Category Archives: New Releases

Listen Up! Waylon Jennings – Songbird (2025)

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Even though Waylon Jennings’ latest posthumous release ‘Songbird’ spans 1973 to 1984, his voice is vivid and raw throughout. Shooter Jennings resists temptation to “smooth over” imperfections, allowing his grit and phrasing to shine. Shooter Jennings and engineer Nate Haessly leaned analog, mixing on vintage gear to preserve an organic feel. The occasional overdubs come from surviving members of The Waylors and guest vocalists, but it’s generally restrained and respectful to the original tapes.

Compiled and mixed by Shooter Jennings at Hollywood, CA’s hallowed Sunset Sound Studio 3, Songbird collects recordings produced in various studios by Waylon Jennings and his longtime drummer and co-producer Richie Albright, featuring members of his indelible backing band, The Waylors, including Albright and renowned pedal steel guitarist Ralph Mooney, along with such special guests as Tony Joe White, Jessi Colter, and more. Jennings’ reinterpretation of Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird” is a standout. It imbues the gentle original with honky-tonk steel, strong back-beat, and an emotional delivery. The addition of Elizabeth Cook and Ashley Monroe on backing vocals gives it a delicate lift without crowding out Jennings’ growl.

— 4 of 5 stars —

Listen Up – Sunny Sweeney – ‘Rhinestone Requiem’

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Sunny Sweeney’s Rhinestone Requiem is a finely wrought, emotionally grounded return to honky-tonk and classic country roots. Drawing on co-production with longtime collaborator Harley Husbands, the album’s ten tracks balance grit and grace: bold storytelling (“Diamonds and Divorce Decrees”), wistful reflection (“Houston Belongs To Me”), spirited anthems (“As Long as There’s a Honky Tonk”) and a closing waltz (“Half Lit in ¾ Time”).

Sweeney’s voice is unvarnished and honest, and her songwriting leans into lived highs and lows without resorting to clichés. Though the production occasionally borders on polished, it never overshadows the core: real stories, real heart, real country.

4 of 5 stars

Listen Up – Caroline Spence’s *Heart Go Wild’ (2025)

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*Heart Go Wild* is Spence’s fifth studio album, released August 29, 2025. It arrives after *True North* (2022), a record that leaned into vulnerability and emotional introspection. Since then, Spence has entered several new life phases: marriage, motherhood, and a period of creative recalibration. She describes ‘Heart Go Wild’ as giving herself “permission … to stay vulnerable and unfiltered … to stay in that wildness.the co-produced the album alongside Mark Campbell and Peter Groenwald, and the record is structured with 12 tracks.

Given Spence’s consistent track record for lyrical clarity and emotional candor, expectations were high: could she deepen her voice while also expanding her sonic palette? In many ways, *Heart Go Wild* succeeds.

One of Spence’s stronge’ leaned more toward introspection and quiet landscapes, ‘Heart Go Wild’ invites more movement — musically and thematically. Yet Spence never abandons what feels essential to her: clear melodies, expressive vocals, and lyric-driven storytelling.

“Effortless” (is a stand-out. The lyric is about “not settling” and trusting timing — a theme that seems to echo Spence’s artistic journey. The melody is graceful, the instrumentation supportive rather than showy, and the overall posture is one of quiet confidence. The album benefits from production that rarely gets in the way of the songs. Campbell, Groenwald, and Spence are careful to not over-embellish; arrangements often allow space for voice and lyric. In a few places, textures step in (strings, subtle percussion, atmospheric touches), but never in a way that distracts. The production feels like it serves the emotional arc of the record. The tracklist shows Spence working in multiple shades: from more immediate or mid-tempo songs to quiet ballads. She avoids monotony by varying pacing, instrumentation, and vocal dynamics. The title track “Heart Go Wild,” “Confront It,” and more playful songs like “Fun at Parties” offer contrast.

