Country & Folk
With a sound that recalls Country music's acid washed golden era, the '90s influenced band Hot Country Knights has finally revealed more details about their debut album THE K IS SILENT, from Capitol Nashville, available May 1st. Produced by Dierks Bentley, the multi-Platinum entertainer also serves as a co-writer on over half of the 10 brawny tracks, serving up one of the most musically satisfying debut albums since 1999. Standout track "You Make It Hard" best represents their High-T philosophy.
Warner Music Nashville's Gabby Barrett is setting the trend. Recently spotlighted as one ofCMT's Next Women of Country (Class of 2020), a 2020MusicRowNext Big Thing artist, aSiriusXM+PandoraAll-Genre and Country Artist to Watch, Radio Disney's Next Big Thing, andAmazon Music's Weekly One best performing Country female of 2019, she continues to rise through the ranks as "country music's next female superstar" (Country Now). Garnering critical acclaim, Barrett's current single "I Hope" was named one ofRolling Stone Country's "10 Best Country and Americana Songs To Hear Now" and claimed the #1 spot onSiriusXM's The Highway Hot 30 Countdown and onRadio Disney's Country Top 50 chart. "A voice you must hear, " (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Barrett has opened forDierks Bentley, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Toby Keith, Chris Lane, Dustin Lynch, Jake Owen, Bebe Rexha, Cole Swindell, Sugarland, andCarrie Underwood, and will take the stage at mile marker festivals like Stagecoach, Tortuga Music Festival, and Country Jam in 2020. With over 130 MILLION on-demand streams to her credit, Barrett previewed her upcomingRoss Copperman-produced album releasing new song "The Good Ones." The Pennsylvania native began singing in her local gospel choir at nine years old, and performed 136 shows in 2017 alone before rising to national prominence as a Top 3 finalist on ABC'sAmerican Idol.
Award-winning duo Maddie & Tae are drawing praise for their new music “anchored around their stellar vocal pairings and some of the tightest harmonies on Music Row” (Rolling Stone). Maddie & Tae first broke out in 2013 with their brilliant take down of bro-country, “Girl In A Country Song,” which took Country radio by storm, skyrocketing to the top of the charts and quickly going PLATINUM. The duo became only the third female duo in 70 years to top the Country Airplay charts, also earning trophies from the Country Music Academy and Radio Disney Music Awards along with multiple ACM, CMA and CMT Award nominations. Receiving widespread praise from NPR, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, The Washington Post, Glamour and others, country music’s hottest stars including Dierks Bentley, Lee Brice and Brad Paisley have welcomed Maddie & Tae on the road, with Carrie Underwood recently inviting the duo out as direct support on her 2019 The Cry Pretty Tour 360. On April 10th, Maddie & Tae will release new album, "The Way It Feels". CD packaging includes a free poster offer, valid thru 10/1/20.
Steep Canyon Rangers are Asheville, North Carolina's GRAMMY winners, perennial Billboard chart-toppers, and frequent collaborators of the renowned banjoist (and occasional comedian) Steve Martin. The Rangers can now add their hometown Asheville Symphony to their long list of musical companions on the new album Be Still Moses. Each track on Be Still Moses features the Rangers and symphony breathing new life into signature Steep Canyon Rangers songs through newly inspired orchestral arrangements.The album's title track features what is perhaps their most singular musical partnership to date ' Steep Canyon Rangers teaming with not only the Asheville Symphony, but also Philadelphia soul legends Boyz II Men to completely overhaul the Rangers' original 'Be Still Moses,' which was first recorded on their 2007 breakout album Lovin' Pretty Women. The collaboration was recognized for its 'sublime harmonies and soulful ad-libs by Rolling Stone and resulted in both the Rangers and Boyz II Men performing the song live together in October 2019.
