After a bad early divorce, he turned his back on the church, accepting damnation as the payback for a life of barroom debauchery, only to discover that the country songs he’d begun to write told stories of a different sort, that of the damnation of affairs of the heart.

Lincoln Barr displays a restless stylistic curiosity and unique command of his influences, masterfully whittling shards of soul, country, blues, rock, and pop into a coherent whole.

Has bemused cynicism and ennui ever been so fun? Archie Powell & the Exports have made a career of grafting prismatic power pop and sardonic, dark looks at the world outside into guileless songs with hooks galore.

Taylor Hollingsworth and Kate Taylor singing together are a match made in heaven (or hell, if the Devil has anything to do with it).

Jack Oblivian channels the spirit of proto punk as well as blues, country and junkyard rock; his songs embody haunting, echo-y swamp boogie. The new album is Rat City on Big Legal Mess Records.

The Ponderosa Stomp Concert, a New Orleans musical tradition, highlights the world’s most authentic musicians of rockabilly, R&B, jazz, blues, garage, soul, funk, and swamp pop.