Standout Tracks
* “Effortless” — As noted, sharp in message and melody; a strong introduction to the record’s tone.
* “Soft Animal” — Echoes the more delicate side of Spence’s writing, offering vulnerability wrapped in subtle musical texture.
* Title Track, “Heart Go Wild”** — Acts as a thematic anchor.
* “Confront It” — Opens the album; sets up a tension-spill that gives shape to what follows.
* “Fun at Parties” — Provides contrast, lighter energy in a mostly introspective set.

Overall Take

*Heart Go Wild* is a mature, earnest, and quietly ambitious record. It doesn’t aim for bombast — instead, it leans into gentler evolution. For longtime fans, it feels like a natural next step, deepening rather than veering off course. For newcomers, it offers a compelling entry into Spence’s world: singer-songwriter grounded in emotion, with a voice that holds both fragility and resolve.

It may not always surprise you, but it will stay with you — in the spaces between the lines and the breath before her voice returns. And that feels exactly what Spence intended.

Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Great Lake Swimmers ‘Return with Caught Light’ — Out October 10, 2025

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Few bands capture the quiet beauty of the Canadian landscape like Great Lake Swimmers. Led by songwriter Tony Dekker, the Southern Ontario indie-folk collective has built a reputation over two decades for crafting music that feels both timeless and deeply rooted in place. With their signature blend of acoustic instruments, rural soundscapes, and wistful vocals, the band first gained attention in the early 2000s with a run of atmospheric records often recorded in unusual, resonant spaces — from old grain silos to country churches.

That sense of pastoral intimacy has carried through their career, with live performances often described as homespun yet lush, a kind of Americana by way of the Canadian wilds.

Now, Great Lake Swimmers are entering a new chapter with their upcoming album, Caught Light, due out October 10, 2025. Recorded in just five days in Ontario’s Ganaraska Forest, the album finds Dekker and his collaborators leaning into a more direct and instinctive sound. Working alongside producer Darcy Yates (Bahamas) and engineer Jimmy Bowskill (Blue Rodeo), the group tapped into the immediacy and warmth of early ’70s folk-pop, while retaining the reflective spirit that has long defined their music.

If their earlier albums were shaped by reverberating walls and sacred stillness, Caught Light feels alive with motion and breath — a snapshot of a band reconnecting with instinct and intuition. For long-time fans, it promises both familiarity and surprise: the atmospheric textures are still there, but Dekker’s songwriting carries a newfound spontaneity, a sense of being fully present in the moment.

With Caught Light, Great Lake Swimmers remind us why they’ve remained one of the most compelling voices in indie-folk: songs that glow with intimacy, yet echo across landscapes.

George Strait Announces New Album + A Song with Chris Stapleton

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At the George Strait show at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis Saturday night (5/4) Strait not only confirmed a new album is on the way, he also debuted two new songs from it, including a cut with Chris Stapleton entitled “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame.”.

Strait said during the concert that, “We’ve got a new record that’s called ‘Cowboys and Dreamers. It’s gonna be coming out soon.” (See below)

So Strait fans, it looks like the cowboy won’t be riding away anytime soon, and thank goodness.

Listen up: Madeline Hawthorne – “Where Did I Go Wrong” (Single Review)

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Photo Credit: Dan Bradner
Photo Credit: Dan Bradner

Hawthorne says she’s happily married and I’ll take her word for it.

But she’s done a dang good job portraying a troubled woman. Sure her newest cut, “Where Did I Go Wrong,” marks off many country music cliches – a broken heart, sitting in the bar pining on what went wrong – with her Miranda Lambert-belt meets Bonnie Raitt-bluesey swagger she sends the tune into another dimension.

She was obsessed with music since her childhood on the East Coast, Madeline planted roots in Bozeman, MT during college and never turned back. She honed her talents through countless backup and band gigs before going solo amid the Global Pandemic- which put her then band, Hawthorne Roots, on the skids. Balancing Americana, roots, folk, and rock, she introduced herself on the 2021 LP, Boots, co-produced by Brad Parsons and Tyler Thompson in Pittsburgh. In between, she shared the stage with everyone from Jason Isbell, Lukas Nelson, Josh Turner, and Kip Moore to Sierra Hull, John Craigie, and Nathaniel Rateliff.”

