Category Archives: alt.country

John Moreland : New Album ‘Big Bad Luv’ Out May 5th. Stream ‘It Don’t Suit Me (Like Before)’

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John Moreland : New Album 'Big Bad Luv',

Few people embody the genuine soul of Americana and roots music than Tulsa, Oklahoma’s John Moreland. A new album from this unassuming poet of the human landscape is always a cause for celebration. On May 5th Moreland will release his fourth album, entitled ‘Big Bad Luv’ on England’s 4Ad label- an em print better known for alert rock like the Cocteau Twins and the Wolfgang Press, or post-rock noisemakers like The Throwing Muses and The Pixies. Though the label does have some folk and alt.country Cree signing band’s like The Red House Painters, The Mountain Goats and Tarnation. The one thing 4AD is consistent with is the quality their artists display in their craft.

This is just what they get with John Moreland, an artist that sits solitary on stage and pulls a silenced audience along his stories of unflinching emotion. The album is being described as ‘…an honest, bruising experience. A record about love, faith and the human condition..” Sounds like a John Moreland album to me.

Big Bad Luv, was recorded in Little Rock, AK, and mostly with a crew of Moreland’s Tulsa friends: John Calvin Abney (piano and guitar), Aaron Boehler (bass), Paddy Ryan (drums), Jared Tyler (dobro) and Lucero’s Rick Steff (piano). Coming together in three sessions over ten months, which were sandwiched between touring dates and life, the final album was then mixed by GRAMMY winning Tchad Blake, who has worked with iconic acts from Al Green to Tom Waits.

If the track from the album below, ‘It Don’t Suit Me (Like Before)’, is any indication of the tone of the album there seems to be a stylistic and thematic move away from the shadows. This walk on the sunny side might be due in large part to his marriage last Summer.

Preorder at johnmoreland.net.

Tracklist and U.S. and Europe tour dates below.

John Moreland : 'Big Bad Luv',

Big Bad Luv tracklist

1. Sallisaw Blue
2. Old Wounds
3. Every Kind of Wrong
4. Love Is Not an Answer
5. Lies I Chose to Believe
6. Amen, So Be It
7. No Glory in Regret
8. Ain’t We Gold
9. Slow Down Easy
10. It Don’t Suit Me (Like Before)
11. Latchkey KidBig

June 1 – St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway*
June 3 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern*
June 4 – Washington, D.C. – Rock & Roll Hotel*
June 7 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom*
June 8 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair*
June 9 – Montreal, QC – Le Ritz*
June 10 – Toronto, ON – Velvet Underground*
June 13 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark*
June 14 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall*
June 16 – Minneapolis, MN – Turf Club*
June 17 – Maquoketa, IA – Barnstormers at Codfish Hollow*
July 11 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge
July 12 – Memphis, TN – 1884 Lounge at Minglewood
July 18 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle
July 19 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
July 22 – Oxford, MS – Proud Larry’s
* = Will Johnson (Centro-matic) opening

May 6 – Glasgow – Oran Mor (UK)
May 8 – London – Union Chapel (UK)
May 9 – London – Union Chapel (UK)
May 11 – Paris – Les Etoiles (FR)
May 13 – Hamburg – Kampnagel (DE)
May 14 – Berlin – Passionkirche (DE)
May 16 – Amsterdam – Paradiso (NL)

Angaleena Presley Gets ‘Wrangled’ With Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, Wanda Jackson and Guy Clark

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Angaleena Presley - 'Wrangled'

On April 21 honky-tonk songstress, and one-third of the country super-group Pistol Annies, Angaleena Presley will release her sophomore solo album ‘Wrangled’ April 21 on Mining Light/Thirty Tigers records.

‘Wrangled’ ‘s the 12-track has Presley once again at the co-production helm with Oran Thornton (Eric Church, David Nail) and was recording at famed “Ronnie’s Place” in Nashville.

There’s also an impressive list of co-writers on ‘Wrangled.’

From the press release:

One of the album’s many highlights is “Cheer Up Little Darling” — which Angaleena co-wrote with her dear friend Guy Clark. This is the last song completed by Guy before his death and features Shawn Camp playing Guy’s No. 10 guitar, which was used to write the song with Guy, and Guy’s mandola, which he had been learning to play during the last year of his life.

Another spotlight track is “Dreams Don’t Come True,” written with Pistol Annie sisters, Miranda Lambert and Ashley Monroe.

“Only Blood” was written with fellow East Kentuckian, Chris Stapleton and features Morgane Stapleton’s unmistakable vocals, while “Good Girl Down” yielded unforgettable moments with the legendary Wanda Jackson.

Of ‘Wrangled’ Presley says:

“Wrangled is an explicitly forthright journey through my experience in the business of Country Music. I tried to tackle uncomfortable realities like the discrimination against female artists at the height of Bro-Country, the high school mentality of Music Row and the pain that’s just beneath the surface of the road to stardom,” says Angaleena.

“Covered in elbow grease and sacrifice, I set out to shed the skin of my ‘dream’ Nashville by painting a musical picture of loss, surrender, resurrection, redemption, and connection with real people who make and support honest music.”

Angaleena will debut many of these new songs on the road, including during the Cayamo Cruise, Feb. 19-26, and will announce tour dates for the Spring and Summer in coming weeks.

Check out a liver performance of ‘Dreams Don’t Come True’ below.

The Wrangled track listing is below, with songwriters in parenthesis.

