Doug Spears returns in fine homespun musical form with first new album in 15 years
Review of Blacktop Road - Bao Le-Huu, The Orlando Weekly (August 11, 2026)
"The Americana of Blacktop Road comes from a folk tradition near to the roots and has little to do with pop-gentrified commodities like The Lumineers. It’s got the kind of rural heart that comes from actual country people, not the lifestyle caricatures of the Nashville industrial complex. Moreover, the marrow of Spears’ music is even more specific to here and exudes Floridian terroir. In a state defined by tourism and transience, he’s a true native, a fifth-generation Floridian whose roots predate all the fantasy, glamour and bullshit. This is where he’s from, and where he’s coming from as a songwriter." Read the full review in The Orlando Weekly.