Hawthorne’s new album ‘Tales From Late Nights & Long Drives’ (which contains this single) is due out everywhere on June 14 and was produced by the famed Ryan Hadlock (Zach Bryan, The Lumineers, Vance Joy) and recorded at Bear Creek Studios near Seattle, WA.

Official Site | Preorder

Listen Up – Jesse Daniel and Ben Haggard – “Tomorrow’s Good Ol’ Days”

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Austin-based singer/songwriter Jesse Daniel releases the incisive duet “Tomorrow’s Good Ol’ Days” featuring Ben Haggard, son of country legend Merle Haggard.

A stomping piece of social commentary, the track comes from Daniel’s upcoming LP Countin’ The Miles, due out June 7 via Lightning Rod Records. It follows the raucous yet reflective first single “Comin’ Apart At The Seams,” which earned praise from Brooklyn Vegan, Holler, No Depression, Whiskey Riff, Country Central, Twang Nation and more. This month, Daniel will support Blackberry Smoke in Houston, TX before supporting Charles Wesley Godwin on a run of dates in July.

Official Site | Preorder

Son Volt Continue To Inspire And Challenge On Electro Melodier Set For Summer Release

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Son Volt - Electro Melodier

It’s been a couple of years since Alt.country stalwarts Son Volt last release, Union and Jay Farrar and company have not been idle in these pandemic times. Their tenth studio album will be released July 30th and will feature Son Volt’s current lineup of Mark Spencer, Chris Fame, Mark Patterson and Andrew DuPlantis..

The title, Electro Melodier, is taken from the names of two vintage amplifiers from the late ‘40s and early ‘50s, and will feature more intimate and socio-political musings from Farrar, who originally set out to make a nostalgic record that paid tribute to the music of his youth.

“I wanted to concentrate on the melodies which got me into music in the first place,” Farrar said in a statement. “I wanted politics to take a back seat this time, but it always seems to find a way back in there.”

The first cut from Electro Melodier is “Reverie,” (below) a song of hope and sepia memories laced with organ swells and chiming guitar.

Pre-order Electro Melodier.

The follow-up to 2019’s acclaimed release Union, Electro Melodier finds band founder Jay Farrar’s unparalleled songwriting as poignant and intelligent as ever. Electro Melodier touches on the thought-provoking issues that impact us all, including the pandemic, love, and the inevitable passing of time. The current political divide makes its appearance on the album as well. “I wanted to concentrate on the melodies which got me into music in the first place,” says Farrar. “I wanted politics to take a back seat this time, but it always seems to find a way back in there.”

“Livin’ in the USA” echoes protest songs of old, highlighting both the breakdown of our culture and planet. “Share a little truth with your neighbor down the block, We’ve all got fossil fuel lungs while we run out the clock,” Farrar sings. “The Globe” reverberates with the tensions that arise with the fight for equality. “People climbing skyward stairs, Deciders of their fate, You can see it everywhere, Change is in the air…” The sentimental “Diamonds and Cigarettes,” featuring vocals by country singer Laura Cantrell, lovingly pays homage to his wife, while “Lucky Ones” is a weary tale of gratitude.

Electro Melodier features band members Mark Spencer (piano, organ, acoustic slide, lap steel, backing vocals) Andrew DuPlantis (bass, backing vocals), Chris Frame (guitar) Mark Patterson (drums, percussion). Son Volt will take Electro Melodier on the road with select tour date in summer and fall. See below and for tickets go to https://sonvolt.net/.

Farrar started Son Volt in 1994 after leaving the seminal group Uncle Tupelo, whose No Depression album helped define the alt-country and Americana genre. Son Volt’s debut Trace was heavily lauded and remains a defining document of the ’90s alt-country movement. Two decades later, the group continue to decidedly capture the times while breaking new musical ground on Electro Melodier.

Marty Stuart Readies New Acoustic Album ‘Songs I Sing In The Dark’

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The legendary Marty Stuart will soon release ‘Songs I Sing In The Dark,’ an acoustic 20-song album comprised of 20 “Obscure songs, old favorites” as Stuart describes them in the introductory video below, and was recorded just outside of Nashville.

