Country & Folk

Just a few weeks after the surprise release of the Cuttin' Grass (Vol. 1): Butcher Shoppe Sessions album—which Uproxx called “the most sublime and delightful music he’s yet made on record”—Sturgill Simpson returns with the next installment of his bluegrass series, Cuttin' Grass (Vol. 2): The Cowboy Arms Sessions. The genre-defying singer/songwriter reconvened an A-Team of acoustic players (now dubbed "The Hillbilly Avengers") for another round of reinterpretations of his catalogue, this time largely focusing on 2016's A Sailor's Guide to Earth, which won the Grammy for Country Album of the Year and was nominated for Album of the Year. This volume also includes "Jesus Boogie," originally performed by Simpson's first band, Sunday Valley, and two previously unreleased songs, "Tennessee" and "Hobo Cartoon," the latter of which was co-written with the incomparable Merle Haggard—who once said that Simpson was "about the only thing I've heard that was worth listening to in a long time."

Cuttin' Grass Vol. 1 (Butcher Shoppe Sessions) is now available on Vinyl & CD.

Good Woman was written and recorded in a time of tremendous turmoil and change forthe band, between theending of relationships,thedeath oftheir beloved mother, andthebirth of Emily’s first child. The album is a testament tothe Stavely-Taylors’ strength and that of other women; to sisters, mothers, and daughters; to love, loss, and change; and to trying to be a good woman.The band explains: “We have been working on this for a long time and are thrilled to share the title track. When we think about making this album we think about moments and snapshots of all the different contexts we were in as it was made. Living in each other’s pockets and then living with oceans between us. Of voice notes and field recordings and ideas in emails sent across continents. We think of homesickness and family. Of being an outsider. Of endless notebooks and scraps of paper. Of studios in the winter and recordings under the summer sun. Of rainy London days and long American nights with coffees and beers, dogs, and cats. We think of love. Big, big love. Our Mum. Our Dad. Our friends. And of loss. Death and birth. Womanhood, motherhood. Sisterhood.“And coming home.”

Danny Kroha’s Detroit Blues could be considered part two of his solo debut LP - Angels Watching Over Me. In his own words, “it was me in a room playing acoustic instruments and doing my own arrangements of some old songs”.

Not so fast man!, when you hear this record and dig a little deeper into the facts, you’ll have a heightened awareness of the sonic beauty found in the simplicity. On many of these traditional songs, Danny dropped, added or rearranged verses from various sources, mixing up music from one song and words from another and unintentionally created his own amalgamation of early blues and ‘60s folk.

Keep your ears peeled for familiar and wild homemade sounds. There’s a DIY one string washtub bass made out of some kinda bug spray can. There’s a lot of jug bass, blowing the bass notes over the jug opening, frequently heard in early rural American music but also with the 13th Floor Elevators who ran their jug thru an amplifier. The one string guitar, aka The Diddley Bow, on “Come Out Of The Wilderness” is extremely rare, aside from Danny, one of the last times we heard one was on One String Sam's “I Need A Hundred Dollars”. You have your traditional assortment of spoons, jawbones and other percussion instruments, but during one session, Danny and the album supervisor tried out several pairs of Danny's work boots to find the best tone for the foot stomps. We’ll report back soon on what brand was chosen.

Instead of following all the rules rooted the early blues and ‘60s folk, Danny Kroha mixed up all the rural and urban traditions and kicked out a new surreal sound that could really only happen in Detroit - “I listen to both genres, for sure. I just wasn’t TRYING to make a record that sounds like that. It just came out that way”.

The Milk Carton Kids are releasing the live album Live From Lincoln Theatre, for the first time on vinyl. Comprised of singers and acoustic guitar players Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale, The Milk Carton Kids both filmed and recorded their set at this Columbus, Ohio theatre in October 2013 during their tour in support of the Grammy-nominated album The Ash & Clay. Released as a film in 2014, the newly remastered audio will be available on vinyl.

