My Piece of Land, the latest effort from indie singer-songwriter and violinist Amanda Shires, has gotten rave reviews from the likes of Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone Country and No Depression. Produced by Dave Cobb, with whom Shires worked on her husband Isbell’s last two albums, it explores recent events in her personal life, including becoming a mother and completing a masters degree from the University of the South (Sewanee). Shires wrote and recorded My Piece Of Land when she was pregnant and unable to travel. A song like “Harmless” sounds a bit like Victoria Williams as Shires’ upper-register vocals have a real fragility to them. (Niesel)
Africa & Byzantium considers the complex artistic relationships between northern and eastern African Christian kingdoms and the Byzantine Empire from the fourth…