Release Radar & Most Anticipated Albums for 2nd Half of 2025
No rest for independent country music fans in the second half of 2025. Some excellent country music projects will be coming at you, and this is your updating guide too get you through it all. Below you will find the top recommended albums for a given week, followed by a more complete list of albums releases in country and roots, followed by the always-fun “Rumor Mill” where hints and allegations go.
Hint: Bookmark this page, and come back each Friday to stay up-to-date with releases. This list will be updated regularly under the “confirmed releases” heading as new albums are announced, though older albums won’t be removed from the list so people can look back at what they might have missed.
PLEASE NOTE: No artist or album was snubbed here. If there’s an album to be released that you believe is of interest to country and roots music, please feel free to share the information below in the comments section for the benefit of everyone.
Kristina Murray – Little Blue – May 9th
They call Nashville a 10 year town. You get 10 years to make it, and after that you might as well turn tail or give up. Over the last 10 years, perhaps nobody has has paid more dues while being passed over for deserved recognition than singer and songwriter Kristina Murray. Among her fellow musicians, few if any are as well-respected. And finally, she’s been singed to Normaltown Records, and is releasing a highly-anticipated album.
Little Blue was recorded in Muscle Shoals, AL, and Nashville, TN, with the well-respected Misa Arriaga as a producer, along with Rachael Moore. It also features appearances by fellow East Nashville legends Logan Ledger and Erin Rae. Though you can expect lots of serious honky tonk music like the stuff Murray has cut her teeth on singing at Santa’s Pub or Honky Tonk Tuesday nights, there are also flourishes of a swampy Americana, and some Southern Rock to the sound as well. (read more)
Caitlin Cannon – Love Addict – May 9th
Caitlin Cannon is known for being a powerhouse, critically-acclaimed songwriter who won the Songwriter Serenade in 2023 for her composition “Waiting,” and who Saving Country Music recently profiled through her incredible songwriting class for prison inmates. It’s the fearlessness that Caitlin Cannon brings to her songs that has made her so unique and compelling in both the songwriting and country music space, and that fearlessness is what she brings to Love Addict.
You can hear some of that fearlessness in the album’s title track. It has already been making quite the stir as Cannon performs it live, including singing it a cappella to a very positive reception when she appeared on the massive live comedy podcast Kill Tony. The song shows of Cannon’s clever and inventive side of songwriting to go with her more heartfelt and vulnerable material. (read more)
Kat Hasty – The Time Of Your Life – May 16th
Kat Hasty has a unique gift for making really good songs relatable and fun, even when they’re inspired by heartbreak. If you’re looking at Kat, you’re looking at the future of Texas Country. Hasty tried to head to Nashville and play nice, but it didn’t really work out for her. Turns out she can’t be anything but her true authentic self. The Time Of Your Life captures this.
Though Kat has already gone viral with a song or two, been on big tours, played major festivals, and feels like she’s been around for a while, this will be her first big official full production album from the West Texas native, and it could be a big one.
Weldon Henson – Stone Cold Country Gold – May 31st
Regularly playing shows at places like The Broken Spoke and Luckenbach, Weldon Henson is Texas country honky tonk served straight no chaser, meant to send two-steppers twirling and to pull the slow dancers closer. There is no envy for other genres here, or even other regional influences in country music. Weldon Henson is Texas country front to back, with plenty of steel guitar and fiddle.
It’s been a while since Weldon released a new album,which is all the more reason Stone Cold Country comes highly anticipated. The names speaks for itself.
Jesse Daniel – Son of the San Lorenzo – June 6th
Let’s go! It’s hasn’t even yet been a year since Jesse Daniel released his last record Countin’ The Miles, and he’s already loading up another one in the chamber. With the way he revitalizes the honk tonk sound in country, that’s more than okay with us.
