Signum, 2026

9/10

Listen to Martines: The Complete Keyboard Works

This first complete modern recording of the surviving keyboard music of Marianna Martines (1744–1812) is fleshed out by the conductor Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey, plus the pianist Idith Meshulam Korman and the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra.

“Keyboard Concerto in G Major” opens with much elegance from the melodic strings and Korman’s gorgeous keys, and “ Keyboard Sonata in A Major” follows with upbeat piano progressions that are frisky and playful.

“Keyboard Concerto in E Major” lands in the middle and showcases the dynamic strings that radiate tremendous precision and grace, while “Keyboard Sonata in A Major” tugs on the heartstrings with its intimate gestures and attention to mood.

Arriving late “Keyboard Sonata in G major” is quite animated, where the dizzying keys and joyous demeanor is greatly appreciated, and “Sinfonia in C Major” exits with a booming presence that can also retreat to calmer areas.

Korman’s career has been defined by activism and providing a voice for those overlooked, and she does a great job of illuminating Martines’ work with the stunning orchestra’s contributions adding even more allure.

Travels well with: Dominick Argento- The Voyage Of Edgar Allen Poe; Lontano Ensemble- Choctaw Places

Terry Robb

Howlin’ Waters

New Folk, 2026

9/10

Listen to Howlin’ Waters

The legendary acoustic blues guitarist Terry Robb treats us to 13 songs of his fingerpicking ways, where plenty of different ideas are explored.

The really intricate progressions of the warm “St Charles St Rag” opens with an upbeat mood that’s infectious, and “Alleluia Shuffle” follows with plenty of timeless blues spirit via the strong attention to melody.

Further along, “But Not Now” uses Robb’s expressive voice superbly amid the playful guitar, while “Boogie In 7” will get your body moving to the grooves and rhythm, where Gary Hobbs’ thumping drums and Eddie Parente’s violin won’t go unnoticed.

Deeper still, “Tripped And Fell” recruits Hank Lionhart’s pipes and David Captein’s frisky upright bass to the album highlight, and “Fahey At Bush Park” exits with Robb’s meticulous and heartfelt guitar playing front and center.

Certainly a blues record, but not without ragtime, jazz, folk, Americana and rock’n’roll present, Robb’s playing is unparalleled and the songs are all immediately memorable.

Travels well with: Paul “Mayo” Mayasich- Threads; Jimi ‘Prime Time’ Smith- It’s My Time

Rose's Pawn Shop

American Seams

Copaco/Blue Élan, 2026

9/10

Listen to American Seams

This 5th album from Rose’s Pawn Shop sees the sextet fleshing out a live tracked 10 songs that allows for plenty of folk, bluegrass, and country influences to enter their Americana.

The title track starts with Jesse Olema’s glowing fiddle before Paul Givant’s smooth pipes guide the quick roots rocker, and “Where the Horizon Has Light” follows with a calmer mood via Matt Lesser’s skilled drums and Stephen Andrew’s lively bass playing.

The middle tune belongs to “What If We Run”, where Adam Hall’s well timed banjo suits the intimate delivery, while “Escape Artist” benefits from Deacon Marrquin’s frisky drums that complement Givant’s fluid guitar and bright storytelling.

Residing near the end, the rural spirit of “Ain’t No Way” recruits Skip Edwards’ meticulous keys amid the emotive vocals, and “Autumn Eyes” finishes with cozy harmony vocals that align with the reflective mood.

Rose’s Pawn Shop tip their hat to old time America with this authentic listen, where their timeless vision ensures that every song will be worth repeated visits.

Travels well with: Cory Branan- When Do I Ghost; Janiva Magness- Hard To Kill

Nick Justice

Rain Dancing

Tres Pescadores, 2026

9/10

Listen to Rain Dancing

The troubadour Nick Justince pens songs for the common man, and here we get 12 tracks of his timeless and authentic Americana.

The warm spirit of “Bide My Time” opens with Justice’s cozy pipes alongside Jay Dee Maness’ flowing pedal steel, and “Something In The Milk Ain’t Clean” follows with Ed Tree’s rich guitar playing that suits the heartfelt storytelling and Forest Miller’s glowing fiddle.