1. Dreams Don’t Come True (Angaleena Presley, Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe)
2. High School (Angaleena Presley, Ivy Walker, Sophie Walker)
3. Only Blood (Featuring Morgane Stapleton) / (Angaleena Presley, Chris Stapleton )
4. Country (Featuring Yelawolf) / (Angaleena Presley, Michael Wayne Atha)
5. Wrangled (Angaleena Presley)
6. Bless My Heart (Angaleena Presley)
7. Outlaw (Angaleena Presley)
8. Mama I Tried (Angaleena Presley, Oran Thornton)
9. Cheer Up Little Darling (Angaleena Presley, Guy Clark)
10. Groundswell (Angaleena Presley, Ian Fitchuk)
11. Good Girl Down (Angaleena Presley, Wanda Jackson, Vanessa Olavarez)
12. Motel Bible (Angaleena Presley, Oran Thornton, Trevor Thornton)

Sturgill Simpson’s Unlikely Road to the Grammys

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Sturgill Simpson - Club DaDa - Dallas, Tx - 11/15/14

My first impression of Sturgill Simpson was of a man that embodied a duality of seemingly contradictory attributes – carefree determination. It was September of 2011 and over a pitcher of beer Simpson and I discussed his custom made telecaster (by him), the wonders of Bill Monroe and his recent debut on the stage at the Pickathon festival in Oregon a few days before. We also talked about his mini-tour he was then undertaking, with his then band Sunday Valley and his dad helping out with the driving, making way toward their new home in Nashville.

“Nashville? Why would you go there?” I asked him, believing Simpson’s “Outlaw” throwback style that placed him among contemporaries like Whitey Morgan or a more genteel Hank Williams III, would not fit well within the Music Row ear confection machine.

I believed this in 2011 but no longer do. After many trips, meeting many brilliant musicians and seeing dozens of great shows in Nashville and experienced the music community thriving outside of Music Row. I’m assuming that Simpson was aware of that burgeoning scene and had a long plan to work within that community and follow his music wherever it led him.

This eventually led him to a gig at The Basement where artist manager Marc Dottore first heard him. That led to representation by media relations firm
Sacks & Co, and the RED Distribution team. All working on the little more than faith that the man they represented tied the past to the future with a biting snarl and unabashed twang.

By 2013 I had a feeling that a tipping point had occurred. His performances at the Americana Music Association conference, a Bluegrass Situation and Groove records BBQ (see a clip below) showcases are still vivid memories, were heavily attended by people that didn’t go to any of the other conference’s live showcases. Many showed up in Sturgill concert t-shirts they had snatched up at one of the multiple sold-out shows he had performed tirelessly throughout the year.

Several years before I had merely strolled up to Sturgill in a seedy bar to engage him. Now I was in a journalist que at the Nashville Marriott, waiting my turn to be shepherded upstairs to the empty dining area overlooking the bustling lobby of the hotel. Once there Sturgill was the same man I remembered. Relaxed smile, talking about classic country, the fickleness of the music business, the absurdity that country music needs a savior. The discussion was insightful and the hour went by fast and, unfortunately, the recording of the discussion is lost to the ages due to a technology glitch.

Then came the breakout second album ‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music’ produced by Dave Cobb. The album had universally positive reviews and helped to put both men on the hot musical map.

Then came the Late Show with David Letterman, Conan (twice), Jimmy Fallon, the Grand Ole Opry and at Austin City Limits and Keith Urban wearing a Sturgill concert shirt on American Idol.

What ‘Metamodern Sounds…” began 2016’s ‘A Sailor’s Guide to Earth’ completed in spades. The album bowed in at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart, eventually hitting No. 1 Folk and
Rock Albums charts.

Now Sturgill is a two-time Grammy nominee up for Best Country Album for his least country album and for the big prize, Album of the Year award.

This isn’t Sturgill’s first Grammy nomination. ‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music’ was up for Best Americana Album against John Hiatt, Keb’ Mo’, Nickel Creek and the winner Rosanne Cash.

Sturgill nomination for Album of the Year award isn’t the category’s first roots album. That distinction belongs to Ray Charles ‘Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music’ (where ‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music’ cribbed its title) in 1963. If he wins Sturgill won’t be the first roots artist to win in that category. That would be Glen Campbell ‘By the Time I Get to Phoenix’ in 1969.

But Sturgill’s nomination for Album of the Year is significant in that it shows a teenage Sturgill out there watching that dogged diligence and a guiding independent spirit can lead you to a place where you can not only play your music to pay your bills, but you could be placed in contention with Adele, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber and Drake for national attention.

Win or lose this can open doors.

Simpson’s path is one of sheer will and self-determination that surprisingly touched a nerve in music fans starving for something real.

I’m pulling for him.

Watch Out! Ryan Adams Performs With Chris Thile & Kacey Musgraves On A Prairie Home Companion – (Pasadena Civic Auditorium)

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Ryan Adams Performs With Chris Thile & Kacey Musgraves On A Prairie Home Companion

Since it was created 1974 by Garrison Keillor ‘A Prairie Home Companion‘ has been pivotal in championing roots artists. Including the new host, Chris Thile’s first breakout newgrass band Nickle Creek, where Thile first [layed in his teens.

Since taking the helm of ‘A Prairie Home Companion’ Chris Thile last year the bands booked have sometimes skewed more into the indie rock side of things by booking artists like The Shins and Jack White.

Ryan Adams is an artist that knows a thing or two about both the roots and indie rock side of music. Adams was booked on the programs Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California stop last weekend.

The event was made even more special when Kacey Musgraves joined Adams to sing “I Love You But I Don’t Know What To Say,” from Adam’s 2011 release ‘Ashes & Fire.’ The pair was joined by Thile providing his exceptional mandolin work.

