Here’s some the best Americana and roots-type music releases for April 5th, 2024. 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.
Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams
All This Time (The Royal Potato Family)
Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams borrow from another prominent Americana couple, Buddy and Julie Miller. Their searing take on the Millers’ “I Love You” matches the almost scarily intense devotion (“I’d take a bullet for you”) at the heart of the Julie-penned original. And devotion is what All This Time is all about, though in a generally brighter and less obsessive vein than “I Love You.” All This Time, says Larry, “feels more intuitive to me than the earlier records, less experimental, evidence that we’ve grown more aware of who we are and what we have to offer.” What they offer, evidently, is an intensely romantic album. Campbell, master of all things strings and former accompanist to Bob Dylan and the late Levon Helm (among others), and singer-actress Williams have been together for four decades. Their chemistry is again evident as they alternate lead vocals and harmonize beautifully on this 10-song set — with seven Campbell originals — that chronicles a bond both hard-earned and enduring. (edited from No Depression review)
John Moreland
Visitor (Old Omens Records)
An album for our troubled times, recorded after a year in isolation from the chaotic world around him, Moreland perfectly encapsulates the political and personal, on a record that showcases his razor sharp insight, impressive multi-instrumentalism, and his arresting and rich vocals throughout. The result of that unplugged year at home is Visitor. Moreland recorded the album at his home in Bixby, Oklahoma, in only ten days, playing nearly every instrument himself. “In 2023, during a year-long break from touring, in an attempt to regain my sanity, I stopped using a smart phone for 6 months, and wrote this album.” Moreland stated, adding, “I wanted to make a natural sounding folk-rock record. Simplicity and immediacy felt very important to the process.” Celebrating his ingenuity of songcraft, thoughtful lyricism and a possession of a singular voice – one that will further establish John Moreland as one of the great singer-songwriters of his generation. (from press release)
Also new this week…
Cedric Burnside – Hill Country Love (Provogue Records)
Canned Heat – Finyl Vinyl (Ruf Records)
The Hawtthorns – Zero Gravity (Red Parlor Records) +
Dustin Kensrue – Desert Dreaming (Vagrant Records)
Marcus King – Mood Swings (American Records) +
Old 97’s – American Primitive (ATO Records) +
Pernice Brothers – Who Will You Believe (New West Records)
Katie Pruitt – Mantras (Rounder Records)
The Real Sarahs & Alex De Grassi – Everything’s Changed (Tropo Records) +
Zach Top – Cold Beer & Country Music (independent)
Coming out soon … Lost Dog Street Band, Misner And Smith, Pokey LaFarge, Grant Langston, Pi Jacobs, Tim Easton, The Bacon Brothers, Charley Crockett, The Reverend Shawn Amos, Curtis McMurtry, Gileah Taylor, Iron & Wine, Chris Smither, David Myles, Anna Tivel, Richard Thompson, Kim Richey, Jim Keller, Ana Egge, Swamp Dogg, Yarn, Jesse Dayton, Silverada, The Mavericks, Jesse Daniel and more!
