Music Review: 5 Chicago Artists to Discover
There’s a lot of amazing Americana music coming out of Chicago! Here are five acts with recent releases worth checking out.
Here at Adventures in Americana, we get so many new music submissions and recommendations (not to mention the music we find on our own) that we’ll only ever be able to cover a fraction of them. We’re a small operation and we take time and care with everything we produce. We’ve always got a “parking lot” full of music we’d like to write about if we had more capacity.
Listening through that list recently, I realized that over the course of 2022 so far, we’ve received several great submissions from Chicago. Although the Windy City is squarely within the Midwest (our main region of focus), I don’t know a ton about its Americana community, but I know it’s strong. Besides the blues it’s legendary for, I know of a few excellent country acts based in Chicago, such as Tommy Goodroad and The Lawrence Peters Outfit. And the Hideout’s annual Day in the Country festival always seems to feature a range of local acts as well as regional and national bands.
That said, I know I have a lot to learn about the Chicago scene, so I was excited to explore these talented artists, and you will be too! Without further ado, here are five excellent recent releases from Chicago.
Julie Jurgens, Appointed Tasks
“Trust me, I’m telling stories,” says Julie Jurgens before launching into her opening track. It’s an intriguing line and a genius way to get me to listen closer to the lyrics—which contain gems like the simple but charmingly unexpected line “I am a girl of constant sorrow.”
I’m glad she brought my attention to her words, because her storytelling could easily (though unjustly) play second fiddle to her intriguing sound, grounded by a voice that blends indie-rock sensibilities (shades of Liz Phair or Sonic Youth?) with a country twang.
Many of the songs are acoustic guitar-driven but feature a variety of other instruments, some more expected than others: harmonica, pedal steel, flute or clarinet…I might’ve heard a harpsichord a time or two! The opening track even features a horns section that gave me flashbacks to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. But somehow these disparate instruments don’t at all detract from the strong country flavor of this record.
Standout tracks: “Once Was Mine” and “Thief”
Reilly Downes, Spent
This Chicago country artist isn’t a homegrown talent; she brought suitcases of experience and culture from her Texas Hill Country birthplace and her time as a session musician in Nashville. On her debut solo EP, Reilly Downes explores heartache and other emotional torment, backed by a country sound that sounds modern and classic at the same time.
Her lyrics pack a ton of meaning in just a few words, delivered in her high, clear voice: “Father taught me grace, mother taught me anger / I’m lost in between.”
Downes bills her music as “sad cowgirl tunes,” and when someone comes up with a tagline that good, it’s hard to improve on it, though it doesn’t quite give enough credit to the rich full-band sound and gritty honky-tonk themes on some of the songs. It’s an important distinction that “sad” in country music doesn’t have to mean “slow” or “downer.”
Standout tracks: “Dirty Love” and “October’s Waltz”
Iris Marlowe, Where the Devil Bid the Owl Goodbye
This artist cites 1960s music as a foundational influence, but from there she’s branched out over several albums, experimenting with rock, folk and country sounds. She calls this new release, her third album, a “dark country-Western record,” which it delivers on while still being reminiscent of ’60s folk balladry.
I appreciate an album that spans a variety of sounds, and this record is a collection of songs that range from hard-driving to wistful. Iris Marlowe sings with energy and intensity when the song requires it, but I love it best when she dials it back to an effortless-sounding croon, revealing a beautifully throaty edge that gives every word an extra emotional punch.
Standout tracks: “Home” and “Old Tricks”
Kevin Andrew Prchal, Unknowing
The lone male lead vocalist on this list, this singer-songwriter’s got a lovely, mellow voice that can soar when he wants it to, and it perfectly complements the sweet, heartfelt themes on this album. Kevin Andrew Prchal’s melodies and vocals have the most pop sensibility of any of the artists featured in this roundup.
But the instrumentation and overall sound has a strong folk flavor and a fair bit of country in there as well, thanks in part to some smartly applied pedal steel.
Thematically, this album hints at the darkness our country (and the world) is going through, acknowledging it and then striving to bring some light and hope to listeners. In the refrain of the opening track, Prchal shares his determination as an inspiration for us all to keep trying to move forward to a better future: “I’m carrying on / It’s in my blood. / I’m carrying on / Not giving up.”
Standout tracks: “Carrying On” and “What Loves You Back”
Little Victory, Little Victory
The self-titled debut from this bluesy, rootsy woman-fronted group packs a wallop. Gritty electric guitar and powerful vocals bring a ton of energy, and the funky mid-tempo percussion on most of the songs will have your head bobbing the whole time. They even bring in an R&B vibe in a couple of tunes.
I dig their overall blues-rock vibe, but “Life of a Cowboy” really stood out to me. This track is a straight-up country tune with tons of acoustic guitar, so it’s way more up my alley, and it’s damn good! For sure check out this whole great album, but then maybe say a prayer that Little Victory someday takes a departure and throws out a little EP of just country music, because they’re equally strong at that.
Standout tracks: “Losing Time” and “Life of a Cowboy” (not on YouTube, so go find it on streaming!)
Carol Roth. Photo credit: Dan Lee.
Carol Roth is a full-time marketing copywriter and the primary music journalist and social media publicist for Adventures in Americana. In addition to studying the guitar and songwriting, Carol’s additional creative side hustle is writing self-proclaimed “trashy” novels under the pseudonym T.A. Berkeley!
