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There have been a lot of recordings over the years that center around Memphis, Tennessee (not to mention the countless ones made IN Memphis.) This is a modern, unique one: a vision quest of sorts, of ghosts from the past, and characters still with us, from Kevin Morby, on his 7th, and arguably strongest, album to date. A native of Kansas, it also paints a picture (or snaps a photograph) of Middle America in general.

It’s the third in a trilogy of song collections mostly based on film music the pianist/singer/songwriter wrote for Spike Lee over the past few years. This one is a bit more on the upbeat side, despite a few of the songs relating to Covid, and the title track being about “this strange time in which we live, when the world is basically, well, ‘flicted!”

New Tunes at Two Monday 9/6: The Bamboos – Piece of Me

Whatsapp is spreading bogus medical advice in India. A website called Check4Spam is debunking the claims.

"Traditional Turkish folk songs recorded on vintage gear, a return to the psychedelic sound of the 1970s.” This description from the music mag MOJO sums up this band and their latest release pretty well. Merve Daşdemir and Erdinç Ecevit trade lead vocals, and they’re backed by Thijs Elzinga on guitar, Jasper Verhulst on bass, and Daniel Smienk and Chris Bruining on drums and other percussion. They have roots in Amsterdam as well, and their last album had more of an Anatolian ‘80s sound. Groove to this new one! Serefe!

This new release of folk and Americana won’t be released until September 8th, but we want to make sure this charming Colorado musician is on your radar, because not only was this album recorded in Asheville (at Citizen Studios by Gar Ragland), but Jobi just received the John Prine Songwriter Fellowship Award! Recently signed to Yep Roc Records, her busy summer tour doesn’t have her in our area at this time, but you might see her on the stage at the upcoming Newport Folk Festival!

Behrouz Boochani has lived in detention on Manus for five years. He tells NPR about the book he wrote using WhatsApp that tells the story of his failed attempt to flee Iran for asylum in Australia.

Born and raised in rural southeast Texas, Nick Taylor captures that Red-Dirt Americana sound in this debut album. The result is an impressive combination of sounds that veer from the gentle reflection of “Futures Past,” the evocative tones of “3AM On The Interstate” the easy embrace of “Carry You Home,” and the heartbreak and happenstance of “Broken Souls,” through to the sashay and serenade of “Getting Along,” the heartfelt homage to a special “Kentucky Girl,” and forward through the driving and determined “Heart on the Run.” As the name of the album suggests, Taylor hopes that these tracks will help his listeners to feel less alone in their struggles.

Singer/songwriter Kaitlin Butts has been on the rise in Country/Americana circles lately, and this new album is inspired by Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! musical, to rather hilarious effect. “Every summer when I was a kid my parents would take me to see a performance of ‘Oklahoma!’ at a local amphitheater, and I’ve felt such a strong connection to it my entire life,” says Butts. “It’s a love story but there’s also a murder and a little bit of an acid-trippy feel to it at times; it’s set in the same place where I come from. Once I got the idea for this album I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before, and it turned into something that completely encompasses who I am and what I love.”

Facebook paid $19 billion for the instant messaging service WhatsApp even though it's never disclosed whether it's profitable. Aarti Shahani of KQED explains what Facebook sees in its new acquisition.