Americana Music Releases for April 14th

Posted on April 13, 2023 by

Here’s some the best Americana and roots-type music releases for April 14th, 2023. Click the artist or album links to find out more. The artist’s names link to their websites and the CD title links go to either Amazon, iTunes, Bandcamp or the artist’s site for ordering or downloading.  A + sign means although not a featured release, it’s a notable album that’s still worth checking out.  Also, this page will be updated as I find out about other new releases so check back again.

 

William Prince
Stand In The Joy (Six Shooter Records)

William Prince is a descendant of preachers, and in his own way, he is carrying on that legacy in his music. With his singular velvet baritone, Prince envelops in his songs messages of forgiveness and acceptance, even amid inner turmoil and when the world feels like too brutal a place. His latest album, Stand in the Joy, finds him looking back on the sweetest parts of the hardest times, recalling in detail the sights, smells, and sounds that helped him smile through grief and difficulty — the adrenaline of new love begun in secret, the shared sky that makes you feel closer to someone far away, or the subtle changing of the seasons bringing new life. The gospel influences that raised him in the Peguis First Nation reservation in Manitoba, Canada, are easy to see on Stand in the Joy. But with this record, Prince is also proving himself a true craftsman of melody when it comes to a chorus. These songs start quiet, but then catch you off guard as they swoon and levitate, each emanating its own warm, rosy glow.  (edited from No Depression review)

The Wood Brothers
Heart is the Hero  (Honey Jar Records)

The Wood Brothers have learned to trust their hearts. For the better part of two decades, they’ve cemented their reputation as freethinking songwriters, road warriors, and community builders, creating a catalog of diverse music and a loyal audience who’ve grown alongside them through the years. That evolution continues with Heart is the Hero, the band’s eighth studio album. Recorded analog to 16-track tape, this latest effort finds its three creators embracing the chemistry of their acclaimed live shows by capturing their performances in real-time direct from the studio floor with nary a computer in sight. “We love records that come from the era of less tracks and more care,” explains co-founder Oliver Wood. “When you use a computer during the tracking process, you have an infinite number of tracks at your disposal, which implies that nothing is permanent, and everything can be fixed. Tape gives you limitations that force you to be creative and intentional.” “We are never satisfied if we are not searching for new musical recipes,” says Jano Rix, nodding to the uncharted territory that Heart is the Hero covers. Chris Wood agrees, adding, “We are one of those bands that isn’t easily categorized. We know what our strengths are, but we can’t help but push the envelope, as well. It’s too much fun.”  (edited from Home Grown Music network review)

 

Also new this week…

Ben Bostick – The Rascal Is Back  (Simply Fantastic Music)
Sol Chase – The Eclectic Life of an Only Child  (self-released)
Julie Christensen – The Price We Pay for Love  (Wirebird Records)
Ben de la Cour – Sweet Anhedonia  (Julian Records)  +
Chris Duarte – Ain’t Giving Up  (Provogue Records)
Natalie Merchant – Keep Your Courage (Nonesuch Records)
Mike Miz – Only Human  (Blackbird Music Group)
Watty Thompson – Watty Thompson  (Cheatin’ Hearts Records)

 

Coming out soon… Joey Frendo, Cinder Well, Taj Mahal, Marty Stuart, Rickie Lee Jones, The Milk Carton Kids, Robert Ellis, Caitlin Canty, Tommy Emmanuel, The Infamous Stringdusters, Rodney Crowell, Bella White, Bruce Cockburn, Abe Partridge, Parker Millsap, Eilen Jewell, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, The Rough & Tumble, Lucinda Williams, Shinyribs, Tim O’Brien, Miles Miller, Brennen Leigh and more!

Check out Americana Boogie Radio!

Bill Frater

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Americana Music Releases for April 7th

Posted on April 7, 2023 by

Here’s some the best Americana and roots-type music releases for April 7th, 2023. Click the artist or album links to find out more. The artist’s names link to their websites and the CD title links go to either Amazon, iTunes, Bandcamp or the artist’s site for ordering or downloading.  A + sign means although not a featured release, it’s a notable album that’s still worth checking out.  Also, this page will be updated as I find out about other new releases so check back again.

