Jon Young currently contributes to Consequence of Sound and No Depression and has previously been a regular contributor to such publications as Trouser Press, Crawdaddy, Music and Sound Output, Request, Launch, SonicNet, Creem, Harp, Musician, Blender, Spin, Paste and Mother Jones. His preferred listening includes The Byrds, Billy Fury, Wynonie Harris, Billie Holiday, Howlin’ Wolf, The Kinks, Barbara Lynn, METZ, Thelonious Monk, Norma Jean, Charlie Parker, Doug Sahm, Raymond Scott, Del Shannon, Connie Smith, Speedy Ortiz, Dusty Springfield, Toots and the Maytals, Caetano Veloso and Hank Williams, among others. His career highlights include interviewing Del Shannon and meeting Doug and Bob McKenzie.
Stark, confessional tunes plus Omnichord equal unsettling intimacy.
A British pop great teams up with American producers to make timeless music.
An underrated album from a Big Apple provocateur gets refurbished.
James Osterberg through the years, profound and profane.
Gospel titans rock the house with spirit and soul, and everyone’s invited.
Jimi’s errant tangents yield fruit more than a half-century later.
Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and friends make beautiful, exotic noise.
The King meets the Nashville Cats in Music City. Fine country-pop ensues.
Richard Penniman goes to church, ‘80s style.
A freaky Argentine spellcaster conducts a dizzying head trip.
Two rascals conspire to create funny, touching character studies.
A roaring Toronto trio turns raw noise into severe, thrilling beauty.
The best in Memphis synth-punk, direct from a crumbling future.
An introspective bedroom-pop star grows up gracefully.
An innovative maverick fires up his exhilarating 1940s big band.
The Speedy Ortiz leader uncorks a bracing solo effort.
An Americana heroine serves up prime leftovers.
The piano genius in fine form, direct from a high-school auditorium.
An unsparing singer-songwriter gets back to basics, brilliantly.
The Man in Black, looking back and still memorable.
Two old masters take a leisurely stroll through an imaginary past.
The first family of gospel rolls with the times on four secular ‘70s albums.
A transfixing Irish singer crafts modern folk tales of vulnerability and strength.
A well-traveled Texas troubadour offers reassurance in tough times.
Christina Schneider takes a journey to the center of the mind.
A brash Chicago quartet turns modern anxiety into snappy entertainment.
Katie Crutchfield delivers emotional shock therapy with devastating efficiency.
Angelic singing plus timeless songs spells heavenly grace.
Patterson Hood and company wrestle with despair over the state of the world today.
The Hillbilly Shakespeare as heard on the radio in 1951.
Missing-in-action pop royalty resurfaces with a sophomore masterpiece.
Just Another Band from East L.A. unwraps a new holiday classic.
The Godfather of Soul sets the stage on fire. Funky nirvana ensues.
Sublime soul instrumentals, from “Green Onions” to “Hip Hug-Her.”
Ray Davies’ greatest concept album gets supersized.
California’s honky-tonk hotbed gets a fascinating, sprawling survey.
The Fab Four’s final studio work gets a fancy makeover.
AC/DC covers: The next big country trend?
Mxmtoon mixes crippling self-doubt and lilting melodies to endearing effect on her debut.
Melina Duterte frets over friends and lovers on a bedroom-pop masterpiece.
Olivia Rose taps into dark places of the soul with well-tuned empathy.