Here’s some the best Americana and roots-type music releases for August 1st, 2025. 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.
Sunny Sweeney
Rhinestone Requiem (Aunt Daddy Records)
Her name might be Sunny, but her music is filled with accounts of broken hearts and broken homes like the best of country music. It’s music for those whose lives didn’t exactly turn out as planned, which basically accounts for most all of us. But at least we’ve got great country music from artists like Sunny Sweeney to get us through. If you’re wondering just what kind of country music you might get from it, Sunny leaves nothing to speculation, this will be a Country record. “This is the first time I’ve made a record when I don’t have relationship problems,” Sweeney says. “I’ve lived some life. Not all of it’s been pretty. But I feel like that’s what makes really good music.” Sweeney didn’t solicit some swanky producer for this one. Instead she co-produced it with her guitar player and right hand man Harley Husbands. Sunny continues. “For me, it’s the stories and hooks … I really wanted this album to be a mixture of all the old styles of country music: Jerry Lee Lewis, Waylon Jennings, Loretta Lynn. I make music for myself and hope other people like it.” (edited from Saving Country Music review)
The Wood Brothers
Puff of Smoke (Honey Jar Records)
Listening, in its truest sense, is a dying art, but it’s one The Wood Brothers are committed to practicing and upholding as a virtue. In fact, it’s the secret to the mélange of joyful sounds and musical styles on Puff of Smoke, the trio’s ninth album. Indeed, through the near two decades spent together in the studio and on the road, they have honed their interconnected, singular voice to telepathic proportions. On this latest studio effort, a true collaborative effort between its three members, the songs weave a medley of musical ideas — ranging from Latin-inflected acoustic guitar lines, to driving post-jazz rhythms, to infectious sing along choruses — resulting in a cohesive, joyful whole. All with The Wood Brothers’ trademark turns of phrase and lighthearted, but subversively profound wisdom at the core. Puff of Smoke is a reminder that life is both precious and precarious, and The Wood Brothers invite you to enjoy the ride. (edited from their Bandcamp page bio.
Also new this week…
Grain Thief – House of the Dog (Plow Man Records)
Luke Pelletier – American Cheese (Soggy Anvil Records)
Rachael & Vilray – West of Broadway (Concord Jazz)
Travis Roberts – Rebel Rose (New West Records)
Wild Mountain Mystics – Fire and Honey (Blackbird Record Label)
Coming out soon … Hayes Carll, Charley Crockett, Rodney Crowell, Molly Tuttle, Patrick Sweany, Kathleen Edwards, Margo Price, Josh Ritter, Dallas Burrow, Asleep at the Wheel, Jeff Tweedy, The Third Mind, Clover County and more!