“Live From Lincoln Theatre is the truest representation of what Joey and I have been up to for the last decade,” Pattengale explains. “The set list is like a greatest hits album of Milk Carton Kids songs. I’ve never played guitar in the studio quite the way that it comes together on stage. Our voices also communicate something extra for the occasion. And, of course, Joey doesn’t ramble about our master recordings, but there’s no stopping him once the lights are dim and the mics are hot.”

Founded in 2011, The Milk Carton Kids swiftly emerged as a major force in the American folk tradition, blending ethereal harmonies and intricate musicianship with a uniquely powerful brand of contemporary songcraft.

The transcendent new album from Ani Di Franco, Revolutionary Love marks the latest proof of one of her most powerful gifts as an artist: a rare ability to give voice to our deepest frustrations and tensions, on both a personal and political level. “My songs have always reflected an acute connection between my personal life and the life of my society,” says the trailblazing musician and activist. “As I started to come out of years of dealing with marriage problems, I saw my entire country in the same situation; the complete breakdown of communication and loss of empathy and connection. But after what seems like unforgivable damage, then where do you go? You can’t kick each other off the planet, you can’t change the past, so what then?”

As the 22nd studio album in an iconic career— a musical career which forged one degree of separation between Pete Seeger and Prince and the accompanying career of founding her own precedent-setting label, Righteous Babe Records—Revolutionary Love began taking shape in the final weeks before the Covid 19 pandemic came to change the plans of everyone everywhere. Returning home to New Orleans from a West Coast tour in February of 2020, with a new batch of songs written on the road, Di Franco found herself without a path to recording those songs and lost in the creative abyss of the collective need for social isolation. “And then I decided I wanted to start pushing this new music out by fall… before the election,” she recalls. “I felt very strongly that I needed a horse to ride to try to help get out the vote—to get people inspired and get them believing in democracy, believing in each other and in themselves.”

Di Franco began to explore using live recordings from the tour as the basis for the new album but then she reached out to her friend Brad Cook, a Durham, North Carolina-based producer/multi-instrumentalist known for his work with artists like Bon Iver and Waxahatchee. The two had kept in touch after crossing paths at the Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival (an event co-founded by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, who appeared on Di Franco’s acclaimed 2017 album Binary), where she became enamored with one of Cook’s guitars. “Brad let me borrow the guitar and I ended up writing half this record on it,” says Di Franco. “I called him up and told him about the new pile of songs I’d pulled out of his guitar and about my recording predicament and he said to me, ‘Give me a week. If you can get yourself to Durham, I’ll take care of the rest.’”

Produced by Di Franco and recorded mainly in two whirlwind days at Overdub Lane in Durham, Revolutionary Love more than justifies the mad dash behind its making. As her first studio effort since the release of No Walls and the Recurring Dream (Di Franco’s widely praised 2019 memoir), Revolutionary Love arrives as an instantly transportive selection of songs. Rooted in her poetic lyricism and ever-commanding vocal work, the album unfolds in an understated yet captivating alchemy of folk and soul and lushly textured jazz-pop. In sculpting that sound, Di Franco and Cook assembled an eclectic lineup of musicians, including percussionist Brevan Hampden (Hiss Golden Messenger, Milton Suggs), horn/flute player Matt Douglas (The Mountain Goats, Josh Ritter), keyboardist Phil Cook (Megafaun, Shouting Matches), drummer Yan Westerlund (Quetico, Mipso) and Di Franco’s longtime touring band Terence Higgins on percussion and Todd Sickafoose on bass.

The first Country act to achieve RIAA’s DIAMOND certification, GRAMMY-nominated duo Florida Georgia Line have been making history since 2012. They’ve tallied 17 career #1 singles, 13.1+ billion streams, sold more than 33.9 million tracks and 4.7 million albums worldwide, logged 1.5 billion video views, and played to over 4 million fans spanning massive headline tours. Honored by ACM, AMA, Billboard, CMA, and CMT Awards, Florida Georgia Line releases their anticipated studio album Life Rolls On.