Watch some clips and listen to the full beautiful performance below:

 Wanted! – Notable Americana and Roots Music Releases for 2017

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Wanted! - Notable Americana and Roots Music Releases for 2017

2016 was another great year for Americana and roots music, and 2017 shows signs that the great music will continue to come our way. As our Cream of the Crop favorites from last year makes plain we might be experiencing a new golden age of roots music/ Both as a growing influence on our contemporary culture and also as a viable, business for young and old artists to sustain themselves and thrive.

That last part is crucial as it provides economic and influential seed corn for the future ‘Cream of the Crop’ year-end best of collections.

The list below is a collection of known 2017 notable Americana / roots releases. Some anticipated releases from artists like Ray Wylie Hubbard, Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell and The Secret Sisters have no release dates yet, but when I become aware of them and others I will be updating the list throughout the year and will send word through my twitter account when I do.

If you know of a release not listed yet please leave it in the comments.

One thing is for sure, it’s going to be a great year folks.

January 13th –
The Band of Heathens – ‘Duende’
Blackie and the Rodeo Kings – ‘Kings and Kings’
Otis Gibbs – ‘Mount Renraw’

January 20th –
Kasey Chambers – ‘Dragonfly’
The Show Ponies – How It All Goes Down’
Rayna Gellert – ‘Workin’s Too Hard’

January 27th –
Delbert McClinton – ‘Prick Of The Litter’
Tift Merritt – ‘Stitch of the World’
Valerie June – ‘The Order of Time’
Bankesters – ‘Nightbird’
Dead Man Winter – ‘Furnace’

February 3rd –
Ags Connolly – ‘Nothin’ Unexpected’
Gurf Morlix – ‘The Soul & The Heal’
Mitch Dean –‘Suburban Speakeasy’
Rose Cousins – ‘Natural Conclusion’
Caroline Spence – ‘Spades & Roses’

February 10th –
Kris Kristofferson – The Austin Sessions (Expanded Edition)

February 17th –
Alison Krauss – ‘Windy City’
Nikki Lane – ‘Highway Queen’
Pegi Young & The Survivors – ‘Raw’
Son Volt – ‘Notes Of Blue’
Son of the Velvet Rat – ‘Dorado’
Blair Crimmins – ‘You Gotta Sell Something’
The Gibson Brothers – “In The Ground”

February 24th –
Curtis McMurtry – ‘The Hornet’s Nest’
Rhiannon Giddens – ‘Freedom Highway’
Old 97s – ‘Graveyard Whistling’
Scott H. Biram – “The Bad Testament”
Shinyribs – “I Got Your Medicine”
Aaron Watson – “Vaquero”

March 3rd –
Grandaddy – ‘Last Place’
Beth Bombara – ‘Map With No Direction ‘

March 10th –
Sunny Sweeney – “Trophy’
Pieta Brown – “Postcards”

March 24th –
Jessi Colter – ‘The Psalms’
Samantha Crain – ‘You Had Me At Goodbye’

March 31st –
Rodney Crowell – ‘Close Ties”
David Olney – “Don’t Try To Fight It”
Dead Soldiers – “The Great Emptiness”
Shoddy Blacktooth — “Don’t Forget To Die”

April 7th
Malcolm Holcombe – ‘Pretty Little Troubles’
Andrew Combs – “Canyons Of My Mind”

April 14th
Evening Darling – “Evening Darling’

April 21st –
Angaleena Presley – ‘Wrangled’

May 5th
Chris Stapleton – ‘From a Room: Volume 1’

May 19th
Builders and the Butchers – ‘The Spark’
Pokey LaFarge – ‘Manic Revelations’
Tom Russell – ‘Play One More: The Songs Of Ian And Sylvia’

May 26th
Justin Townes Earle – ‘Kids in the Street’

June 2nd –
Bobby Osborne – ‘Original’

June 9th –
The Secret Sisters – ‘You Don’t Own Me Anymore’
Shannon McNally – ‘Black Irish’

June 16th –
Sammy Brue – ‘I Am Nice’

June 23rd –
The Deslondes – ‘Hurry Home’
Slaid Cleaves – ‘Ghost on the Car Radio’

July 7th –
Randall Bramblett – ‘Juke Joint At The Edge Of The World’

July 14th –
Cale Tyson – ‘Careless Soul’

July 21st –
Whiskey Shivers – ‘Some Part of Something”

August 4th
Tyler Childers – ‘Purgatory’

August 18th
Loretta Lynn – ‘Wouldn’t It Be Great’ POSTPONED
Ray Wylie Hubbard – ‘Tell the Devil I’m Getting There as Fast as I Can’

September 8th
Caroline Reese – ‘Two Horses’ EP

September 15th
Willie Watson – ‘Folksinger Vol. 2’
The Lone Bellow – ‘Walk Into A Storm’

September 22nd
Steve Martin & Steep Canyon Rangers – “The Long-Awaited Album”
Billy Strings – ‘Turmoil & Tinfoil’

September 29th
Anna Tivel – “Small Believer”

October 6th
Whitney Rose – ‘Rule 62’
JD McPherson – ‘Undivided Heart and Soul’
Becca Mancari – ‘Good Woman’

October 13th
Hellbound Glory – ‘Pinball’
Caleb Cladry – ‘Invincible Things’

October 16th
Gill Landry – ‘Love Rides A Dark Horse’

October 20th
Turnpike Troubadours – ‘A Long Way From Your Heart’
Dori Freeman – ‘Letters Never Read’

October 27th
Lee Ann Womack – ‘The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone’
Ronnie Fauss – ‘Last of the True’
The Wailin’ Jennys – ‘Fifteen’
The Deep Dark Woods – ‘Yarrow’

October 31st
Year of October – ‘Trouble Comes’

November 3rd
Samantha Fish – ‘Belle of the West’
Anna St. Louis – “First Songs’
Scott Miller – ‘Ladies Auxiliary’

November 17th
Mavis Staples – ‘If All I Was Was Black’

December
Chris Stapleton – ‘From a Room: Volume 2’

December 8th
Robert Ellis and Courtney Hartman – ‘Dear John’

Anticipated Americana Albums That Will Help 2017 Not Suck

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Dead Man Winter – ‘Furnace’ (Gndwire Records) – January 27
Minnesota singer/songwriter Dave Simonett takes from fronting the prog-grass Trampled By Turtles to release a set of deeply personal folk-pop songs traveling The emotional terrain scarred by divorce and the subsequent fracturing of his family.