Vinyl LP pressing. 2020 release. Returning to the studio as Watkins Family Hour, Sean and Sara Watkins consider 'brother sister' a duo-centric record - yet one that feels bigger than just two people. With Sean primarily on guitar and Sara on fiddle, and with both of them sharing vocals, the siblings enlisted producer Mike Viola (Jenny Lewis, Mandy Moore, J.S. Ondara) and mixer-engineer Clay Blair to harness the energy and honesty of their live sound.
Multi-Platinum-selling country star Sam Hunt announces his eagerly-awaited sophomore album SOUTHSIDE, releasing April 3 on MCA Nashville. The album will feature his current Top 5-and-climbing radio hit “Kinfolks,” the introspective ballad “Sinning With You,” and more from the award-winning artist. SOUTHSIDE will be the first full album since Hunt’s critically acclaimed, GRAMMY-nominated, Triple Platinum-selling debut, Montevallo.
Jim Lauderdale comes back to his roots with When Carolina Comes Home Again, a bluegrass album of songs old and new. Chocked full of rich stories, tremendous foot stompin' tunes, and extraordinary musicianship, the album will delight bluegrass enthusiasts and beyond. With urgency and precision, the song 'When Carolina Comes Home Again' tells the tale of a man awaiting his lover, Carolina, to return home. In the cheeky 'Cackalacky' Lauderdale sings of his love of biscuits. Brimming with real life, there's a little something for everybody here.
Kim Richey celebrates the 20th anniversary of her album Glimmer with, A Long Way Back: The Songs of Glimmer, featuring new recordings of the songs from Kim's classic album. Produced by Doug Lancio, who also plays most of the instruments, A Long Way Back. . . allowed Kim to reinterpret these songs and give them a fresh, yet timeless sound. Other musicians on the album include Nielsen Hubbard and Dan Mitchell.
Produced by longtime collaborator Dan Horne (Circles Around The Sun, Allah-Las), Mapache's new album, From Liberty Street, captures the Los Angeles duo at their finest, with Sam Blasucci and Clay Finch weaving airtight harmonies around stripped-down, organic arrangements that blur the lines between traditional folk and modern cosmic country. The songs here reckon with longing, desire,and change, and the arrangements draw on everything from Hawaiian-steeped surf and Mexican boleros (Blasucci spent two years living South of the border) to Bakersfield twang and lonesome cowboy campfire tunes, all delivered with the kind of easy going charm and natural intuition usually reserved for blood brothers or married couples. It's an instantly engaging chemistry the two share, a captivating musical bond that mirrors the comfort, closeness, and camaraderie of the album's homespun roots.
'This record is about as close to the sound of home as you can get,' says Blasucci. 'We recorded it with a bunch of our friends in the house where we were living in a neighborhood that we loved. The studio was right downstairs, so we had the freedom to try all kinds of new ideas without any pressure or limitations. All the other folks who lived in the house were musicians, too, so it made for this communal atmosphere where everyone was always collaborating and creating together. 'The First Edition LP and CD of From Liberty Street includes a free Mapache air freshener in the packaging! Plus, the First Edition LP arrives on limited edition yellow vinyl!
“Recording in a foreign environment like Berlin, I was inspired to experiment with more cinematic, psychedelic sounds,” says Sam Doores, “but my love for old-school New Orleans R&B, Memphis Soul & Rock n’ Roll, Detroit Motwon & Gospel, Doo-Wop, Early Blues & Folk music will probably always bleed into whatever I do. Recording this album was an opportunity to explore the space between these worlds.”
With his captivating self-titled debut, Sam Doores has done precisely that. Written on-and-off over the course of several years, the collection is classic and contemporary all at once, blending traditional southern roots with adventurous sonic landscapes as it reckons with heartache and loss, love and gratitude, fresh starts and, ultimately, a whole lotta change. The performances are infectious in their ease, simple on the surface but built on foundations of deep emotional and harmonic complexity that belie their amiable exteriors.