 

Robbie Fulks
Bluegrass Vacation  (Compass Records)

This could be considered Robbie Fulks‘ return to his roots, both theoretically and in terms of practical purposes. Fulks’ initial entry into singer/songwriter realms was preceded by a stint with Greg Cahill and his band, Special Consensus, but even before that, he found himself entertained and enthralled while accompanying his father to concerts by such singular stars as Doc and Merle Watson, John Hartford, Hot Rize, David Grisman, and any number of others. That, according to the liner notes accompanying the new album, is what helped Fulks blaze his way into the realms of Americana. Here he enlists an able cast of fellow travelers, among them, Sam Bush, John Cowan, Chris Eldridge, Ronnie McCoury, Jerry Douglas, Brennen Leigh, and Shad Cobb. Not surprisingly then, practically every song reflects that singular devotion to Bluegrass. Ultimately, Bluegrass Vacation is more than a mere respite. It’s a reboot of sorts, one that brings Fulks back to his beginnings and seminal status. A sweet sojourn, one suspects he may be about to prolong his stay. (edited from Bluegrass Today review)

Carter Sampson
Gold (Horton Records)

Carter has an incredible sensibility to her songwriting. It’s heartfelt, sincere, and honest. Whether it’s intended or not, there’s an inherent happiness that populates a Carter Sampson record and it’s something I’ve truly come to look forward to with each album she’s released. Sampson’s music is a little folksy, and a little country. There’s a smidgen of pop and a whole bunch of rootsy rock-n-roll, and it seems she’s always pushing the boundaries of her own comfort zones in an effort to find the “right” sound. Gold was co-produced by Sampson and longtime collaborator, Kyle Reid. Throughout the album, Reid lends his talents on pedal steel, guitar, synths and whatever else was needed or handy. In fact, Sampson and Reid recorded the majority of Gold themselves, with the exception of a couple of upright bass tracks by Johnny Carlton and one fiddle track by Lane Hawkins. As a result, I think it’s the most Carter Sampson-y album she’s released to date.  (edited from Americana Highways review)

Also new this week…

Cimarron 615 – Brand New Distance  (Blue Elan Records)
Ian Jones – Results Not Typical  (independent)
Stephanie Anne Johnson – Jewels (independent)
Adam Klein – Holidays in United States  (Cowboy Angel Music)
Mike Spine And The Underground All Star Band – Guided By Love  (Global Seepej Records)
Jake Ybarra – Something In The Water  (independent)

 

Coming out soon… Joey Frendo, The Wood Brothers, William Prince, Taj Mahal, Marty Stuart, Natalie Merchant, The Milk Carton Kids, Robert Ellis, Caitlin Canty, The Infamous Stringdusters, Rodney Crowell, Bella White, Bruce Cockburn, Abe Partridge, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, The Rough & Tumble, Lucinda Williams, Shinyribs and more!

Check out Americana Boogie Radio!

Bill Frater

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Americana Music Releases for March 31st

Posted on March 30, 2023 by

Here’s some the best Americana and roots-type music releases for March 31st, 2023. Click the artist or album links to find out more. The artist’s names link to their websites and the CD title links go to either Amazon, iTunes, Bandcamp or the artist’s site for ordering or downloading.  A + sign means although not a featured release, it’s a notable album that’s still worth checking out.  Also, this page will be updated as I find out about other new releases so check back again.

 

Peter Case
Doctor Moan  (Sunset Blvd Records)

On 16th solo album Doctor Moan, singer-songwriter Peter Case channels spirits of jazz, blues, and boogie-woogie into  nuanced expressions. Case’s first piano-based release is sonically sparse yet emotionally rich, capturing the peak of both his songcraft and voice with an organic authenticity rare in the digital age. “I try to take things I love and use them in a new way,” mulled Case. “I grew up on 1950s and ‘60s rock & roll and folk. I learned how to play blues here in San Francisco, out on the street, and then was part of the punk rock movement … It’s all still in there; it’s my musical DNA. Hopefully it opens up peoples’ hearts and lets them feel emotions that they want to feel but don’t usually have,” he concluded. “And a lot of them are focused on surviving in this world now, so hopefully the warmth of companionship and comfort, too.”

