A Substack writer recently queried me regarding my thoughts on Americana. I explained that it’s essentially a marketing term, an easy way for the recording industry to create a pleasant ghetto for artists who embrace familiar—to use another marketing term—roots. To wit: Grammy-nominated songwriter J. C. Hopkins’s new, yet long-awaited album It’s a Sad and Beautiful World, mastered by Rob Fraboni. It features all we wish for from Americana, including a touch of electric sitar. This disc from the Norah Jones collaborator is filled with smart songs, engaging vocals, beautiful horn lines, and plenty of fine piano playing. What’s more, Hopkins, who has worked with everyone from Elvis Costello to Madeleine Peyroux, recorded it with the likes of Garth Hudson, Teddy Thompson, Martha Wainwright—and Levon Helm on drums, no less! Disregard the early Springsteen insinuations of “Us Versus Them,” a lighter-voiced David Ackles is a better barometer.
This article appears in July 2026.