Few artists understand the human condition like 6-time Grammy nominee Brandy Clark. Working again with acclaimed producer Jay Joyce, Your Life is a Record takes her unerring eye for detail and a genre-melting sense of melody to examine personal truths, revelations and emancipations with wit, grace and compassion. Working with just four acoustic-based musicians, intimacy was the goal. Memphis strings and horns, guest appearances from Randy Newman (“Bigger Boat”) and guitarist John Osborne color in the sketches – creating a depth to what is easily Clark’s most revelatory record yet
It takes an extraordinary artist to re-imagine some of the most beloved songs of the 20th century and make them completely their own. And that's precisely what James Taylor has accomplished with his brand-new album, American Standard. Recalling the best of James' early work, he infuses new sounds and fresh meaning into these timeless works of art. While these 14 carefully chosen interpretations naturally feature James' warm, one-of-a-kind vocal ability and incomparable musicianship, what makes this collection so unique is the inventive way James and his fellow co-producers, longtime collaborator Dave O'Donnell and famed musician John Pizzarelli, approached the project. Unlike most who have tackled similar material, American Standard's beautifully simple, stripped-down arrangements are based on James' skillful acoustic guitar work rather than piano and the affect is mesmerizing.
The Family Songbook is a tribute to the family's American heartland heritage. The album includes four recently unearthed songs by their grandfather, Carl E. Haden, friend to the Carter Family, Porter Wagoner and other icons. The songs were written during the Depression when he was in his 20s - "Who Will You Love," "Ozark Moon," "Memories of Will Rogers," "Grey Mother Dreaming." Other notable songs - "Every Time I Try" written by the triplets brother, Josh Haden; Kanye West's "Say You Will"; Americana standards "Wayfaring Stranger," "I'll Fly Away," "Wildwood Flower," "Pretty Baby," (shortened from "Didn't Leave Nobody But The Baby"). The Family Songbook features renowned musicians: Bill Frisell, Greg Leisz, Doyle Bramhall II, Don Was, Larry Taylor, Woody Jackson. The Haden Triplets are: Petra: violin, Tanya: cello, Rachel: bass, keyboards. The sisters individual credits: Petra - sought-after collaborator on violin and voice; recording and touring credits include Bill Frisell, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Nancy and Beth ("punk-vaudeville" act created by Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt); Rachel - toured with Todd Rundgren, lead singer on Weezer B-side, former member of that dog; Tanya - visual and animation artist.
Recorded over the course of a series of freewheeling, improvisatory sessions, Kingdom In My Mind is The Wood Brothers seventh studio release and their most spontaneous and experimental collection yet. A testament to the limitless creativity of the unharnessed mind, the record explores the power of our external surroundings to shape our internal worlds (and vice versa), reckoning with time, mortality, and human nature. The songs here find strength in accepting what lies beyond our control, thoughtfully honing in on the bittersweet beauty that underlies our pain and sadness with vivid character studies and unflinching self-examination. Deep as the lyrics dig, the arrangements always manage to remain buoyant and light, though, drawing from across a broad sonic spectrum to create a transportive, effervescent blend that reflects the trio s unique place in the modern musical landscape.
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Riser topped the Billboard Country Albums chart and marked Dierks Bentley's fifth career debut in the top spot. The thunderbird symbolism speaks volumes about the complex ball of emotions locked within. It's a symbol of strength, resilience and renewal - one that appropriately reflected Bentley's first album since the death of his father and the birth of his first son. Produced by Ross Copperman and Arturo Buenahora Jr., it's a project full of sonic power that has a strong sense of family.
Grammy Award-winning vocal group Little Big Town announce the release of their ninth studio album Nightfall, and accompanying headline tour, The Nightfall Tour. The foursomes’ new album will drop January 17, 2020 succeeding a once-in-a-lifetime performance at the historic Carnegie Hall in New York City on January 16, 2020. This is the first mainstream country performance featured at Carnegie Hall since Alan Jackson in 2013. The tour will continue the following two nights at The Apollo and will proceed all spring in over 30 of the most prestigious theaters in the country, closing with two nights at Denver’s art deco gem, The Paramount. Every show excluding Carnegie Hall will feature critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Caitlyn Smith.