Mighty Poplar
Mighty Poplar  (Free Dirt Records)

At its heart, bluegrass music is about what happens when you commit to the moment. This spirit of spontaneity is ever-present on the self-titled record from Mighty Poplar, a new all-star roots project featuring Andrew Marlin of Watchhouse, Noam Pikelny and Chris Eldridge of Punch Brothers, bassist Greg Garrison (Leftover Salmon) and fiddler Alex Hargreaves (Billy Strings). Across 10 songs that include bluegrass and folk classics and deep cuts from the Carter Family to Leonard Cohen, the fivesome captures the fierce and playful energy of a late night jam between old friends. Regarded as some of the finest players of their generation, the playing is never showy and always in service of the song. (edited from label’s website)

 

Also new this week…

Rachel Baiman – Common Nation of Sorrow (Signature Sounds)  +
John David Kent – Patina  (Blackland Records)
Jono Manson – Stars Enough To Guide Me  (Blue Rose Music) +
Meredith Moon – Constellations  (True North Records)
Gurf Morlix – I Challenge the Beast (Rootball Records)  +
Lauren Morrow – People Talk  (Big Kitty Records)
Lance Roark – Better Man  (self-released)
Upstate – You Only Get A Few  (The Royal Potato Family)
Waco Brothers – The Men that God Forgot  (Plenty Tuff Records)

Coming out soon… Adam Klein, Joey Frendo, Taj Mahal, Carter Sampson, Cimarron 615, William Prince, Marty Stuart, Natalie Merchant, The Wood Brothers, The Milk Carton Kids, Robbie Fulks, Robert Ellis, Caitlin Canty, The Infamous Stringdusters, Jake Ybarra, Bella White, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, The Rough & Tumble and more!

Check out Americana Boogie Radio!

Bill Frater

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Americana Music Releases for March 24th

Posted on March 23, 2023 by

Here’s some the best Americana and roots-type music releases for March 24th, 2023. Click the artist or album links to find out more. The artist’s names link to their websites and the CD title links go to either Amazon, iTunes, Bandcamp or the artist’s site for ordering or downloading.  A + sign means although not a featured release, it’s a notable album that’s still worth checking out.  Also, this page will be updated as I find out about other new releases so check back again.

 

Eric Bibb
Ridin’ (Stony Plain Records)

Ridin’ is a continuation of the vision that informs Bibb’s artistry as a modern-day Blues troubadour. Grounded in the folk and blues tradition with contemporary sensibilities, Bibb’s music continues to reflect his thoughts on current world events and his own lived experiences, whilst remaining entertaining, uplifting, inspirational and relevant. Bibb is known and revered globally for having carved his own musical destiny with honesty and power. Eric’s father, the late Leon Bibb, was an activist, actor, and folk singer who marched at Selma with Dr. Martin Luther King. Eric’s youth was spent immersed in the Greenwich Village folk scene. Names like Dylan, Baez, and Seeger were visitors to his home. He was deeply influenced by Odetta, Richie Havens, and Taj Mahal – who guests on Ridin’ – and he has synthesized all of that into his very own style.  (from promotional material)

Dom Flemons
Wildfire  (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings)

With his new album, Traveling Wildfire, Dom Flemons builds on his solo oeuvre and previous forays with The Carolina Chocolate Drops, per usual displaying songwriting savvy, instrumental prowess, and a knack for contemporizing often obscure yet important works. On several tracks, Flemons performs distinct reinterpretations, accentuating his depth as a folk archivist. With “We Are Almost Down to the Shore,” he rearranges the 1936 spiritual by Jimmie Strothers. While the original epitomizes a rural blues style featuring Strothers’ gravelly voice, Flemons’ version is more choral, his delivery like velvet. With “Guess I’m Doing Fine,” Flemons remakes Dylan’s sardonic tribute to Woody Guthrie, his voice optimistic, his instrumentation rollicky, including Sam Bush’s adrenalized fiddle. Throughout Traveling Wildfire, whether offering originals or notable redos, Flemons exhibits his encyclopedic knowledge of music history. All the while, he demonstrates his versatility and penchant for dynamic collaboration. In this way, he continues to honor the past while underscoring its relevance to the present — and keeping an unflinching eye on the future. (edited from No Depression review)