“I wrote, arranged and produced this record myself,” Daniel says. “I also took on much of the sonic direction, including percussion, rhythm and lead guitar, harmonies and more, which I think is a really important piece of the puzzle given how personal these songs are. I felt like I was finally ready to stop running and face things head on with this record. I felt like I’d matured enough to go deeper than I ever had before, to try and understand how I get here and where I’m headed.” (read more)
Hailey Whitters – Corn Queen – June 6th
Hailey Whitters has been one of the brights spots in mainstream country for some years now, with plenty of fans in independent and traditional country circles also digging on her music. She’s not afraid to write and sing an actual country song, while earning some worthy mainstream recognition, including a trophy for the ACM’s New Female Artist of the Year in 2023, as well as CMA and Grammy nominations.
Now she’s readying her latest release to be called Corn Queen out June 6th on Pigasus Records / Big Loud Records. The 16-song album produced by Jake Gear includes collaborations with fellow Big Loud artist Charles Wesley Godwin, as well as Molly Tulle on the already-released “Prodigal Daughter,” and a song with Texas music supergroup The Wilder Blue. (read more)
Dee White – Heart Talkin’ – June 13th
Dee White really impressed us all with his 2019 debut Southern Gentleman, and in the six years since, there’s been a lot of wondering about where he’s been. Now he’s back, and has roped in Hall of Fame producer Tony Brown to help him. The old-soul’d Dee White says, “I learn more from old stuff. I try to hang on to bits of it, because it’s going to be gone, as we all will be. The hope is that maybe some other young person will come along and learn something from me that I learned from an 80-year-old object or person.”
Tony Brown says, “Dee’s been in town a long time, and I’d heard about him, so I figured I’d check out some demos of just him and a guitar. The first thing that hit me was his voice—it’s got that Roy Orbison kind of quality to it. It really grabbed me. From there, I started digging into his writing, and I was impressed. He writes with real depth, and being from Alabama, there’s this strong Southern perspective in his lyrics.”
James McMurtry – The Black Dog and The Wandering Boy – June 20th
“James McMurtry” is all that really should need to be said for any music fan worth their salt to immediately pay rapt attention, and await further information. This world-class songwriter’s songwriter is an apex predator of the written word put to song who everyone should have in their musical ethos, and looming large. In this case, the further information it’s that McMurtry is preparing his first album in four years.
“You follow the words where they lead. If you can get a character, maybe you can get a story,” McMurtry explains. “If you can set it to a verse-chorus structure, maybe you can get a song. A song can come from anywhere, but the main inspiration is fear. Specifically fear of irrelevance. If you don’t have songs, you don’t have a record. If you don’t have a record, you don’t have a tour. You gotta keep putting out work.” (read more)
Kelsey Waldon – Every Ghost– June 20th
The pride of Monkey’s Eyebrow, Kentucky, and a certified Kentucky Colonel, you don’t get much more Kentucky or much more country than Kelsey Waldon, down to the Bill Monroe tilt of her hat. Uncompromising as she is genuine, Waldon has always leaned into her Kentucky roots, but is unfulfilled just scratching the surface with her writing. Instead she fearlessly explores serious subject matter to make herself and her audience feel and think something a little deeper.
You can expect her new album Every Ghost to be no different. Her sixth album overall and latest on John Prine’s Oh Boy Records, the nine-song set is said to address addiction, grief, generational trauma, and the biggest rascal we all must face down: ourselves. (read more)
William Beckmann – Whiskey, Lies, and Alibis – June 20th
There is one thing that is inarguable about William Beckmann. The South Texas native has a classic country voice that is begging to be heard by the masses. He’s one of those artists where you don’t wonder “if,” but “when” he’ll blow up on the national scene because there is too much talent here for it to be contained on a local or regional scale. His debut major label release Whiskey, Lies, and Alibis might be that “when” moment.
“For me, an album is meant to be a photo album. It’s meant to capture a moment in time, and it’s supposed to last forever,” Beckmann explains. “That’s what I think we were able to do with this record. I’m confident that if I ever get to be an old man, I’ll look back on this and be like, ‘Yeah, we did it right.’”
