In 1959, a group of three teenagers from Olympia, Washington got together to record “Come Softly To Me,” a song about starry-eyed romantic devotion. Those three kids called themselves the Fleetwoods, and at first, they practically sang the song a cappella, with only the sound of jangling car keys accompanying their voices. La...

Nicole Atkins released a new album, Italian Ice, on Friday, and last night she hosted an album release livestream that featured performances by Dean Ween, Chris Isaak, Becca Mancari, and more. Spoon frontman Britt Daniel was also on-hand to play a band rarity, "The Two Sides Of Monsieur Valentine," a deep cut from their 2005…

The New Jersey pop classicist Nicole Atkins has been putting out music since 2007, and she has made some very cool connections along the way. Atkins has just announced a new album called Italian Ice that she'll release this spring. She recorded it in Alabama's storied Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, with a backing band that…

It was raining today when I stepped outside my house in Ohio on the way to my office. It was cold. It was, obviously, November. In other words, the circumstances were perfect for experiencing the timeless power ballad from Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion I. So what good fortune that Nicole Atkins and Mark…

Bruce Springsteen’s monumental LP Born In The U.S.A. turned 30 in June. In celebration, Lightning Rod Records is putting out Dead Man’s Town, a tribute album featuring indie rock and alt-country artists performing stripped-down versions of songs from the Boss’ biggest, most ’80s-sounding album. Following L...