 

Nickel Creek
Celebrants  (Repair Records)

Nickel Creek, the Bluegrass innovators who revolutionized the genre back when they were pesky kids, have now returned with their most ambitious album. Comprised of Chris Thile on mandolin, Sara Watkins on fiddle and her brother Sean Watkins on guitar, the band have laid down 18 tracks so fresh and interconnected that it feels like they’re making their own Sgt Pepper or Pet Sounds. Produced by Eric Valentine, it’s their first record together in almost a decade; written in a creative retreat in Santa Barbara where you can feel the excitement of this huge endeavor. Everything the trio explore here interlinks into the other, like a complete symphony or song cycle where every bridge and break could take you in a different direction. This is an album to return to again and again. Of course, you can dip into your favourite parts and admire the astonishing musicianship, but it works best as a whole sequence; illuminating the characters and their relationships while evoking the trio’s obvious joy at being back together again.  (edited from Holler. review)

Also new this week…

Darling West – Cosmos   (Jansen Records)
Steve Dawson – Eyes Closed, Dreaming  (Black Hen Music)  +
Andrew Gabbard – Cedar City Sweetheart  (Karma Chief Records)  +
Melissa Ruth – Bones  (self-released)
Mike Stinson & Johnny Irion – Working My Way Down  (Blackwing Music)
Ellie Turner – When The Trouble’s All Done  (Muhly Grass Records)  +
Ally Venable – Real Gone (Ruf Records)
White Owl Red – Running Blind  (Bourgeois Dawg Records)

 

Coming out soon… Peter Case, Mighty Poplar, Waco Brothers, Rachel Baiman, Lance Roark, Lauren Morrow, Adam Klein, Joey Frendo, Taj Mahal, Carter Sampson, Cimarron 615, Marty Stuart, Natalie Merchant, The Wood Brothers, The Milk Carton Kids, Robbie Fulks, Robert Ellis, Caitlin Canty, The Infamous Stringdusters, Jake Ybarra, Bella White, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and more!

Check out Americana Boogie Radio!

Bill Frater

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Americana Music Releases for March 17th

Posted on March 16, 2023 by

Here’s some the best Americana and roots-type music releases for March 17th, 2023. Click the artist or album links to find out more. The artist’s names link to their websites and the CD title links go to either Amazon, iTunes, Bandcamp or the artist’s site for ordering or downloading.  A + sign means although not a featured release, it’s a notable album that’s still worth checking out.  Also, this page will be updated as I find out about other new releases so check back again.

 

The Band Of Heathens
Simple Things  (BOH Records)

The Band of Heathens have been together for more than 15 years. They have undergone many changes during that time in terms of style and personnel, but the ragged but right guitarists/singers/songwriters Gordy Quist and Ed Jurdi remain the heart and soul of the act. Their voices and instruments blend as naturally as fellow Texans Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson do. The two buds maintain their separate identity on individual songs, but something special happens when they join together. The new songs thematically and sonically share the same sensibility, no matter who wrote them. As the title implies, the Band of Heathens care about the simple things in life, such as finding pleasure in being at home with the family, making music, hanging out with friends, experiencing nature, and appreciating being alive. The songs on Simple Things express the courage to keep going even when life seems dark. One doesn’t need to be naïve to appreciate our gifts and be grateful.  (edited from Pop Matters review)

 

Doug Paisley
Say What You Like  (Outside Music)