Valerie June – ‘The Order of Time’ (Concord Records) – January 27
Following her 2013 breakout release, ‘Pushin’ Against a Stone’ that showered her with accolades from the New York Times and NPR, ‘The Order of Time’ has the Tennessee-bred singer/songwriter weaving folk, blues, Afro-rhythms and trip-hop atmosphere into a reflection on family, love and the nature of time. Produced by Matt Marinelli (Beck, Bad Brains), The Order of Time includes twelve original songs and features piano accompaniment from Norah Jones on three tracks and vocals from June’s late father and brothers on “Shake Down.”

Kasey Chambers – ‘Dragonfly’ – (Sugar Hill) – January ?
The 11th studio album by iconic Australian country/roots singer-songwriter Kasey Chambers will be released as a two disc set. The first, The ‘Sing Sing Sessions’ is produced by Paul Kelly. The second, ‘The Foggy Bottom Sessions’ is produced by Nash Chambers, Kasey’s brother. The release will feature ‘If We Had A Child,’ a duet with fellow Aussie and longtime friend Keith Urban and the previously released smoky liberation ballad ‘ Ain’t No Little Girl.”

Rose Cousins – ‘Natural Conclusion – (Old Farm Pony) – February 3
This collaboration with local Halifax artists and producer Joe Henry has Cousins crafting songs similar to early Patty Griffin and fellow Canadian Kathleen Edwards. The sparse economy of her folk songs belie their turbulent core.

Gurf Morlix – ‘The Soul & The Heal (Rootball Records) – February 3
Austin-based roots music legend Gurf Morlix has made a name for himself by working with roots artists like Blaze Foley, Robert Earle Keen, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Lucinda Williams. He’s also renowned for his extraordinary solo work and live performances. Morlix will release his self-produced 10th studio album, ‘The Soul & The Heal on his own Rootball Records in February and, given his attention to detail and feel for a great song, it’s sure to be a must-have.

Son Volt – ‘Notes of Blue’ (Transmit Sound) – February 17
Veteran Jay Farrar has built a legacy working within the alt.country territory he helped found with Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn when Uncle Tupelo formed in St. Luis. Now he steers his roots vehicle, Son Volt, toward the blues, the cousin genre following in the footsteps of other roots royalty like Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams.

Nikki Lane – ‘Highway Queen’ – (New West) – February 17
One of the few women that fit the stylistically daring and business savvy mode established by Willie and Waylon, Nikki Lane takes the co-production helm (along with Texas’ Jonathan Tyler) on her upcoming 10-track ‘Highway Queen’ that’s sure to brim with her personal stock of twangy grit and slinky 70’s inspired pop.

Old 97s – ‘Graveyard Whistling’ – (ATO Records) – February 24
Few bands have carried the alt.country flag so skillfully (and with such fun!) as Dallas’ own Old 97s. For decades the original band of hombres, guitar-slinger Ken Bethea, bassist Murry Hammond, and drummer Philip Peeples and front man extraordinaire Rhett Miller, will showcase their brand of rowdy style of melody wrangling When they release their anticipated 11th album.

Sunny Sweeney – “Trophy’ – (Thirty Tigers) – March 10
Texas’ own Sunny Sweeney looks to producer Dave Brainard, the man at the helm behind Brandy Clark’s breakout debut ’12 Stories,’ for her fourth release. Many of the songs are co-written by Sweeney along other pros like Lori McKenna. Look for a mix of personal introspection and barroom serenades.

Chris Stapleton – TBA ( Mercury Nashville) TBA
Two years is the time that labels like to pass before releasing another album and given the success of Stapleton’s debut ‘Traveler ‘ this is probably the year we’ll see a new erase from his label Murcury Nashville. One of the cuts possibly to be featured on this yet-to-be announced release is ‘Broken Halos,’ an unreleased song Stapleton debuted last month on Dolly Parton’s telethon to benefit victims of Tennessee wildfires.

https://youtu.be/y_Dhgro8ri8

The Secret Sisters – TBA ( Mercury Nashville) TBA
The third full-length by roots singer-songwriting siblings Laura and Lydia Rogers will be produced by Brandi Carlile and the Hanseroth twins. Look for this splendid release in the Spring.

Jason Isbell- TBA- TBA

Cream of the Crop – Twang Nation Top Americana and Roots Music Picks of 2016

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Cream of the Crop – Twang Nation Top Americana and Roots Music Picks of 2015

The year in music for 2016 is best defined by the classic Dickensian line from “A Tale of Two Cities,” “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

Mortality cut a wide swath across some of the greatest and influential musicians of the twentieth century. Roots and country artists like Merle Haggard, Guy Clark, Ralph Stanley, Leon Russell, Jean Shepard, Glenn Frey, Red Simpson, Joey Feek and Steve Young among other greats like Prince, Sharon Jones, David Bowie and Leonard Cohen seemed harshly unrelenting. This level of loss will be felt in our cultural fabric in ways we’ve yet to understand.

To quote the late, great George Jones “Who’s gonna fill their shoes?”

