Here’s some the best Americana and roots-type music releases for October 9th, 2026. 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 Cilker
Little White Cross (Fossil Records)
“You could definitely call it a concept record, if that concept is that I got really sad and went to Texas.” That’s Margo Cilker’s elevator pitch for her latest album, Little White Cross, and if you know me at all, you’ll understand it’s the kind of concept that will draw me right in. The exact source of the sadness that led Cilker to record this particular mix of covers and originals is left unspecified by the singer, but look around – can you really wonder why a sensitive soul might be more than a little bothered by end-stage America? But even on a record full of car wrecks, mass shooters and plain ol’ struggling folks, Cilker and co-producer Bruce Robison have managed to craft one of the most beautiful albums. of the year. (edited from Americana Highways review)
Shinyribs
Real Alligator (Spaceflight Records)
Shinyribs’ 10th full-length record continues the musical journey leader Kevin Russell began on 2025’s Leaving Time, incorporating soulful Country and folk into their trademark Swamp Pop sound. The album includes a number of songs Russell penned as solo compositions, giving the record a more personal, introspective vibe than previous Shinyribs outings. The band, in kind, has transformed into a smaller, more versatile unit, able to interpret these intimate compositions as well as the bolder, more raucous material, like the first single “Arkansas Mud.” Real Alligator is also the first Shinyribs record on Austin’s innovative non-profit label Spaceflight Records, adding an important new rootsy contribution to their growing catalog. (from press release)
Todd Snider
My Second Rodeo (Aimless Records)
Todd Snider happened to leave behind a posthumous album recorded in the period right before his death in the fall of 2025. Called My Second Rodeo, it’s said to be an imagining of “the sound of country music 10 years from now” from Snider. The songs came together as Snider worked dismantle and reconstruct his favorite country music tropes, and then weave them into swampy grooves, backed by New Orleans-style horns. This is not a posthumous release of B-sides and outtakes. Snider approached this album intentionally, and in what collaborators say was a burst of creative energy. “This album is a glimpse into the creative outpouring from Todd in September and October of 2025,” says Joe Bisiri. “He was so sure of this sound, feel, and his studio band’s pliability that he insisted on recording his vocal and guitar first, with no accompaniment or click track.” Bisiri and Robbie Crowell worked off of notes that Snider left via emails and voice memos to finish the album at Snider’s Purple Building in Nashville. In emails, Todd Snider told them, “….i honestly think we’re doing something important that is going to affect this town for a longtime,” and “I’ve never been more excited about art i was working on.”
Also new this week…
Domenic Cicala – Duet Again (Tortured Artist Records)
Laura Cortese – Lucky Water (Compass Records)
Sheryl Crow – Pick You Up (Old Green Barn Productions)
Libby Koch & Michael O’Connor – Gulf Coast Duets (Coastal Bend Records) +
Jordie Lane – Habitual (Blood Thinner Records) +
Gurf Morlix – Ain’t No Perfect World (Rootball Records) +
John Prine – Found Dogs (Oh Boy Records) +
Joe Rian – Think Yer In Luv (Rian Records) +
Becky Shaw – Cast Off The Lines (self-release)
The Talking Hearts – Memory Lane (self-release)
Jess Williamson – A Mile South of Heaven (New West Records) +
Coming out soon… Bruce Cockburn, Richard Thompson, The Southern Tiers, Charlie Parr, Willi Carlisle, Kaitlin Butts, Josh Rouse, Sam Burton, Jim Kweskin and more!