Honoring the enduring inspiration of Frank Sinatra, That’s Life is Willie Nelson’s second album of classics made famous by The Chairman Of The Board. Willie’s first ode to Frank, 2018's My Way, earned Willie the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Solo Album, and That's Life finds Nelson (who has penned a few standards himself) inhabiting 11 more of the most treasured songs in the Great American Songbook including the title track, "Luck Be A Lady,” "Nice Work If You Can Get It," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "You Make Me Feel So Young," and "I Won't Dance" (a duet featuring Diana Krall). Produced by Buddy Cannon and Matt Rollings, That's Life was recorded at Capitol Studios in Hollywood--where Frank Sinatra, created a string of album masterpieces--with additional recording at Pedernales Studios in Austin, Texas. Willie delivers 11 new studio performances, coming alive in a musical landscape animated by lush string and vibrant horn arrangements on an album mixed by recording industry legend Al Schmitt (who's recorded and mixed more than 150 gold and platinum albums and won more Grammy Awards than any other engineer or mixer). The album cover features a brand new painting of Willie and his iconic guitar, Trigger, standing in the glow of a twilight streetlamp, evoking classic Sinatra album covers of yore.

Vinyl LP pressing.

2LP set with 28 golden period classic hits including all his signature tunes in a fully authorized, high quality package

Special reissue of this excellent compilation of 12 early recordings from the infamous outlaw of country music, Waylon Jennings!Includes "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright," "White Lightnin'," "Crying," "It's So Easy" and more!Features production and guest appearances by the late great icon of early rock music, Buddy Holly!"Available as a mini-LP gatefold CD or deluxe tri-colored RED, WHITE & BLUE vinyl!

2020 release. Garth Brooks' 12th studio album, Fun features 14 tracks including 'Dive Bar', the "rowdy" (Rolling Stone) and "anthemic" (Billboard) collaboration with Blake Shelton. The album also includes a cover of 'Shallow' with Trisha Yearwood, 'All Day Long' and 'Stronger Than Me'.

Golden Hour follows the massive success of Kacey’s critically-acclaimed albums Same Trailer Different Park, Pageant Material and A Very Kacey Christmas. Both Same Trailer Different Park and Pageant Material debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, with Kacey becoming the first solo female in 5 years to top the chart with a rookie release and only the seventh to do so in Nielsen SoundScan’s 22-year history. Kacey has won 2 Grammy Awards for Best Country Album and Best Country Song (“Merry Go ‘Round”), 2 CMA Awards for “New Artist of the Year” and “Song of the Year” (“Follow Your Arrow”), and an ACM Award for Album of the Year.

American Soul' is Aaron Watson's 13th studio album, and 17th album overall, since his debut in 2000. His last 4 studio albums have debuted Top 10 on the Billboard country album chart with the last three hitting the #1, #2 and #2 positions respectively. To say that he is prolific as a writer and an artist is an understatement. Recorded just days before the COVID 19 shutdown, the 10 tracks on American Soul take the listener on a journey of love, heartbreak, nostalgia and pride. - Aaron Watson continues to dominate as a true independent in the country music arena. Watson's last release Vaquero launched into the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart with his biggest career sales debut to date, and at #2 on the Top Country Albums chart. Vaquero is the follow up to his history-making album The Underdog, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, making him the first-ever independent, male country artist to debut in the coveted top spot. The album features lead single "Outta Style," his record-breaking Top 10 hit on country music's national radio airplay charts. His new single, "Run Wild Horses" has just hit country radio. Watson's rise has been paved by years of hard work and perseverance. Eighteen years later, over a dozen recorded albums and more than 2,500 shows in the U.S. and Europe, the Texas native is determined to stay true to his roots and deliver music directly to his fans.

Double 180gm vinyl LP pressing. 2020 release from the acclaimed country music singer/songwriter. The album has 14 new tracks and is Chris's first studio album of new material since 2017. Features the single "Starting Over". Chris has received five Grammy Awards, seven ACM Awards, ten CMA Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards to date and with his first three album he has sold over eight million albums to date, including his debut album Traveller which has sold over four million copies.

Blake Shelton's new album "Fully Loaded: God's Country" releases on 12/13/19! This album features four new songs including Blake's #1 hit, "God's Country", along with 9 of his previous hits.