Let’s hope that those passed legends shine as a beacon to the next generations to create great work that ties us together in song, music and common humanity. From what I know about 2017 I do see greatness coming.

But there was a silver lining. The influence of roots music in mainstream and, in a cultural equivalent of time folding in on itself, mainstream country music. This trend of influence occurs without Americana surrendering its identity of innovation and authenticity. To some artists, the genre was found too constricting and they lit out for another terrain better suited to their art.

And here’s to a more equitable arrangement between tech companies and the musicians that provide the bedrock to build their empires. Much to be done here…

As others sacrifice to create, let’s us, the audience, push ourselves to discover, share, attend live shows and financially reward the creators. Most which are hauling thier own gear and traveling to shows in cars or vans not tour buses.

Without them, this life is much less joyful.

Criteria – Calendar year 2016. No EPs, live, covers or re-release albums no matter how awesome.
Don’t see your favorite represented? Leave it in the comments, and here’s to a new year of Twang.

Matt Woods – ‘How to Survive’ – (iTunes | Amazon) – Tennessee troubadour Matt Wood’s third studio album ‘How to Survive’ offers taut songwriting that cuts to the emotional quick. Not an overtly political album but something more effective in sowing understanding – a topical album.

Paul Cauthen – ‘My Gospel’ – (iTunes | Amazon)
Paul Cauthen’s ‘My Gospel’ takes a page from the book of Paycheck and Waylon, a mix of juke box secular and pulpit gospel songs both personal and ethereal confessionals. These testimonials through Cauthen’s big baritone that suits these sonic vignettes of contemporary southern soul.

Brent Cobb – ‘Shine On Rainy Day’ – (iTunes | Amazon) Like Chris Stapleton and Kacey Musgraves Brent Cobb worked the Music Row ear worm mines for years before moving front and center with his own wares. Those dues paid off. His debut is both breezy and heavy like the great music of the country crossovers from the 70s but fresh with life and rich with authenticity and tradition.

Darling West – ‘Vinyl and Heartache’ – (iTunes | Amazon) The Norwegian trio Darling West takes their smooth pop chamber folk aesthetic to a new high on their sophomore release ‘Vinyl and Heartache.’ Mari Sandvær Kreken’s voice transcends each original cut, and a superb cover of Fleetwod Mac’s ‘The Chain,” to take the extraordinary musicianship even higher.

Karen Jonas – ‘Country Songs’ – (iTunes | Amazon) All you need to know about Fredericksburg, Virginia-based Karen Jonas’ is right there in the title. ‘Country Songs’ picks up where Jonas’ 2014 debut ‘Oklahoma Lottery’ left us – somewhere between heartache and hangover. Her voice lies between sass and sultry as Jonas’ accounts a woman longing for more and being fed up. All the while fitting perfectly with classic barroom weepers without resorting to threadbare nostalgia.

The Buffalo Ruckus – ‘Peace & Cornbread’ – (iTunes | Amazon) The Buffalo Ruckus’ sophomore album ‘Peace & Cornbread’ still embodies the soul of all those barrooms the band has torched with their fiery live shows but brings the more feral elements to heel that pays off with cohesion and great songwriting. Here divinity mixes with road tar to create a great Southern soul album

Dori Freeman – ‘Dori Freeman’ – (iTunes | Amazon) One of the surprises of 2016, Freeman’s debut exudes the confidence of a veteran performer and songwriter influenced equally by her native Appalachia as she is classic pop, bar room country and uptown jazz and moves deftly across it all to deliver an astounding cohesive treasure.

Kelsey Waldon – ‘I’ve Got a Way’ – (iTunes | Amazon) Kelsey Waldon’s sophomore release has vulnerable resolve and classic country running through it like the coal veins in her home state of Kentucky. And just as bracing and satisfying as it’s bourbon. Her plaintive voice and keen eye for human nature makes for these sterling tales of hard roads and tender hearts.

Austin Lucas – ‘Between the Moon & the Midwest’ – (iTunes | Amazon) Austin Lucas’ latest release is a moody, pedal steel laden arc traveling among broken hearts and bitter tears. His signature croon sits between jubilant and forlorn and bears the marks of a man that’s been through trouble but comes out the other side stronger and with better stories.

Whiskey Myers – ‘Mud’ – (iTunes | Amazon)
Few musical genres are as maligned as Southern Rock. But then a band comes all with an album that makes you believe again. Whiskey Myers’ ‘Mud’ is that album. The band worked with Americana Auber-producer Dave Cobb to create an album that pushes lyrical and music boundaries established by their 2014 breakout release ‘Early Morning Shakes.’ The pride of Palestine, Texas mixes country, rock and blue-eyed soul to achieve one of their strongest efforts yet.

Robert Ellis – ‘Robert Ellis’ – (iTunes | Amazon) On Robert Ellis’ fourth solo album, the Texas songwriter further moves from the school of George Jones country crooning even further into the adult pop of James Taylor and Paul Simon, and tackles adult themes of despair, restlessness and loss of love. A disciple of music styleS and texture, as well as songcraft and extraordinary fret work, Ellis delves into Chet Atkin’s jazz-flavored country (Drivin), bossa nova (Amanda Jane) and even a neo-classical dirge (The High Road) and ties. It shouldn’t work but damned if Ellis doesn’t pull it off.

Hayes Carll – ‘Lovers and Leavers’ – (iTunes | Amazon) Carll’s latest suggests his 5-year recording hiatus has been a rough if introspective stretch. ‘Lovers and Leavers’ is Carll’s solemn of his career without tipping into being a dour bumfest. These days there’s more on Carll’s mind than drinking, hootin’ and ahollerin’. This is an authentically more personal, emotional and confessional work that moves Carll into the realm of Guy Clarkian genius.