Toronto-born singer-songwriter Doug Paisley has come up with some new self-reflective tunes that were bottled up long ago, set aside & only now are ripe enough for durable ears. His first collection since 2018’s Starter Home. This set brings together some of the better choices from 250 unrecorded songs that spanned more than a decade. Many are personal & explore the struggles of the individual & sometimes with a voice & groove that sounds as if it came from the same soil as the late J.J. Cale. The folk, country & pop leanings that are displayed are intertwined gently between his country-coloring melodies & words. There’s no intensity breathing down his neck – the songs are the most important feature & they don’t need to be biting or making statements. Doug will explore the shortcomings of love, growing old & his clever use of language – something that’s in short order among younger artists today. (edited from Americana Highways review)

Also new this week…

The Cash Box Kings – Oscar’s Motel  (Alligator Records)
Daddy Long legs – Street Sermons  (Yep Roc Records)
Just Us Lillys – Not Far From The Tree  (self-released)
Lynn Miles – Tumbleweedyworld (True North Records)
David Starr – Better Me (EP)  (cedaredge music)
Various Artists – Stoned Cold Country: Rolling Stones Tribute  (Broken Bow Records)

 

Coming out soon… Eric Bibb, Dom Flemons, Darling West, Mike Stinson & Johnny Irion, Peter Case, Mighty Poplar, Rachel Baiman, Lance Roark, Lauren Morrow, Adam Klein, Joey Frendo, Nickel Creek, Taj Mahal, Carter Sampson, Cimarron 615, Marty Stuart, Natalie Merchant, The Milk Carton Kids, Robbie Fulks, Robert Ellis, Caitlin Canty, The Infamous Stringdusters, Jake Ybarra, Bella White, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and more!

Check out Americana Boogie Radio!

Bill Frater

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Americana Music Releases for March 10th

Posted on March 10, 2023 by

Here’s some the best Americana and roots-type music releases for March 10, 2023. Click the artist or album links to find out more. The artist’s names link to their websites and the CD title links go to either Amazon, iTunes, Bandcamp or the artist’s site for ordering or downloading.  A + sign means although not a featured release, it’s a notable album that’s still worth checking out.  Also, this page will be updated as I find out about other new releases so check back again.

The War & Treaty
The Lover’s Game  (Mercury Nashville)

Husband-and-wife duo Michael and Tanya Trotter follow up last year’s Blank Page EP with a stunning collection of songs that explore the vulnerability and incandescent passion of love. The propulsive title track launches the album with jet-fueled guitar and slide guitar runs. The Trotters’ blistering vocals drive the song into a sonic stratosphere that resembles early Ike and Tina Turner and mimics the urgency of passion and the heat of the moment in relationships. Like Ashford and Simpson, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Tanya and Michael Trotter inhabit deeply the soul of their songs, and their vibrant vocals transport listeners as they reverberate in the very depth of hearts and souls. Lover’s Game is the best album of the year so far.  (edited from No Depression review)

 

Matt Andersen – The Big Bottle of Joy  (Sonic Records)
The Cold Stares – Voices  (Mascot Records)
Dylan Earl – I Saw the Arkansas  (Gar Hole Records)
The Long Ryders – September, November   (Cherry Red Records)
Justin Tipton & The Troublemakers – Burn These Bridges  (self-released)

Coming out soon…  The Band Of Heathens, The Cash Box Kings, Eric Bibb, Dom Flemons, Darling West, Lynn Miles, Mike Stinson & Johnny Irion, Doug Paisley, Peter Case, Lance Roark,  Mighty Poplar, Rachel Baiman, Lauren Morrow, Adam Klein, Joey Frendo, Nickel Creek, Taj Mahal, Carter Sampson, Marty Stuart, Natalie Merchant, The Milk Carton Kids, Robbie Fulks, Robert Ellis, Caitlin Canty, The Infamous Stringdusters, Bella White, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and more!

Check out Americana Boogie Radio!

Bill Frater

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Americana Music Releases for March 3rd

Posted on March 2, 2023 by

Here’s some the best Americana and roots-type music releases for March 3rd, 2023. Click the artist or album links to find out more. The artist’s names link to their websites and the CD title links go to either Amazon, iTunes, Bandcamp or the artist’s site for ordering or downloading.  A + sign means although not a featured release, it’s a notable album that’s still worth checking out.  Also, this page will be updated as I find out about other new releases so check back again.

