Jimmie (James) Spheeris was born in Phenix City, Alabama, to Juanita 'Gypsy' and Andrew Spheeris, who owned and operated a traveling carnival called the Majick Empire. These childhood years of colorful transience were a major influence on later work, as evidenced in songs such as "Lost in the Midway" and "Decatur Street," among others. Spheeris moved to New York City in the late 1960s to pursue his songwriting career. The liner notes on his debut album credit friend and fellow songwriter Richie Havens, who introduced Spheeris to Columbia Records executive Clive Davis. Spheeris' 1972 debut album, Isle of View, garnered a devoted following and FM radio airplay, most notably for the song "I Am the Mercury." His 1973 album, The Original Tap Dancing Kid, was followed by a period of extensive concert touring. Spheeris returned to the recording studio in 1975 with The Dragon Is Dancing and released Ports of the Heart in 1976. This is a live concert recording from 1974 in Denver.

Following the end of her marriage to longtime collaborator and guitarist Darrel Higham in 2015, Irish vocalist Imelda May returns with her fifth studio album, 2017's dark-hued Life. Love. Flesh. Blood. Produced by acclaimed roots icon T-Bone Burnett, Life. Love. Flesh. Blood finds May transforming both her sound and image with a suitably haunting and soulful set of songs rife with heartache. Gone are her rockabilly-tinged grooves (and trademark pompadour), replaced with a ballad-heavy, reverb-soaked aesthetic and dark brown Chrissie Hynde-style shag, all of which befits her post-divorce attitude of mourn and move on. If her earlier albums matched '50s rock bounce with '80s new wave attitude, then Life. Love. Flesh. Blood is pure '60s songcraft, a Roy Orbison-esque combination of dusky Americana and vintage British soul. In that sense, it brings to mind similarly inclined albums by artists like Chris Isaak, Richard Hawley, and Elvis Costello.

This album features The Strawbs, one of the standout British progressive bands of the early '70s. Setting themselves apart, their sound drew heavily from English folk music rather than rock. They gained recognition with their hit "Part of the Union," which peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart in February 1973. Another notable track from the same LP is "Lay Down," a popular progressive rock hit. The Strawbs embarked on tours with Supertramp during their "Crime of the Century" tour, and they undertook their own "Hero and Heroine" tour, drawing musical similarities and themes. A review in Rolling Stone in 1974 praised their transition from folkier roots to a lush, mellotron-dominated sound, drawing comparisons to Yes, King Crimson, and the Moody Blues. Critics noted their compelling songwriting and lyrical depth.

This release is the first installment in the Ethnic Sound Selection series, a multi-volume collection of traditional and world music recordings selected by Hosono to explore various cultural and experimental themes. The title of this volume, Atavus, refers to "ancestors" (祖先).

Bob Dylan released the dark, unruly Time Out of Mind in 1997 following two albums of folk and blues covers. It was his first original material in a decade and summed up his 20th century. Rough and Rowdy Ways is his first new material since 2012's Tempest and arrives during a global pandemic and the righteous struggle for racial and economic justice. These ten songs revel in forms that have been Dylan's métier since the '60s: blues, country, folk, rockabilly, gospel, etc. Its three pre-release singles – "Murder Most Foul," "I Contain Multitudes," and "False Prophet" – are showcases for a songwriter who speaks directly yet remains elusive.