Margo Price – ‘Midwest Farmer’s Daughter’ – (iTunes | Amazon) An overnight success 13 years in the making, Jack White saw something in Margo Price that Music Row didn’t when he signed her as the first country artist on his Third Man Records label. Life’s harsh beauty pours from each song and common resolve is there with grace. Stuff too real for Music Row confections. Price sits well within a current musical groundswell proving that soulful roots music has an audience hungry for something real and is here to stay.

Lori McKenna – ‘The Bird & The Rifle’ – (iTunes | Amazon)
‘The Bird & The Rifle’ – When she’s not penning mega hits for the likes of Tim McGraw and Little Big Town, Lori McKenna puts her considerable songwriting skills to weightier faire like her latest, ‘The Bird & The Rifle.’ Intimate stories of small town hopes hitting the hard choices and their unforeseen consequences. We see ourselves in gems like “Halfway Home” and “We Were Cool” and brings more dimension to McKenna’s own “Humble and Kind” which was a hit for McGraw. These songs create a web that ties our experiences together in common humanity.

Sarah Jarosz -“Undercurrent” – (iTunes | Amazon) Jarosz’s 4th full-length studio album surprised many fans who’ve been listening since 2009’s debut ‘Song Up in Her Head.’ The then teen wunderkind has built on her time in the bluegrass genre and arrived an accomplished arranger, songwriter, singer and musician. Traditional forms are reworked as contemporary personal reflections of maturity and sophistication. experimental pop fuse with classic songwriters like Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell and Carol King.

B.J. Barham – ‘Rockingham’ – (iTunes | Amazon) Inverting the country contemporary music trope of quaint small town nostalgia American Aquarium vocalist B.J. Barham focuses his deft songwriting eye on the gutting of the small town American dream. The album title, Rockingham, is the North Carolina, a town of a few thousand where Barham was raised, is the starkly real and metaphor for many forgotten towns. Steely-eyed truth sketches each hardscrabble scenario where desperation lingers thick in the air like the funk from the local tobacco company.

Robbie Fulks – ‘Upland Stories’ – iTunes | Amazon) Fulks is the unheralded hardcore alt-country troubadour. Though not as well known as Steve Earle or Chis Knight for decades Fulks is the guy the Earle and Knight would listen to closely for economy of songcraft and rich imagery. his newest offering is grammy nominated and might rightly put him at the top of Americana legends lists. Appalachian break downs and honky-tonk weepers driven by his voice that echos the ages makes this a glorious addition to the roots music canon.

Miranda Lambert – “The Weight of These Wings” – (iTunes | Amazon) Break-up albums are a mixed bag. When done well, as with Beck’s ‘Sea Change’ and Willie Nelson’s ‘Phases and Stages,’ the work can become an iconic confessional moment in a profession that trades on personal reflection. Miranda Lambert’s double album ‘The Weight Of These Wings,’ split into two sides — The Nerve and The Heart, written in the wake of her tabloid fodder divorce from Blake Shelton shows Lambert taking a step back and licking her wounds with songcraft instead of chasing chart toppers. This is a 24-song thesis on survival, healing and returning back to Texas roots.

John Paul White – ‘Beulah’ – Out of the ashes of one of the most celebrated pop-folk duets of modern times rises a forlorn beautifully crafted from folk, classic country and adult pop. An album that is both rich lyrically and melodically. John Paul’s post Civil Wars is a moody beauty with keen songwriting sharper and more cohesive than his CW days. Sparse arrangements- B3 organ, cello, drums, bass and the ever present acoustic guitar – build a fitting texture to frame the songs. Harmony is not forgotten with the Secret Sisters lending a subdued vocal hand on songs like the country weeper “I’ve Been Over This Before.” This gets better with each spin

Old 97’s New Album ‘Graveyard Whistling’ Out In February – Hear “Good With God” feat. Brandi Carlile

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OLD 97’s NEW ALBUM ‘GRAVEYARD WHISTLING’

North Texas alt.country stalwarts the Old 97’s have announced their 11th album, ‘Graveyard Whistling’ will be released February 24th with a tour to follow.

“Good With God” is the first cut from ‘Graveyard Whistling,’ a spaghetti western spiked slab of menace that has front man Rhett Miller pleading a sinner’s case of repentance (or at least resignation.)

But God is more Old Testament minded (‘You should be scared, I’m not so nice”) . With Brandi Carlile playing the divine role her distorted siren wail berates (You’re pretty thick so I’ll tell you twice.”) and threatens (‘I made you up, I’ll break you down.”) the prostrate protagonist. The story is moved forward at breakneck speed by the intact classic lineup of Philip Peeples, Murry Hammond and Ken Bethea.

‘Graveyard Whistling’ is produced by Vance Powell (Black Prairie, Buddy Guy) and features co-writers Nicole Atkins and Butch Walker.

Produced by Vance Powell, “Graveyard Whistling” also features help from co-writers like Nicole Atkins and Butch Walker, making it one of the most collaborative albums in the band’s catalog. Some habits never die, though, and the band will be supporting the album’s release as they’ve supported every record before it: with a lengthy spring tour that stretches from the Florida coastline to Southern California.

Pre-order “Graveyard Whisling” here.

Watch the animated lyric video for “Good With God” below.