 

Slaid Cleaves
Together Through the Dark  (Candyhouse Records)

Americana/folk stalwart Slaid Cleaves has been putting out great records for 25 years now, consistently delivering songs that strike people’s hearts and become part of their lives. Together Through the Dark is no different. Producer Scrappy Jud Newcomb and Cleaves teamed up for the third time in early 2022 between Covid surges to record a new batch of songs, Slaid’s first in five years. Familiar themes of struggle and resilience will be a surprise to no one. As Scrappy puts it, “This album speaks to the hopeful, the hard-working, the battered, confused, and the sad. But above all to the believers in the city of freedom that we heard in the stories of our youth and all those FM radio hits.” The first single, “Through the Dark,” was co-written with Slaid’s long-time collaborator and life-long friend, Rod Picott. Slaid describes it simply as “a song about offering comfort in hard times.”  “More than 20 years into his career, Slaid Cleaves just keeps getting better . . . There are few contemporaries that compare. He’s become a master craftsman on the order of Guy Clark and John Prine.” -Austin Chronicle

Willie Nelson
I Don’t Know A Thing About Love: The Songs of Harlan Howard  (Sony Legacy Recordings) 

Amongst the nearly 150 albums that Willie Nelson has released, he has a number of amazing full-album tributes to songwriters from Kris Kristofferson and George Gershwin to Ray Price and Cindy Walker. Adding to that list is a new studio album dedicated to songwriting legend Harlen Howard who has scores of country hits including a number that crossed over to pop and even R&B charts. A member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall Of Fame, Howard wrote hits for Ray Charles (“Busted”), Buck Owens (“I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail”), Conway Twitty (the title track), Bobby Bare (“The Streets Of Baltimore”) and so many more. Produced by longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon and featuring a murderers’ row of crack Nashville musicians.

Also new this week…

Michael Cleveland – Lovin’ Of The Game  (Compass Records)  +
Drayton Farley – Twenty On High  (Hargrove Records)  +
Karen Jonas – The Restless  (self-released)
Marilyn Jordan – Both Things Are True  (self-released)
New Earth Farmers – The Good Ones Got Away (self-released)
The Panhandlers – Tough Country  (Make Wake Artists)
Wire Troop – Wire Troop & Friends Play Your Country Music Favorites (and More)  (independent)

Coming out soon…  Lance Roark, Eric Bibb, Adam Klein, Dom Flemons, Darling West, Lynn Miles, Doug Paisley, The Cash Box Kings, Matt Andersen, Peter Case, Mighty Poplar, Rachel Baiman, Lauren Morrow, Joey Frendo, Nickel Creek, Taj Mahal, Marty Stuart, Natalie Merchant, The Milk Carton Kids, Robbie Fulks, Robert Ellis, Caitlin Canty, The Infamous Stringdusters, Bella White, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and more!

Check out Americana Boogie Radio!

Bill Frater

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Americana Music Releases for Feb. 24th

Posted on February 23, 2023 by

Here’s some the best Americana and roots-type music releases for February 24th, 2023. Click the artist or album links to find out more. The artist’s names link to their websites and the CD title links go to either Amazon, iTunes, Bandcamp or the artist’s site for ordering or downloading.  A + sign means although not a featured release, it’s a notable album that’s still worth checking out.  Also, this page will be updated as I find out about other new releases so check back again.

