Music

Kevn Kinney of Drivin N Cryin and Anton Fier of The Golden Palominos combine the twangy side of their respective rock bands for an album aptly titled A Good Country Mile. Through the '80s rock scene, Kinney and Fier became friends and collaborators, and the trend continues more than 20 years later.

When you've been making catchy pop songs as long as Nick Lowe has it's okay to look to classic sounds for inspiration. Lowe's new song, "Sensitive Man," finds the sexagenarian rocker digging deep into the essence of '50s Sun Records-era rock. The song could feel right at home on a jukebox next to a tune by The Crickets or Jerry Lee Lewis. The backing vocals, Tijuana Brass horns and jangly guitar sounds look to the past but aren't stodgy nor simply nostalgic.

"It's long overdue," Megafaun's Brad Cook croons in "Get Right," adding, "I thought it would die but it grew." That line could very well describe the history of this North Carolina experimental rock band. The trio, whose members once worked with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, has undergone significant personnel changes since forming in 2006. But with its excellent self-titled third record, Megafaun has finally come into its own.

The Soul Rebels could not be more aptly named. Formed in the '90s, the band originated within the New Orleans brass-band scene. Lumar LeBlanc and Derrick Moss gathered jazz musicians from around New Orleans to create a sound based in soul and specific performance styles, but with the capacity to evolve. The result rebels against the rules of soul while paying homage to the genre.