Music reviews: Billy Strings and Alabama Shakes

Music reviews: Billy Strings and Alabama Shakes

‘So Much for Goodbyes’ by Billy Strings★★★Consider the latest from Billy Strings “an instant addition to the canon of great Americana albums born from personal upheaval,” said Eric Renner Brown in Billboard. The virtuosic bluegrass guitarist, whose “lightning-quick” picking and psychedelic improvisations have won him a devoted following, has thus far been underrated as a songwriter. “But expect that to change with his emotional fifth album,” a r…

Album Review: Billy Strings – So Much For Goodbyes

The internet rendered the hybrid approach an inevitability, as people have greater and immediate access to a variety of music. Many contemporary artists in their 30s or under hail from diverse backgrounds, influenced by hip-hop, metal, alt-rock, and Americana, as well as electronica and the DIY zeitgeist. Case in point: the 33-year-old bluegrass phenom Billy Strings. Over the course of four studio albums, he’s consistently struck adventurous bal…