Lukas Nelson – American Romance – June 20th
Lukas Nelson announced recently that he was walking away from his long-running project Promise of the Real, and focusing on a solo career. Working with Shooter Jennings as producer, American Romance will be the debut solo effort from Willie Nelson’s son, and arguably the heir to the Nelson musical legacy. It includes collaborations with Stephen Wilson Jr. and Sierra Ferrell.
“This album is the first chapter in a whole new era of my life as an artist,” Lukas Nelson says. “It’s a love story to the country that raised me. Diners and highways that carried me through the joy and pain that led to the music you hear now.”
Willi Carlisle – Winged Victory – June 27th
Multi-instrumental and sometimes irreverential, Willi Carlisle is like a kid’s birthday entertainer, only for adults. He hides the deep wisdom of his lyricism in humor and frivolity, so you don’t realize you’re ingesting deep soul medicine. Though mostly a throwback folk musician, his songs carry wide appeal well into country music. His new album Winged Victory comes highly anticipated.
“These songs feel poised on the edge of the apocalypse, or at least at the beginning of a great transformation in America,” says Carlisle. “During this borrowed time, the weirdos, cowboys, and dreamers in these songs dare to love, and often pay for it with blood … A good folk music response to the troubles of the First World is saying ‘what are the little things that we can do … where can we move the needle?”
Brent Cobb – Ain’t Rocked in a While – July 11th
Brent Cobb is the smooth pimp back porch swing and sweet tea Southern easy breeze for your ears every time his music tickles the air. It’s hard to get incensed about much when Brent Cobb is serving audio refreshments. But as Saving Country Music recently observed when seeing Cobb perform earlier this year, “You put Brent Cobb on a big stage with an electric band behind him, and that quiet, slow talking, easy going Georgia gentleman turns into a full-tilt Southern rocker cooking with grease.”
On cue, Brent Cobb has announced his new album Ain’t Rocked in a While saying, “I feel like sometimes when people come to our shows, there might be a disconnect. People might view me as just a singer-songwriter. You know, sit down and tell ‘em a nice, little Southern story. Sing ‘em a song. And our live show kinda rocks. Sometimes people are taken aback. I want people to have an album of reference.” (read more)
Joe Stamm Band – Little Crosses – July 11th
It’s hard to not slip into hyperbole when speaking about the impact of the Joe Stamm Band and their songs on the exclusive but very strong subset of country fans who’ve discovered this band. With an eerie consistency, Joe Stamm releases songs that touch so much deeper than the rest of music and arrest you’re emotions. You can expect nothing less on the upcoming Little Crosses.
Producing the album will be Al Torrence, also known as the guitar player and right hand man for Charles Wesley Godwin and the Allegheny High. If you’ll recall, Joe Stamm collaborated with the band on a 4-song EP in 2024 that was stellar. This is a 2025 release you don’t want to miss.
Tami Neilson – Neon Cowgirl – July 11th
The Canadian-born, New Zealand-based country soul R&B old school rockabilly powerhouse known as Tami Neilson is back with another installment in her inspiring career, this time chronicling a trip she took with her family across the United States on tour after dealing with terrible health issues, including a battle with sepsis that landed her in the hospital.
“I collected the seeds for these songs in each place along the way,” Neilson says. “When they blossomed, there were crossbreeds of Presley and Patsy, Orbison and kd lang- the blues of Memphis, the twang of Texas, the cinematic torch of Judy Garland on a Hollywood soundstage. But, mostly, it became a love letter to my Neon Cowgirl. Or, more accurately, a lovelorn letter. Because she’ll just keep on breaking a foolish heart if you let her.”