 

Iris DeMent
Workin’ on a World  (Flariella Records)

This album, eight years after her previous release, continues DeMent’s legacy of engaging directly with a troubled era. The songs on Workin’ on a World took shape over the last six years, which, yes, places its origins in the aftermath of the 2016 election. “Every day some new trauma was being added to the old ones that kept repeating themselves, and like everybody else, I was just trying to bear up under it all,” DeMent recalls. The album’s 13 songs wade directly into climate change, the pandemic, gun violence, and social injustice, but they share a theme of working toward something better, something these songs convey is very much possible. “Now I’m workin’ on a world I may never see,” she sings on the title track, “Joinin’ forces with the warriors of love / Who came before and will follow you and me.”  (edited from No Depression review)

 

The Shootouts
Stampede  (Soundly Music)

Ohio-based four-piece The Shootouts had no intention of putting out their third LP so soon. Their last record, Bullseye, came out less than a year ago, but Ray Benson – founder of the Texas Swing band Asleep At The Wheel and musical hero of The Shootouts – mentioned he wanted to work with the band, so they quickly made the obvious decision and got right back to the studio. The result is an album that dovetails nicely into their small but growing catalogue of Western Swing and classic country music. The band brought in a slew of guests to help with this one. Benson sits in for “One Step Forward” while The Mavericks’ Raul Malo lends his vocals to “I’ll Never Need Anyone More.” Elsewhere, Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Miller and Marty Stuart all make appearances. Aside from some different voices, Stampede isn’t a big step away from the group’s earlier efforts; they still play an impressive blend of music that nods to nostalgia and a time when dance halls across Texas were packed, while updating the classic country and Western Swing sound slightly with elements of rockabilly.  (edited from Glide Magazine review)

Also new this week…

Matt Hillyer – Glorieta  (State Fair Records)
Lucero – Should’ve Learned By Now  (Liberty & Lament Records)
Dougie Poole – The Rainbow Wheel of Death (Wharf Cat Records)
Rose’s Pawn Shop – Punch-Drunk Life (Blue Élan Records) +
Shoebox Letters – Car Crash Life  (self-released)
Stuffy Shmitt – Cheery (self-released)
Channing Wilson – Dead Man  (Ol’ Dog Records)
Ri Wolf – Randall County Reverb  (Voyager Prop Records)

Coming out soon… Slaid Cleaves, Michael Cleveland, Lance Roark, Wire Troop, Karen Jonas, Eric Bibb, Adam Klein, Dom Flemons, The Panhandlers, Darling West, Doug Paisley, The Cash Box Kings, Matt Andersen, Mighty Poplar, Rachel Baiman, Lauren Morrow, Nickel Creek, Willie Nelson, Taj Mahal, Marty Stuart, The Milk Carton Kids, Robert Ellis, Caitlin Canty, The Infamous Stringdusters, Bella White, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and more!

Check out Americana Boogie Radio!

Bill Frater

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Americana Music Releases for Feb. 17th

Posted on February 16, 2023 by

Here’s some the best Americana and roots-type music releases for February 17th, 2023. Click the artist or album links to find out more. The artist’s names link to their websites and the CD title links go to either Amazon, iTunes, Bandcamp or the artist’s site for ordering or downloading.  A + sign means although not a featured release, it’s a notable album that’s still worth checking out.  Also, this page will be updated as I find out about other new releases so check back again.

 

Jaimee Harris
Boomerang Town (Folk N Roll Records)

Jaimee Harris’ 2018 debut Red Rescue roared with rock energy, fiercely honest and unnerving with an underlying biting intensity. Follow-up Boomerang Town cuts equally close to the bone, but the Austin-area native finds her power more in the deeply poetic narratives than the backing.  Even as the album’s themes tap similar veins for Harris (addiction, loss, and restless want), the songwriter finds a poignant truth in leaning into more character-driven arcs than personal crises, though the songs still burn with the working revelations of heavy introspection. The aching “How Could You Be Gone,” co-written with Harris’ partner, Mary Gauthier, lingers in the loss of longtime mentor Jimmy LaFave. Even at her most gentle, Harris strikes devastatingly. The haunting memory of a young classmate’s death in “Fall (Devin’s Song)” and the swooning hope of “Love Is Gonna Come Again” set the upbeat closing rhythm of “Missing Someone,” letting her vocal range flow after treading in the deep waters. Boomerang Town reaches new heights for Harris.  (edited from Austin Chronicle review)

Grant Peeples
A Murder of Songs  (Leftneck Music)

