Chuck Prophet shapes his restless career with inimitable subtle flair: a vivid parade of razor-edged one-liners camouflaged in a slack-jawed drawl, songs about heartbreak and everyman heroism, drenched in twisted lines of rude Telecaster.
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James McMurtry
James McMurtry is an American rock and folk rock/americana singer, songwriter, guitarist, bandleader, and occasional actor. He performs with veteran bandmates Daren Hess, Cornbread, and Tim Holt. His father, novelist Larry McMurtry, gave him his first guitar at age seven.
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Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones occupies a unique space in the American musical landscape, serving as a bridge between the gritty bohemianism of the late 1970s and the sophisticated, genre-bending artistry of the modern era. Often hailed as the “Duchess of Coolsville,” Jones burst into the public consciousness in 1979 with a sound that felt entirely new. Her eponymous debut album arrived with a mixture of street-smart poetry and jazz-inflected phrasing. The massive success of the single “Chuck E.’s in Love” turned her into an overnight sensation, making her the face of a new kind of singer-songwriter—one comfortable with both beatnik aesthetics and pop sensibilities.Her nomadic childhood laid the foundation for this restless spirit. Born in Chicago and raised across several states, Jones developed a worldview as a permanent outsider. This sense of displacement became a central theme in her songwriting, fueling the cinematic narratives of her albums. By the time she reached Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, she was a fixture of the Troubadour scene. While her relationship with Tom Waits during this period became legendary, it was her own musical identity—characterized by complex arrangements and a refusal to stick to a single tempo—that defined her legacy.Following her debut, Jones defied the “sophomore slump” with Pirates (1981). To many, this remains her masterpiece. It was an ambitious, darker record featuring sprawling tracks like “The Last Chance Texaco.” Pirates showcased her ability to weave intricate stories of the American road into a tapestry of jazz, rock, and R&B. During this time, her reputation for being uncompromising was solidified; she followed her muse rather than industry trends.As the years progressed, Jones continued to surprise audiences with stylistic shifts. She delved into the Great American Songbook with albums like Girl at Her Volcano and Pop Pop, proving herself one of the finest interpretive singers of her generation. Her ability to deconstruct a standard allowed her to stand alongside jazz greats. Yet, she never stayed in one place; in 1997, she released Ghostyhead, an experimental trip-hop album that proved her songwriting could thrive even in electronic contexts.The turn of the millennium saw Jones leaning into her role as a chronicler of the human condition. Albums like Balm in Gilead showcased an artist grappling with spirituality and aging. Her voice gained a weathered, soulful quality that added weight to her lyrics. In 2021, she released her memoir, Last Chance Texaco, providing a raw look at her life from her traumatic youth to her enduring commitment to her craft.Recently, Jones found a new home in New Orleans, which influenced her 2023 album Pieces of Treasure. This return to jazz roots earned her an eighth Grammy nomination and feels like a full-circle moment for an artist who has retained her edge. Rickie Lee Jones remains a singular figure, a troubadour finding beauty in the margins and poetry in the everyday. -
Steinar Ytrehus
Steinar Ytrehus
This is what is online:
Steinar Ytrehus is a guitarist and recordingartist from Norway. He started out playing the guitar when he was 15 years old, and soon after he started recording music on his Tascam 4track Taperecorder. Since then he has always been making and recording music . Some of his songs were even used on several Norwegian TV shows. The music is a mix of blues, rock, country, jazz and Americana.
For some years he was an active remixer on Indaba music, and he won several contests. When Indaba Music was discontinued he decided to just write and record his own music. Until the end of his remixing career he only made instrumentals, but from now on he started writing lyrics and doing the vocals too.
The result was the release of his debut album Dark Songs in early 2020. The following year he also released 4 singles and he did some collaborations with other artists.
After building up a brand new studio in 2021, he has now finished a new album called “Black Coffee and Sweet Lovesongs” which was released on the 17th of June 2022.
What makes this musician interesting to Roaming the Arts:
Given, he is channeling the sound of other artists, especially Mark Knopfler, but he is writing very good original music, recording and marketing it himself on platforms such as Spotify, and creating a brooding, melancholy sound that is hard to stop listening to. His recent single “Call me King,” is another good example why Steinar Ytrehus deserves, and will be getting more attention well beyond the borders of Norway.