Trisha Yearwood – The Mirror – July 18th
Though the long-rumored duet album with hubby Garth Brooks remains elusive, the long-awaited new album from Trisha Yearwood is finally one the way. Recently signing to Virgin Music Group, Yearwood is readying The Mirror, which will be her first album ever fully co-written and co-produced by Yearwood herself. Chad Carlson also helps produce the album officially releasing on Yearwood’s own Gwendolyn Records.
Early singles “The Wall Or The Way Over” and “Bringing The Angels” prove that Yearwood will be bringing the passion to the new project. “I’m honored to join forces with Virgin Music Group as I embark on this exciting new chapter,” says Yearwood. “Bringing my Gwendolyn label into the MCA/Universal family truly feels like coming home. I can’t wait to share my new album. Creating this music has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.”
Cody Jinks – In My Blood – July 25th
The modern King of Outlaw Country isn’t one for lounging around for a few years in between albums. After releasing a new studio album and a Lefty Frizzell tribute in 2024, Cody Jinks will be releasing his latest album called In My Blood. Once again the album was recorded at The Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, just like most all of Cody’s music since his landmark 2015 release The Adobe Sessions.
“You’re on a journey with me. My life is my records,” Cody Jinks says. “Nothing’s changed. This album was me, my band, producers and engineers. That’s as real as it gets. That’s as authentic as I can make it.” Co-writers include Ward Davis, Tennessee Jet, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Channing Wilson, Kendall Marvel, and Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr, who Jinks co-wrote the title track with. (read more)
Hayes Carll – We’re Only Human – August 8th
We love a songwriter’s songwriter. They can make such profound observances about the simplest moments, and can make the simplest moments seem so profound. Hayes Carll is one of those songwriters, often working in profundities, but in other times absurdities and the profane. You can expect no less on his new album.
“I’ve lived outside of myself for so long. Distractions, fear, anxiety, insecurity, and the complexity of being human in this world have so often pulled me away from being present or at peace,” Carll says. “I feel like there’s been a voice riding shotgun all my life, pushing me to do better, but I’ve struggled to listen to it. The idea behind this record was to do the personal work needed to do, then codify those lessons in song to serve as sort of breadcrumbs to get me back on the trail if, and inevitably when, I get lost again.” (read more)
Whiskey Myers – Whomp Whack Thunder – September 26th
We don’t give Whiskey Myers nearly enough credit for being one of the spearheads for the independent music revolution in country, in part because as their career has gone on, their country influences have got a bit towards the background until it’s probably fair to consider them a full on rock band. But they did it their way, and opened doors for other artists to do the same.
There has been some trepidation about this album after mainstream country producer Jay Joyce was announced as their partner for the project. But guitarist John Jeffers assures, “We didn’t set out to chase a specific sound—we set out to make a Whiskey Myers record. Jay pulled something out of us that’s raw and real, and every track’s got a piece of our story in it. This album’s about where we’ve been, what we’ve lived and the scars we earned along the way.”