Old 97’s’ tour dates:
February 25 – Ponte Vedra, FL @ Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
February 26 – March 1 – Tampa, FL @ Outlaw Country Cruise
March 2 – St. Petersburg, FL @ The State Theatre
March 3 – Tallahassee, FL @ Fifth & Thomas
March 4 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
March 21 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
March 22 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
March 23 – Eugene, OR @ Wow Hall
March 24 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
March 25 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ The Fremont Theater
March 29 – Hermosa Beach, CA @ Saint Rocke
March 30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
March 31 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
April 1 – Big Bear Lake, CA @ The Cave Big Bear
April 2 – Las Vegas, NV @ Vinyl
April 5 – Scottsdale, AZ @ Livewire
April 6 – Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Brewing Company
April 7 – Lubbock, TX @ The Blue Light

2016 Grammy Awards Nominees : Sturgill Simpson , Bob Dylan, Loretta Lynn – Margo Price Snubbed

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Nominations for the 2016 Grammy Awards have wee announced with the usual fanfare and one big surprise. let’s get the big one out of the way first, Reluctant outlaw country revisionist Sturgill Simpson might very well be on his way to achieving ‘the biggest country star on this planet‘ status by joining the glitterati ranks shared with Beyoncé, Drake, Justin Bieber, and Adele as nominees for the Album of the Year. there hasn’t been this much attention on the Grammy nominee announcements since Chorney-gate. This would seem improbable except that so many extraordinary things have happened since Simpson’s psychedelic-roots-soul epic ‘A Sailor’s Guide to Earth’ that it’s hard not to believe that it’s not all part of some master plan.

If Sturgill wins I dare Kanye to climb the stage to contest the decision.

Then there was the nomination of Simpson’s least country album for Best Country Album. But I’ve given on trying to read the recording academy mind a long time ago.

Other surprising nominations include Bob Dylan’s ‘Fallen Angels’ for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, Robbie Fulks’s ‘Upland Stories’ and Sierra Hull’s ‘Weighted Mind’ for Best Folk Album, and Loretta Lynn’s ‘Full Circle’ for Best County Album.

Lori McKenna is up for 4 Grammys including Tim McGraw’s ‘Humble And Kind’ for Best Country Song and Best American Roots Performance, Best American Roots Song and Best Americana Album and for her latest solo Dave Cobb – produced effort ‘The Bird & The Rifle.’

The biggest snub was against the only other person to garner almost as much ink as Sturgill Simpson. Margo Price was criminally overlooked by the recording academy for her splendid debut ‘ Midwest Farmer’s Daughter.’
And no love was shown for multiple Grammy-winning ex-Civil War John Paul White for his excellent solo offering ‘Beulah.’

And no Wheeler Walker Jr for best comedy Album? C’mon now!

What are your thoughts on the Grammy noms this year? What did they miss? Let me in know the comments.

The 59th Annual Grammy Awards air Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017, on CBS.

See the full list of nominees at Grammy.com

Best Country Solo Performance:
Brandy Clark — “Love Can Go to Hell”
Miranda Lambert — “Vice”
Maren Morris — “My Church”
Carrie Underwood — “Church Bells”
Keith Urban — “Blue Ain’t Your Color”

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:
Andrea Bocelli — ‘Cinema’
Bob Dylan — ‘Fallen Angels’
Josh Groban — ‘Stages Live’
Willie Nelson — ‘Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin’
Barbra Streisand — ‘Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway’

Best Roots Gospel Album:
Gaither Vocal Band — ‘Better Together’
The Isaacs — ‘Nature’s Symphony In 432’
Joey+Rory — ‘Hymns’
Gordon Mote — ‘Hymns and Songs of Inspiration’
Various Artists — ‘God Don’t Never Change: The Songs of Blind Willie Johnson’

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:
Dierks Bentley Featuring Elle King — “Different for Girls”
Brothers Osborne — “21 Summer”
Kenny Chesney & P!nk – “Setting The World On Fire”
Pentatonix Featuring Dolly Parton — “Jolene”
Chris Young With Cassadee Pope — “Think Of You”

Best Country Song: (awarded to songwriters)
Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey & Steven Lee Olsen, songwriters (Keith Urban) — “Blue Ain’t Your Color”
Sean Douglas, Thomas Rhett & Joe Spargur, songwriters (Thomas Rhett) — “Die A Happy Man”
Lori McKenna, songwriter (Tim McGraw) — “Humble and Kind”
busbee & Maren Morris, songwriters (Maren Morris) — “My Church”
Miranda Lambert, Shane McAnally & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Miranda Lambert) — “Vice”

Best Country Album:
Brandy Clark — ‘Big Day In A Small Town’
Loretta Lynn — ‘Full Circle’
Maren Morris — ‘Hero’
Sturgill Simpson — ‘A Sailor’s Guide To Earth’
Keith Urban — ‘Ripcord’

Best American Roots Performance:
The Avett Brothers — “Ain’t No Man”
Blind Boys Of Alabama — “Mother’s Children Have A Hard Time”
Rhiannon Giddens — “Factory Girl”
Sarah Jarosz — “House Of Mercy”
Lori McKenna — “Wreck You”

Best American Roots Song: (awarded to songwriters)
Robbie Fulks, songwriter (Robbie Fulks) — “Alabama At Night”
Jack White, songwriter (Jack White) — “City Lights”
Eric Adcock & Roddie Romero, songwriters (Roddie Romero And The Hub City All-Stars) — “Gulfstream”
Vince Gill, songwriter (The Time Jumpers) — “Kid Sister”
Lori McKenna & Felix McTeigue, songwriters (Lori McKenna) — “Wreck You”

Best Americana Album:
The Avett Brothers — ‘True Sadness’
William Bell — ‘This Is Where I Live’
Kris Kristofferson — ‘The Cedar Creek Sessions’
Lori McKenna — ‘The Bird & The Rifle’
The Time Jumpers — ‘Kid Sister’

