This month’s Acoustic Sunrise CD of the Month is Little Broken Hearts by Norah Jones.

From Rolling Stone:

Norah Jones sometimes gets derided for being too downtempo – which, really, is like hating on peaches for being juicy. But her fifth album is a brand-rejigging songwriting collab with Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton that both picks up her pace and pumps up her palette. See “Happy Pills,” the bouncy single that triangulates the sexy bounce of the Pretenders’ “Brass in Pocket” with a lite-soul kiss-off ballad and an AM-radio bubblegum tune. Call it Norah in Neon. Jones’ sweet-smoky purr has always sounded great with meaty grooves: Talib Kweli’s “Soon the New Day,” Wax Poetic’s “Angels.” Here, she frolics through reverb and gets frisky over Burton’s midtempo beats on “Say Goodbye,” savoring the word “misbehave” like a toddler with her hand in the cookie jar. It was fun to hear Jones, the archetypal girl-you’d-take-home-to-Mom, play the fallen woman on Burton’s RomeLP from last year. That project echoes through “All a Dream,” a ghostly mix of dub-reggae groove and spaghetti-Western guitar. On the best songs, the Danger Mouse thumbprint is fainter: “She’s 22″ sets Jones against wisps of guitar and piano, while “Travelin’ On” mates her with a moaning cello. It’s a balancing act, which the lyrics occasionally upend – Jones as a murderous lover on “Miriam” is a near-comic stretch. But even good girls need revenge sometimes.

This morning, Rick Olivarez and Jeff Cheers stopped by the WNRN studio and spoke with Anne Williams about what lead them to this point in their musical careers, playing in the rain, and some other stuff. Check out the podcast below to hear the full interview and hear them play 3 songs (one of which was inspired by band member Dave Berzonsky’s daughter, Luna) live!

And don’t forget: the Olivarez Trio is playing live, for free, tonight after 5pm on the steps of the McGuffey Art Center as part of the Tom Tom Founders Festival kickoff!

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Locked Down by Dr. John is Anne Williams’ pick for April’s CD of the Month.

From Greg Kot at the Chicago Tribune:

Mac Rebennack has been making records since the ‘60s and has been a revered figure in New Orleans music for just as long. In reinventing himself as Dr. John, he took the city’s funk tradition deeper into the swamp of his imagination, mingling soul, blues and Afro-Cuban mysticism for some of the trippiest music ever to come out of the deep South.

One of his fans, the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, guides John back to that shadowy “Night Tripper” era with a batch of fresh songs. The legendary pianist sounds reinvigorated on “Locked Down” (Nonesuch), in part because he’s not plugging into a formula, but animating it with some feisty new sidemen. Auerbach’s terse, reverb-encrusted guitar and the studio band he assembled for this project play vital roles, particularly drummer Max Weissenfeldt and bassist Nick Movshon. They keep things syncopated and slippery, and Auerbach tosses off an ornery solo on “Getaway.”

The Doctor plays less piano and more electric keyboards, which means he’s less inclined to draw on his tourist-friendly Professor Longhair mannerisms. Instead, he soaks “Revolution” in Farfisa-organ eeriness and conjures voodoo imagery from an Optigan (a vintage sampling keyboard) on “Big Shot.”

“My Children, My Angels” and “God’s Sure Good” allow the 71-year-old artist to close the album on a reflective note, but the cracks, imperfections and mystic weirdness of this music are where his personality truly lies. “Let’s all pray on it, right now,” he mutters before digging into his keyboard solo on “Revolution.” He brings the trickster god “Eleggua” out of the murk, and presides over the “Kingdom of Izzness.” It’s Dr. John’s world, in all its voodoo inscrutability, rediscovered.

Our Acoustic Sunrise CD of the Month for March is Break It Yourself, the latest from Andrew Bird.

You can get your copy of Break It Yourself by joining the CD of the month club or by picking it as your premium in our upcoming fund drive!

The Hard Road Trio stopped by the WNRN studio this morning to talk with Anne Williams about song-writing, the inspiration they’ve received from New Mexico, and their new album, Monticello, coming out next Wednesday. They also played “You Got Me Thinkin’,” “Steadfast Deliverance,” and “Break Free,” so check out the podcast below!

No plans for tonight? See them play live in Charlottesville! Find out more information at their website!

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Steel Wheels stopped by the WNRN studio about a week ago to celebrate the release of their new album, Lay Down, Lay Low, which is coming out on March 5th. Listen to them play “Halfway to Heaven,” “Breaking Like the Sun,” and “Rain in the Valley” live and talk to Anne Williams about their tour, the underlying themes of their new album, and some of their band’s history in the podcast below!

Want more Steel Wheels? See them live at the Clementine in March or at the Southern in May!

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Phillip St. Ours stopped by the WNRN studio this morning to play a few songs live and talk to Anne Williams about Pantherburn’s listening party this Saturday at the Blue Moon Diner and their CD release party on March 10th at the Southern. Check out the podcast below!

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Tim O’Brien was here before his show at the Mockingbird on Wednesday morning. He chatted with Anne about his travels and career, as well as played two songs!

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Sally Rose stopped by the WNRN studio this morning to play a few songs live and talk to Anne Williams about her music career, Valentine’s Day, and her Candy Hearts show with Sarah White and the Pearls and Phillip St. Ours tonight at the Southern! Can’t make it to the show? Check out the podcast below!

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