It’s always a temptation to stereotype artists. Peeples is an activist, a humorist, a poet, a folksinger, a protest singer, even a touch of performance artist (at some of his homegrown shows he castnets mullet beforehand and cooks them for attendees). He’s all of those. One of his favorite sayings is “make art, people.” So I think the best simple description of Grant Peeples is that he’s an artist.  And this album, like most of his art, is meant to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable,” borrowing a line from Finley Peter Dunne, and that’s what it does. His songs are the antithesis of hooks, ear candy, and popular music in general… but they make you think, whether you agree with him or not. And that’s the purpose of art. (edited from Music Fest News review)

 

Also new this week…

Cat Clyde – Down Rounder  (Second Prize Records)
Alex Mabey – The Waiting Room  (independent)
Buddy Mondlock – Filiment  (Sparking Gap Records)
Benjamin Dakota Rogers – Paint Horse  (Good People Record Co.)
Ron Sexsmith – The Vivian Line  (Ronboy Rhymes)
Joe Louis Walker – Weight of the World  (Forty Below Records)

 

Coming out soon… Matt Hillyer, Michael Cleveland, Lance Roark, The Milk Carton Kids, The Shootouts, Slaid Cleaves, Iris Dement, Karen Jonas, Rose’s Pawn Shop, Eric Bibb, Adam Klein, Dom Flemons, The Panhandlers, Darling West, Doug Paisley, Matt Andersen, Mighty Poplar, Lauren Morrow, Nickel Creek, Willie Nelson, Taj Mahal, Marty Stuart, Robert Ellis, Caitlin Canty, The Infamous Stringdusters and more!

Check out Americana Boogie Radio!

Bill Frater

 

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Americana Music Releases for Feb. 10th

Posted on February 9, 2023 by

Here’s some the best Americana and roots-type music releases for February 10th, 2023. Click the artist or album links to find out more. The artist’s names link to their websites and the CD title links go to either Amazon, iTunes, Bandcamp or the artist’s site for ordering or downloading.  A + sign means although not a featured release, it’s a notable album that’s still worth checking out.  Also, this page will be updated as I find out about other new releases so check back again.

 

Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley
Living In A Song  (Compass Records)

Those experiencing a typical concert from Dobro master Rob Ickes and guitarist/singer Trey Hensley usually leave with jaws scraping the floor, blown away by the blinding fret-slashing abilities of the two musicians. While these world class musical talents are extraordinary, incorporating their ability into quality tunes on more structured studio recordings can be challenging. Thankfully the pair have experience in this, creating three previous albums of mostly bluegrass-oriented material that dip into country and even blues. While the blues and bluegrass influences remain, here Ickes and Hensley veer further towards country and Americana. It helps that Hensley possesses a strikingly resonate, emotional voice, one that makes him a potent singer outside of his superb finger-picking ability. Ickes’ joins in mostly on harmonies, sparking these selections into subtly crafted duets. Their songwriting establishes them as journeyman musicians and originators, whose work stands amongst Nashville’s finest.  (edited from Holler. review)

 

Also new this week…

Jill Barber – Homemaker  (Outside Music)
Ashby Frank – Leaving Is Believing  (Mountain Home Music Company)  +
Tim Hill – Giant  (Innovative Leisure/Calico Discos)
Jim Keller – Spark & Flame  (independent)
Sprig of That – Bloom  (independent)

 

Coming out soon… Matt Hillyer, Grant Peeples, Benjamin Dakota Rogers, Doug Paisley, Michael Cleveland, The Milk Carton Kids, The Shootouts, Slaid Cleaves, Iris Dement, Karen Jonas, Rose’s Pawn Shop, Eric Bibb, Adam Klein, Dom Flemons, The Panhandlers, Darling West, Matt Andersen, Mighty Poplar, Lauren Morrow, Nickel Creek, Willie Nelson, Taj Mahal, Marty Stuart, Robert Ellis, Caitlin Canty and more!

Check out Americana Boogie Radio!

Bill Frater

Posted in Americana CD releases, Bluegrass, Country music new releases, New music releases, Roots Music | Tagged | Leave a comment