Stuart will be sharing one tune each month alongside a personal statement about the song’s importance, both personally and in the context of country music history of which Stuart is a participant as well as a student. Whether that means that the album will then be formally released after all 20 songs have been shared once per month which would be October 2022 (!) is unknown as I was unable to find an official release date

About ‘Songs I Sing In The Dark,’ the five-time Grammy winner says “The title tells the story. I have a long line of songs that range from obscure, originals, to old favorites from various musical worlds that I often sing to myself when I’m alone,” He continues. “Until recently, I had never formally made a list of all the titles. When I did, I saw in those titles so many great songs that need to be remembered and passed down. There was a mighty congregation of names of profound songwriters whose presence and lyrics are to be cherished. And, looking into those songs I could hear the music of those brilliant musicians, arrangers, and singers who brought those tunes to life, and gave the world reason to love them. In the wake of these revelations, I was inspired to finally go to work on the idea of Songs I Sing in the Dark.”

“I love the restless wisdom in the words, and those words are shadowed by a lonesome melody that is served up from the blue side of town,” says Stuart. “As the pandemic raged on, ‘Ready for the Times to Get Better’ became my personal theme song. I can’t seem to quit playing it. Several months later, I’m still at it. The title proclaims what every soul on planet earth undoubtable feels. It is the perfect country song and I consider it an honor to sing such words.”

Songwriter Allen Reynolds penned the first release “Ready for the Times to Get Better.” The song was originally cut by Crystal Gayle for the 1976 album ‘Crystal,’ and it went on to become a Number One hit for her.

In December of 2020, the Country Music Association announced Stuart would be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in the Modern Era Artist category along with Dean Dillon and Hank Williams Jr.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1AXPIPf7NM

Cream of the Crop – Twang Nation Top Americana and Roots Music Picks of 2020

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Let’s be real, the fact that anything good came out of the hellscape that is 2020 is a miracle.
The worldwide pandemic of COVID-19 left a mark on everyone not least of all the music industry. Many folks faced the daunting inability to earn a living on the road. Unbowed and resourceful they quickly moved to perform streaming shows, sometimes with little more than a smartphone and a prayer, and a virtual tip jar and made the best of it.

That said after 17 years I’ve decided to put the blog on hiatus.I have been battling health issues for some time. Thank those of you that have reached out with words of advice and encouragement.

The roots of this music cannot be denied and have been around longer than most of us have been breathing and will continue, as long as there is a heart broken or somebody with a paycheck looking for a good time, it will be here long after our last breath. And I will be listening and sharing on occasion for those open minded enough that they won’t be forced into a particular ideology to be deemed worthy of wearing some bands t-shirt.

17 yers of discovering records with a hungry and vibrant community, blistering, sweating beer live shows reveled in, the occasional brush with the legitimate music industry that believed a blogger made me some authority (suckers!) tons of friends made and enough memories for 10 lifetimes. Some of you might care less as many times I was on the unpopular side of the mob and was called out publicly instead of engaged with in good faith. Some of you might think this is a bummer. I hear you and wish it were different.

Enough of the kvetching. Below are my list of best albums of 2020. I applaud these artists, in no particular order, looked into the abyss of 2020 and made something beautiful in response. Special shout-out to newcomer Alma Russ. Her amazing instrumental talent and winning trill are the reason I wanted to share new finds with others folks holding lop-sided taste.

Adios and here’s to joyful mongrels.

Baron

Tessy Lou Williams, ‘Tessy Lou Williams’

Katie Pruitt, ‘Expectations’

Alma Russ, “Next Town”

Zephaniah OHora, ‘Listening To The Music’

Colter Wall, ‘Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs’

Charley Crocket, ‘Welcome To Hard Times’

Rachel Brooke, ‘The Loneliness In Me’

John Baumann, ‘Country Shade’

Joshua Ray Walker, ‘Wish You Were Here’

Chris Stapleton, ‘Starting Over’