Best Bluegrass Album:
Blue Highway — ‘Original Traditional’
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver — Burden Bearer
Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands — ‘The Hazel Sessions’
Claire Lynch — ‘North And South’
O’Connor Band With Mark O’Connor — ‘Coming Home’

Best Folk Album:
Judy Collins & Ari Hest — ‘Silver Skies Blue’
Robbie Fulks — ‘Upland Stories’
Rhiannon Giddens — ‘Factory Girl’
Sierra Hull — ‘Weighted Mind’
Sarah Jarosz — ‘Undercurrent’

Best Regional Roots Music Album:
Barry Jean Ancelet & Sam Broussard — ‘Broken Promised Land’
Northern Cree — ‘It’s A Cree Thing’
Kalani Pe’a — ‘E ‘Walea
’
Roddie Romero And The Hub City All-Stars — ‘Gulfstream’
Various Artists — ‘I Wanna Sing Right: Rediscovering Lomax In The Evangeline Country’

Best Album Notes
The Complete Monument & Columbia Albums Collection – Mikal Gilmore, album notes writer (Kris Kristofferson)
Label: Legacy Recordings
The Knoxville Sessions, 1929-1930: Knox County Stomp – Ted Olson & Tony Russell, album notes writers (Various Artists)
Label: Bear Family Productions Ltd.
Ork Records: New York, New York
Rob Sevier & Ken Shipley, album notes writers (Various Artists)
Label: The Numero Group
Sissle And Blake Sing Shuffle Along- Ken Bloom & Richard Carlin, album notes writers (Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle)
Label: Harbinger Records/The Musical Theater Project
Waxing The Gospel: Mass Evangelism & The Phonograph, 1890-1900- Richard Martin, album notes writer (Various Artists)

Best Historical Album:
The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series, Vol.12 (Collector’s Edition)
Steve Berkowitz & Jeff Rosen, compilation producers; Mark Wilder, mastering engineer (Bob Dylan)
Label: Columbia/Legacy
Music Of Morocco From The Library Of Congress: Recorded By Paul Bowles, 1959
April G. Ledbetter, Steven Lance Ledbetter, Bill Nowlin & Philip D. Schuyler, compilation producers; Rick Fisher & Michael Graves, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
Label: Dust-To-Digital
Ork Records: New York, New York
Rob Sevier & Ken Shipley, compilation producers; Jeff Lipton & Maria Rice, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
Label: The Numero Group
Vladimir Horowitz: The Unreleased Live Recordings 1966-1983
Bernard Horowitz, Andreas K. Meyer & Robert Russ, compilation producers; Andreas K. Meyer & Jeanne Montalvo, mastering engineers (Vladimir Horowitz)
Label: Sony Classical
Waxing The Gospel: Mass Evangelism & The Phonograph, 1890-1900
Michael Devecka, Meagan Hennessey & Richard Martin, compilation producers; Michael Devecka, David Giovannoni, Michael Khanchalian & Richard Martin, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
Label: Archeophone Records

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Are You Serious
Tchad Blake & David Boucher, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Andrew Bird)
Label: Loma Vista Recordings
Blackstar
David Bowie, Tom Elmhirst, Kevin Killen & Tony Visconti, engineers; Joe LaPorta, mastering engineer (David Bowie)
Label: ISO/Columbia Records
Dig In Deep
Ryan Freeland, engineer; Kim Rosen, mastering engineer (Bonnie Raitt)
Label: Redwing Records
Hit N Run Phase Two
Booker T., Dylan Dresdow, Chris James, Prince & Justin Stanley, engineers; Dylan Dresdow, mastering engineer (Prince)
Label: NPG Records
Undercurrent
Shani Gandhi & Gary Paczosa, engineers; Paul Blakemore, mastering engineer (Sarah Jarosz)
Label: Sugar Hill Records

Son Volt To Release Eighth Studio New Album ‘Notes Of Blue’ February 17

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Son Volt - 'Notes Of Blue'

stalwart alt.country pioneers Son Volt will release a new album ‘Notes Of Blue’ on February 17 on the Thirty Tigers label. ‘Notes Of Blue’ will be thw follow-up o he 2013’s acclaimed ‘Honky Tonk.’

The 10 songs on Notes Of Blue are inspired by the spirit of the blues, but not the standard blues as most know it. The unique and haunting tunings of Mississippi Fred McDowell, Skip James and Nick Drake were all points of exploration for Farrar for the new collection. The album opens with the country soul of “Promise The World”, followed by “Back Against The Wall”, a song that could stand alongside the great Son Volt songs of their early albums. However, ‘Notes Of Blue’ reflects the blues as it resides in the folk tradition, but heavily amplified. The primal stomp of “Cherokee St.”, the frenetic guitar on “Static” and the raw slide in “Sinking Down” exude grit and attitude. Conversely, tracks such as “The Storm” and “Cairo and Southern” seamlessly meld blues with hypnotic melodies that add a unique balance to ‘Notes Of Blue.’

Founder Jay Farrar possesses one of the most distinctive voices in roots, rock, country or any genre. He exudes a soulful longing combined with a wise-beyond-his-years command that is as arresting and compelling as ever. As a songwriter, Farrar’s depth and poetic penchant has been the foundation of a thoughtful, deep and intelligent body of work. Both attributes are on full display on Notes Of Blue, as he touches on themes of redemption and the common struggle, both of which are at the core of the blues.

‘Notes of Blue’ will be available to pre-order via the Son Volt website November 29th. The group will announce upcoming live dates in support of the album That same day, while tickets are scheduled to go on sale December 2nd.

Whether you call it alt.country, Americana, roots rock, insurgent country or just good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll anytime Son Volt releases a new album it’s cause for celebration.