A college roommate’s 48-disc hip-hop mixtape series sent me digging back through the music that shaped my late-’90s and early-2000s years. Rebuilt as a 695-track Spotify playlist, it became part nostalgia trip, part musical archaeology, and part reckoning with what still holds up, what does not, and what young Weez was absorbing along the way. Continue reading DJ Notorious and the Soundtrack of A Younger Weez
Q-Unique and DJ Rhettmatic’s The QR Code is a tight, 35-minute blast of scratch-heavy boom bap, nerd-culture references, grown-man reflection, and veteran emcee credibility. It may not have the biggest peaks of the year, but its lack of filler makes it one of the strongest hip-hop discoveries I’ve had lately. Continue reading Q-Unique – The QR Code (Review)
Why does J. Roddy Walston and the Business’ “Brave Man’s Death” soundtrack every Friday night football road trip? Because somewhere between mortality, duty, repetition and showing up, it became less of a hype song and more of a ritual. Continue reading Why “Brave Man’s Death” Is My Friday Night Pregame Song
Charles Wesley Godwin’s Christian Name is an album about inheritance in all its forms: faith, family, place, grief, resilience, and the people who shape us before we fully understand how much they matter. From the defiant optimism of “Try Again” to the emotional weight of “Hey There Son” and “Brand New,” Godwin keeps finding new ways to make old truths feel personal. Continue reading Charles Wesley Godwin – Christian Name (Review)
Now that running is back in my regular rotation, I built a treadmill-only playlist filled with songs about running, escaping, moving and refusing to stand still. At nearly two hours, it offers considerably more endurance than I currently do. Continue reading Running Through My Head: A Treadmill-Only Playlist
Lyrics to a song about a man who lost a job to technology that most never even blinked at. Continue reading Two Years Shy
For more than a decade, it has felt like BJ Barham and I have been growing older in parallel. New Ways To Lose continues that journey, blending working-class observations, hard-earned hope, heartbreaking ballads, and the kind of songwriting that reminds me why American Aquarium remains one of my favorite bands. Another early Album of the Year contender. Continue reading American Aquarium – New Ways To Lose (Review)
The Droptines’ Drought Flower blends Americana darkness with simple rock grooves, banjo, and pedal steel. Led by Conner Arthur’s gravel-worn voice, the Austin band’s second full-length album finds its strength in songs about old habits, hard-earned maturity, and the kind of damage that does not stay buried. Continue reading The Droptines – Drought Flower (Review)
Drayton Farley’s A Heavy Duty Heart feels like the sound of an artist growing into a fuller version of himself. Still capable of pulling the sad-country string, Farley leans more than ever into songs about love, family, and the life waiting back home when the road ends. Continue reading Drayton Farley – A Heavy Duty Heart (Review)
Colton Bowlin’s Grandpa’s Mill leans into family, place, and the stories that tie them together. From nostalgic hometown reflections to a pair of early murder ballads, this sophomore release feels like a step forward—and one that should climb higher on my year-end list. Continue reading Colton Bowlin – Grandpa’s Mill (Album Review)
I Am Weez 