You hear the first strike of the drum and instantly know this is not a history lesson. Folk music often gets treated with too much reverence, placed carefully on a pedestal where no one can touch it. Remon Nakanishi takes a completely different approach. He grabs these centuries old communal songs, drags them into the studio, and surrounds them with some of the most infectious...

"Country Dreams," the new album from Soul Provider, arrived... and, well, it didn't arrive on a golden chariot pulled by unicorns. It just showed up. Sixteen tracks of pure, unadulterated country – or, at least, that's what they're calling it. There is a lot of Americana in it. There's a definite flavor, a sort of sonic stew of love, loss, hope, and resilience. Think...