Well, Ricky Leroy Brown has gone and done it, presenting us with "SEXUAL MANUAL FOR EXPERTS," and I confess, the title alone sent my mind skittering off like a startled cat at a séance. This solo Madrileño, who conjures entire soundscapes from his own hands and instruments, is clearly still communing with the spirit of Prince, all slinky guitars and a rhythm section that...

When a German-born songwriter in his sixties filters his life’s rear-view mirror through authentic American roots music, you get The Cumberland River Project and the profoundly human new EP, "Meet Me In The Rain". Frank Renfordt acts as the absolute sole architect here. He is singing, writing, producing, and physically wrapping his hands around the acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, bass, mandolin, keys, and drum...