Deluxe 150gm vinyl LP pressing housed in a gatefold sleeve. Forecasted as "one of the most anticipated albums of 2017" by Rolling Stone Country, This One's For You is anchored by Luke Combs' debut hit single "Hurricane." The 27-year-old Asheville, North Carolina native co-penned all 12 tracks on the project which birthed from the rise of his music and songwriting in the mountains of North Carolina. In addition to "Hurricane," This One's For You includes hallmark fan favorite "One Number Away," jocular, silver-lining song "When It Rains It Pours" and the poignant part-love letter, part-apology title track dedicated to those who supported Comb on the road to here.

Metamodern Sounds in Country Music is the follow-up to Sturgill Simpson's critically acclaimed debut, High Top Mountain. The album title - an allusion to Ray Charles groundbreaking 1962 record, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music - hints at the psychedelic sounds found within. Compared to Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard, Simpson explores a more progressive side of outlaw country in his wholly unique and captivating second album.

Triple vinyl LP pressing. Deluxe expanded edition of the country singer/songwriter's chart-topping, Platinum-certified sophomore album What You See Is What You Get including five bonus track. The first four singles from the original album - "Beer Never Broke My Heart", "Even Though I'm Leaving", "Does to Me" and "Lovin' on You" - all charted on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, with all four reaching #1.

Produced by ACM Producer of the Year nominee Joey Moi and co-produced by Derek Wells, with additional production on select tracks by David Garcia and Jake Mitchell, A ROCK features a diverse cast of Nashville’s elite songwriters – from mainstay hitmakers Hillary Lindsey, Jessie Jo Dillon and Ashley Gorley to hot-on-the-rise newcomers Hunter Phelps and Zach Abend – and dives deep into every corner of HARDY’s influence.

Bleeding elements of Soundgarden, Pink Floyd, John Prine, Eric Church, Kid Rock and more into the record's sound while maintaining his own signature brand of Country throughout, the collection runs the gamut of genre and encapsulates the fullness of HARDY’s artistry, making it clear where he's come from, and exactly where he's headed next.

In the fall of 1978, Chicago singer-songwriter John Prine returned home for a concert performance at the city's famed Park West. This show, captured on the limited edition album September 78, featured another side of John Prine --- backed by an electric band.  September 78 will be released on 180 gram, 12-inch, orange vinyl. Each LP is individually-numbered and comes with a digital download of the record's ten tracks.

During the middle decades of the 20th century, the factories of southwestern Ohio drew hundreds of thousands of migrants from Appalachia, including innumerable musicians. Industrial Strength Bluegrass celebrates the music that these migrants made and loved, and explores a pivotal moment in the history of bluegrass and country music at large. Produced by beloved performer and radio personality Joe Mullins, the collection features many modern legends like Lee Ann Womack, Mo Pitney, and Vince Gill, plus a stellar lineup of bluegrass stalwarts including Rhonda Vincent, Bobby Osborne, and Mullins himself, taking on tunes that have echoed across Ohio for decades. This group of some of the biggest names in bluegrass today pays tribute to the jubilant highs and lonesome lows of life amongst the factories and warehouses, reflecting the region's rich culture and resilient people.

Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton is a new album of old-time music produced from archival recordings by two legendary musicians. These largely unheard tapes were recorded at Doc Watson's two earliest concerts, presented in New York City's Greenwich Village in 1962. Those shows were among the rare appearances Doc's father-in-law, fiddler Gaither Carlton, made outside of North Carolina. The instrumental pieces, including Gaither's signature tune "Double File," include intricate musical interactions developed through years of family music-making. On the songs and ballads, Doc's instantly recognizable baritone voice is accompanied by his own guitar and Gaither's fiddle, or by the traditional combination of fiddle and banjo. Shortly after these recordings were made, Doc Watson embarked on a career as one of America's premier acoustic guitarists, earning the National Medal of Arts and eight Grammy Awards.

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.

Years is the new album from John Anderson

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.

Vinyl LP pressing. 2020 release. Never Will is the fourth studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Ashley McBryde. April 3, 2020 via Warner Music Nashville. The album is McBryde's second major label release and was preceded by the lead single "One Night Standards".

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