OTHER ANTICIPATED/CONFIRMED RELEASES
May 9th
Teague Brothers Band – Wish You The World
Molly Kruse – Please Lee Ann
Caitlin Cannon – Love Addict
Kristina Murray – Little Blue
Blake Shelton – For Recreational Use Only
Little Feat – Strike Up The Band
Arlo McKinley – Live At The Burl
Tristan Roberson – One Night in Dallas
I’m With Her – Wild, Clear, and Blue (Americana)
Peter Donovan – Community Theater (Americana)
Thee Holy Brothers – High In My Balloon (Americana)
Leftover Salmon – Let’s Party About It (jamgrass)
Chana Rothman – Mother of Creation (folk)
Merrick Winter – The California Zephyr (indie folk)
May 16th
(5-13) Chris Emmert – Fool From The Foothills
Bryce Leatherwood – Self-Titled
Jessica Willis Fisher – Blooming
The Lowtimers – Cracks
Kat Hasty – The Time Of Your Life
Ken Pomeroy – Cruel Joke
The Talbott Brothers – Borderlands
Joel Thetford – Guitars Outlaws and Unforgettable Tales
Sweet Meg – Never Been Home
David Mayfield Parade – Go Big and Go Home (bluegrass)
Adam Chaffins – Trailer Trash EP
Julia Sanders – Dark Matter (folk rock)
Bison Bone – Lean (3-song EP)
(5-17) Denver Williams – Let It Ride Part 1 EP
(5-18) Drew Kennedy – Self-Titled
(5-21) Lonesome Wyatt and the Holy Spooks – Sad Witch Cult (Gothic country)
May 23rd
Sunken Lands – Burning Desire
Garrett Bradford – Honkiest of Tonkers – Part II
The SteelDrivers – Outrun (bluegrass)
Danny Paisley – Bluegrass State of Mind (bluegrass)
Keb’ Mo’ and Taj Mahal (TajMo) – Room on the Porch (Americana)
Ernest Graves – Mainstreater (Cowpunk)
Marc Ribot – Map of a Blue City
Bandits on the Run – The Shakespeare Tapes EP (indie folk)
May 30
Blue Rose – Blue Moon
The Shootouts – Switchback
Preston Cooper – Toledo Talkin’
Ashland Craft – Dive Bar Beauty Queen
Big City Brian Wright – Sky Trucker
The Castellows – Homecoming EP
Watchhouse – Rituals (Folk, Americana)
Lazarus Lake – Family Tree (Americana)
The Speaker Wars – Self-Titled (Stan Lynch of The Heartbreakers)
Anderson East – Worthy (Americana, ???)
TJ Rosenthal – Self-Titled
Shelby Means – Self-Titled (bluegrass)
Ava McCoy – Dragonfly (Indie folk)
(5-31) Weldon Henson – Stone Cold Country Gold
(6-1) Gary Hector – Memphis Medicine
June 6th
Poi Rogers – Twilight Blues
Jesse Daniel – Son of the San Lorenzo
American Mile – American Dream
Hailey Whitters – Corn Queen
Chasen Wayne – Corpus
Mary Chapin Carpenter – Personal History
North Mississippi Allstars – Still Shakin’ (Americana)
Meir Levine – Long and Lonely Highway (Americana)
Special Concensus – Been All Around This World (bluegrass)
Rob Wheeler – Leave Tomorrow (Americana)
Tim O’Brien and Jan Fabricus – Paper Flowers
Bill Nash – Oh Hank EP (Hank Williams Tribute)
Waylon Wyatt – Out Of The Blue EP
Caamp – Copper Changes Color (Alt-folk)
Suzie Ungerleider – Among The Evergreens (singer/songwriter)
American Cosmic Revival Vol. 1 – Back At Home (Various artists)
June 13th
(6-12) Patton Magee – Last Cowboy on the Prairie
Dee White – Heart Talkin’
Dierks Bentley – Broken Branches
Jackson Emmer – Battle Hymn of the Early Riser
Dillon Carmichael – Keepin’ Country Alive
Freight – Old Bones
Murder By Death – Egg & Dart (Americana)
Jack Barksdale – Voices (Americana)
Gasoline Lollipops – Kill The Architect (alt-country)
Dyer Davis – Kiss The Ring (Southern rock, blues)
Couldn’t Be Happiers – Couple(t)s Side B (folk)
Van Morrison – Remembering Now
(6-15) Wayne Scott – Wayne’s Pain (posthumous release)
June 20th
(6-19) Micky and the Motorcars- Self-Titled
Lukas Nelson – American Romance
William Beckmann – Whiskey, Lies, and Alibis
Kelsey Waldon – Every Ghost
James McMurtry – The Black Dog and The Wandering Boy
Grant Maloy Smith – Penny Ballads