Tennis are an indie pop duo comprising husband and wife Patrick Riley (guitar, keyboards, production) and Alaina Moore (vocals, keyboards). The band wrote their upcoming album on land and sea; on their sailboat traveling around Baja California, Mexico & in their recording studio they built in Denver. Alaina and Patrick were driven to elevate their songwriting & experimented with different instrumentation, time changes, & a focus on lyrical storytelling. The band experienced many life-changing occurrences over the last two years that influenced their writing - from loss to illness and renewed bonds. Swimmer is a single they are releasing in Fall 2019, coming out as the band announces touring dates for spring 2020.
Dwight Yoakam occupies a singular position in contemporary country. No artist has better balanced mainstream commercial success with artistic, alt-country credibility, while somehow managing to embody both the music’s most traditional and its most progressive impulses. Blame the Vain marks a milestone for Yoakam as his first self-produced effort since splitting with producer/guitarist/bandleader Pete Anderson. Released in 2005 to critical acclaim, Blame the Vain has sold nearly 200,000 records to date. In honor of the 15th anniversary of this album, New West Records is proud to present Blame the Vain on vinyl for the first time.
The Outsiders was originally released on vinyl in February 2014 and reached #1 on the both the Billboard Top 200 and Top Country Albums charts. It went on to be the best selling country album of 2014 and the tenth best selling album (all-genres) in 2014. It was certified 2x platinum and one of Eric’s biggest releases. There were five singles released from the album with “Talladega” reaching #2 on the Country Radio Charts as well as other Top 10 hits- “The Outsiders” and “Like A Wrecking Ball”.
Produced by Scott Moffatt, What You See Is What You Get features 17 songs including the five tracks previously released via Combs' The Prequel EP earlier this summer.
The Mavericks are masters of country-latino-rock'n'roll. They rode high in the country and rock charts of the '90s with culture-crossing hits like 'What A Crying Shame"" and ""All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down"". In 2004 they went on hiatus to explore new musical avenues. But since a reunion in 2012, the band has reestablished itself as one of the most exciting and joyfully entertaining acts on the touring circuit. Now, on their 30th anniversary as a band, they're back to remind the world why they're so good.
"When people listen to this record, I want them to know that I see them and hear them," said Lambert. "I feel you, because I'm just a girl from East Texas, writing about all the things that go on in my world and in the worlds of people around me. I want people to get along, you know, just be who you are, own it and move on from the moments you couldn t live in." Her first collaboration with producer Jay Joyce, Wildcard moves from fraught, taut rock & roll to gentle folk, classic Wurlitzer country and a bit of funky gospel with Lambert's signature wit and tongue-in-cheek humor permeating throughout.
Wire Mountain is Will Johnson's 6th solo album and sits atop a back catalog that includes Centro-matic, South San Gabriel, Marie/Lepanto, and Molina Johnson. When he's not writing and recording his own projects he's often contributing to others, like co-producing Austin Lucas' Immortal Americans, or playing drums in Strand of Oaks. Wire Mountain is Johnson's second album recorded with Britton Beisenherz at his Austin studio Ramble Creek Recording and together they further develop new palettes and textures for Johnson's songs, this time enlisting fellow Austinites Thor Harris (of Swans and Thor & Friends) and minimalist folk-duo Little Mazarn to help shape and define them. Britton also plays on the album, along with Austin legend Jon Dee Graham. "Cornelius" begins with a squall of feedback before giving way to acoustic guitars and an anthemic chorus that plunges into a dizzying electric guitar solo. "A Solitary Slip" is fragile folk, a lilting lullaby of finger-picked guitar, plucked banjo, and single piano notes with Little Mazarn's Lindsey Verrill mirroring Johnson's words. The last track is a hopeful instrumental, a calm before the next thing. "(You Were) Just Barely You."
