Small Town Heroes

Folk outfit Hurray for the Riff Raff's Small Town Heroes borrows liberally from old-time traditions, including Appalachian reels, Big Easy R&B, and Piedmont blues. Yet these songs put a fresh and wily spin on old sounds and ideas, thanks to the formidable presence of singer/songwriter Alynda Lee Segarra.

Much has been made of the fact that Hurray for the Riff Raff leader Alynda Lee Segarra calls New Orleans home, but where…

This month's album releases reviewed by the Evening Standard's music critics

Check out our album review of Artist's Small Town Heroes on Rolling Stone.com.

On the title cut of Small Town Heroes, Alynda Lee Segarra, the mastermind (and sometimes sole member) behind ramshackle New Orleans-based folk ensemble Hurray for the Riff Raff, wrestles with the fallout of a relationship gone sour over a single finger-picked guitar paired with the slow, distant freight train hum of a Hammond B-3, and reaches a simple, well-weathered conclusion; "I tempted fate, and I acted smart/I grew some callous on my heart".

Folk music has always been a music of common people; "folks," if you will. Small Town Heroes, the first high-profile release from Hurray for...

<p>Hurray for the Riff Raff rage against violence on their impressive fifth album of rootsy rock, writes <strong>Kitty Empire</strong></p>

The New Orleans outfit's twists on classic American genre material are postmodern and warm at the same time, writes <strong>Michael Hann</strong>