The title track lands in the middle and benefits from Justice’s harmonica and Scott Babcock’s strategic drumming, while “Juarez” recruits Brad Colerick’s well timed background vocals for the rich and cautious delivery.

Getting closer to the end, David Carpenter’s meticulous upright bass complements Richard Stekol’s emotive guitar and the poetic singing across “Only The River”, and “Time Passing By” exits with eloquent songwriting and introspective singing that will always be relevant.

The songs balance grit and beauty in a way that only Justice can, and the excellent players help make every track appealing to fans of folk, roots and sincere song craft that’s easily relatable.

Travels well with: Chris McKay And The Critical Darlings- Satisfactionista; Nick Justice- Stranger In My Town

Nameless Friends

The Quiet Part, Loudly

Self-Released, 2026

9/10

Listen to The Quiet Part, Loudly

The Toronto rockers, Nameless Friends, return with a sophomore album, where plenty of atypical ideas enter 13 energetic tracks.

“Everything Is Fine” opens with ambience that serves as warm up to the buzzing and hard hitting “I’m Afraid Of Failure”, which comes with a punk spirit that’s not short melody.

Further along, “More” uses dense guitar and speedy drums amid the raw vocals, while “There’s A Rapist In The White House” is groove filled and surprisingly calm though lyrically there’s no punches pulled.

Closer to the end, “Blasphemy” enlists expressive singing alongside the anthemic delivery that invites singing along, and “…” exits with less than a minute of nature-esque sounds that are quite soothing.

Residing somewhere near modern glam, prog-punk and metal-ish rock, Nameless Friends use theatrics, political wordplay and plenty of power and grit for a listening experience you won’t soon forget.

Travels well with: Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys- Pale Bloom; Louie Blue- Blood & Bones

Mitch Ryder

Songs From The Road

Ruf, 2026

9/10

Listen to Songs From The Road

The inimitable Mitch Ryder delivers a live album captured in Berlin in March 2025 at the Frannz Club, where the 13 blues tracks come on both CD and DVD.

The warm keys of “Lilli May” opens with Ryder’s distinct pipes guiding the thumping and melodic climate, and “Ain’t Nobody White” follows with Denis Palatin’s skilled drumming amid the dense guitars and gritty voice.

In the middle, “Oh What A Night” benefits much from Lea Worms’ meticulous keys that suit Ryder’s bright storytelling, while “The Thrill Of It All” showcases Tomek Germann’s animated bass playing in the driving blues rocker that’s plenty tuneful.

Deeper into the back half, the busy and dynamic “Wrong Hands” makes great use of Laura Chavez and Sean Athens’ sturdy guitar licks alongside Ryder’s flowing pipes, and “The Artist” exits with a sublime intimacy via the emotive piano and heartfelt singing.

Ryder has 30+ albums to his credit spanning 5 decades, and this live set shows him doing what he does best, i.e. playing raw and timeless music that incorporates blues, soul and rock’n’roll like no one else has or will.

Travels well with: Mitch Ryder- With Love; Albert Castiglia- Righteous Souls

Chateau Chateau

Evidence

TCBYML, 2019

9/10

Listen to Evidence

A new outfit from Tucson, Arizona who began as a garage-pop quartet in 2018, these days Chateau Chateau are knee deep in synth heavy indie-pop as a 5 piece, and on Evidence they collect their 3 well received singles plus a pair of new tunes in their well crafted arsenal.

The title track leads the listen with bright, shimmering pop, where melodic vocals match the tuneful atmosphere, and “Burn Me Alive” follows with a calmer setting where complex percussion builds the tune into a glowing, summery anthem.

The last 3 tunes are equally strong, including the subdued and buzzing “Times Are Changin’”, the dreamy and agile highlight “Neil’s Song”, and the quirky ‘80s influenced “Driving In Circles”, which closes the listen out as creatively as it started with saxophone fun.

A simply irresistible effort here, it wouldn’t surprise me if Chateau Chateau are a household name a year from now as they know how to pen a tune that won’t escape your mind anytime soon.

Travels well with: The 1975- The 1975Of Montreal- White Is Relic/Irrealis Mood