Here’s some the best Americana and roots-type music releases for January 13th, 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.
Margo Price
Strays (Loma Vista Recordings)
Margo Price has not been idle this past couple of ever-so-strange years. She squeezed out a much delayed album in 2020, all while putting the finishing touches to her heartfelt memoir, Maybe We’ll Make It. What’s best of all, she’s finally got the band back together; reuniting the Price Tags for this extraordinary and pulsating album of psychedelic Americana that thrives off intense therapy sessions and famous mushroom trips. Immediately, Price and her band jump straight back into what they do best. ‘Been to the Mountain’ rears its colossal head with a Doors-esque intro, all cymbals crashing, huge guitar licks and waves of towering organ. Price cries out that she has nothing to prove and nothing to sell, questioning herself and her existence as she dances around multiple, conflicting identities.
Whitehorse
I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying (Six Shooter Records)
After dropping two albums in one year in 2021, husband-and-wife duo Whitehorse (Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland), took all of 2022 to record another one. Between the two of them, they have clocked mileage in folk, blues, rock and various other styles. This time, however, they lean heavily on classic-style country vibes, channeling George and Tammy, Kenny and Dolly, and other beloved duos. All of this is delivered through their not-as-easy-as-they-look, homey harmonies and Doucet’s shapeshifting guitar work. Plenty of artists have revisited ‘70s-era country music in recent years, but it’s a treat to be welcomed to the table by this pair of artists who have truly internalized their Nashville heroes. Both are able to embody numerous styles and concepts at once. Hearing them together can be thrilling. I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying is a welcome entrée for fans and newcomers alike. (edited from Folk Alley review)