Grammy Award winner Sturgill Simpson has announced the release of "Sound & Fury," his much-anticipated new album and accompanying Netflix anime film. Produced by Simpson, “SOUND & FURY,” the album, was recorded primarily at the McGuire Motor Inn in Waterford, Michigan, with his bandmates Bobby Emmett, Chuck Bartels, Miles Miller, who all serve as co-producers along with GRAMMY nominee John Hill (Cage The Elephant, Portugal.The Man, Bleachers). The album – which Simpson describes as “a sleazy, steamy rock n roll record” – is a marked departure from 2016’s acclaimed “A Sailor’s Guide To Earth,” which won “Best Country Album” and was nominated for “Album of the Year” at the 59th GRAMMY Awards. Merging American rock music and Japanese animation in a revolutionary new way, “SOUND & FURY,” the film, was produced and based on a story by Simpson entitled “Sound & Fury.” Featuring some of the biggest names in the genre, the film was written and directed by Jumpei Mizusaki, founder of renowned animation studio Kamikaze Douga and director for the animated film, “Batman Ninja,” while Takashi Okazaki, creator of Japanese manga series “Afro Samurai,” served as the film’s character designer. Additional directors include Koji Morimoto of Phy (“AKIRA”) / Griot Groove, Michael Arias (“Tekkonkinkreet”), Masaru Matsumoto of Grayscale Arts (“Starship Troopers: Traitors of Mars”), Henry Thurlow and Arthell Isom of D’ART Shtajio (“Indigo Ignited, XOgenaSYS”). Shunsuke Ochiai is co-executive producer. Hiroaki Takeuchi is production executive (“The Animatrix”).
Billy Strings has been hailed as the future of bluegrass, transcending tradition and genre with his high velocity, flat-picking guitar technique and intense, confessional songwriting. HOME, Strings’ remarkable second studio album, is undoubtedly the Michigan-born, Nashville-based artist’s bravest excursion thus far, completely rewiring bluegrass with elements of punk, country, folk rock, and genuine psychedelic exploration to fashion something altogether his own. Strings has infused the aesthetic with his own experiences and inspirations, adopting traditional sonic and lyrical idioms to confront contemporary social truths. With guest appearances from the likes of Jerry Douglas and Molly Tuttle and produced by Glenn Brown (Greensky Bluegrass, Marcus Miller), HOME marks a landmark on Billy Strings’ ongoing creative journey, its fearless songs and freewheeling approach recasting string-based American music in his own inimitable image. This beautiful vinyl package includes 2-discs in a double-gatefold jacket.
Charley Crockett's been running nearly his entire life, but with the title track to his sixth album, the Texas songwriter looks back at where he came from. "The Valley" chronicles his hard upbringing on the south Texas border, but it also distills the essence of Crockett's fierce and restless independence. Recorded just a week before he went under the knife for life-saving open heart surgery in January, the album stirs with an introspection and urgency to tell his story. It's a story of an artist searching for his place in the world, absorbing the sounds of the country; it's a story of exile and promise.
Cauthen first earned his reputation as a fire-breathing truth teller with the acclaimed roots rock band Sons of Fathers, but it wasnt until the 2016 release of his solo debut, My Gospel, that he truly tapped into the full depth of his prodigious talents. Rolling Stone called the album a triple-barreled blast of Texas country, soul and holy-roller rockabilly delivered by a big-voiced crooner, while Vice Noisey dubbed it a somber reminder of how lucky we are to be alive, and Texas Monthly raved that Cauthen sound[s] like the Highwaymen all rolled into one: hes got Willies phrasing, Johnnys haggard quiver, Kristoffersons knack for storytelling, and Waylons baritone. The album landed on a slew of Best Of lists at the years end and earned Cauthen dates with Elle King, Margo Price, Billy Joe Shaver, and Cody Jinks, along with festival appearances from Austin City Limits and Pickathon to Stagecoach and Tumbleweed. He followed it up two years later with Have Mercy, an EP that prompted Rolling Stoneto dub him one of the most fascinating, and eccentric, new voices in country music and NPRs Ann Powers to proclaim it the year of Paul Cauthen.