Articles by One West Magazine

There are albums made to show you what a musician can do, and then there are albums made because the musician simply had to make them. Usein Bekirov’s Dedication is very much the latter — […]

There are albums you put on when you want to dance. Albums you blast in the car. Albums you dramatically stare out the window to. And then there are albums that make you realize you’ve […]

There’s something wonderfully old-school about HeART Museum. Not “old” as in dated. Old-school as in 25 actual musicians in a room, horns and strings, big arrangements, real dynamics, and a singer who can actually sing […]

There are songs about places, and then there are songs that make you start checking airfare. Los Hermanos Alacranes land firmly in the second category with “Colombia Te Espera,” a joyous, sprawling love letter to […]

Somewhere in the musical universe, someone apparently asked: What if Plants vs. Zombies, Billie Eilish, three acoustic guitars and a world-class cellist all walked into a recording studio together? Against all reasonable expectations, the answer […]

There are albums that pay tribute to musical history, and then there are albums that grab history by the hand, pour it a rum, and drag it straight onto the dance floor. Buena Vista Orchestra’s […]

There are jazz albums that make you want to sit very still, stroke an imaginary goatee and whisper something about “the harmonic language.” And then there’s Casey Abrams’ #Jazz, an album that occasionally sounds like […]

There’s something wonderfully reassuring about an album that understands you can love where you’re going without pretending you’ve forgotten where you came from. On Island Girl Reflections II, Rachel Haymer turns that idea into a […]

Judy Kass has never been interested in writing songs that simply sound pretty. She writes songs that sit beside you when life gets messy, remind you to breathe, and somehow leave you feeling a little […]

Let’s be honest: the world could use fewer angry comment sections and a few more people holding doors open for strangers. Thankfully, JD Hinton seems to have gotten the memo. On “Love Needs A Messenger,” […]