Scotty McCreery – Season Change: Platinum Edition
Tawny Ellis – Edge of the World (Americana)
S.G. Goodman – Planting By The Signs (Americana)
The Bones of J.R. Jones – Radio Waves (Americana)
Mason Jennings – Magnifier (acoustic folk)
(6-25) The Horsenecks – In The West
June 27th
Katie and the Honky Tonks – Ain’t No Shame
Parker McCollum – Self-Titled
Willi Carlisle – Winged Victory
Vandoliers – Life Behind Bars
Jimmy Fortune – Songs Of An American Dreamer
Bruce Springsteen – Somewhere North of Nashville (Lost Album)
MoonShroom – Take a Trip
Robert Randolph – Preacher Kids
Kai Crowe-Getty – The Wreckage
Ashley Campbell – Goodnight Nashville
Sister Sadie – All Will Be Well (bluegrass, Americana)
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Celebrating 50 years – Live at the Ryman
Rachel McIntyre Smith – Honeysuckle Friend Deluxe Edition EP
July 11th
Tami Neilson – Neon Cowgirl
Brent Cobb – Ain’t Rocked in a While
The Wildmans – Longtime Friend
Joe Stamm Band – Little Crosses
Tanner Usrey – These Days
Jack Shields – Cherry Pick The Past
Ketch Secor – Story The Crow Told Me
Murry Hammond (Old 97’s) – Songs Of The Deep
July 18th
Mose Wilson – That’s Love
Trisha Yearwood – The Mirror
Dylan Gossett – Westward
Alex Williams – Space Brain (Country versions of metal songs)
The Last Revel – Gone For Good (Indie folk)
Ian James Bain – At Your Service EP
(7-19) Phil Madeira – Falcon
July 25th
Grayson Jenkins – Country Parables
Cody Jinks – In My Blood
Chosen Family – Generation Us
August 1st
The Wood Brothers – Puff of Smoke (Americana)
Nate Currin – Ghost Town (Americana)
August 8th
Hayes Carll – We’re Only Human
Rachel Baiman & Viv & Riley – Kissing Other People
Ashley Monroe – Tennessee Lightning
David Rodriguez – Harboring Pearls (folk)
Ross Thorn – Fitting In (folk)
August 22nd
East Nash Grass – All God’s Children (bluegrass)
Danny Burns – Southern Sky (Irish Bluegrass)
Antone’s: 50 Years of the Blues (blues, box set)
August 29th
Levi Foster – We Made Fire
September 5th
Cory Cross – Doin’ Fine
Grant-Lee Phillips – In The Hour of Dust (Americana)
Hannah Delynn – Trust Fall (folk, Americana)
Tyller Gummersall – In The Middle EP
September 26th
Whiskey Myers – Whomp Whack Thunder
Will Overman – Stranger
THE RUMOR MILL
Joshua Hedley has been saying he has a new album coming up, possibly Western Swing inspired, produced by Ray Benson.
Red Clay Strays reveled why receiving their ACM Award for Best New Duo/Group of the Year that they’re recording with Dave Cobb once again in Savannah, Georgia.
Zach Top in March: “I just went in and tracked a few more songs to finish out the second record. So we got that finished up and are getting it mixed right now. It’ll come out at some point in the summer. I’m not sure exactly when yet, but there will be a new record coming this summer.”
Charles Wesley Godwin on April 28th, “And so it begins! Recording for album #4 starts today.”
Ward Davis on April 23rd, “After about three years of writing and compiling and recording songs, I finished my physical role in the record-making process … The new album is in its final stage of production, and as I exhale I want to say to you all, this is the best record I’ve ever done, and maybe the best I ever do.”
Whitey Morgan has been working with Shooter Jennings on new music, and recently released his first new song in years, “Let Me Roll.” Expect a proper album announcement for 2025.
Colter Wall told Dale Brisby in December 2024 that he’s finished up a new album that he calls a “love letter to country” that is full of sad songs. The album consists of all originals and one cover. No name yet, but Colter thinks it will be out in July or August.
Emily Scott Robinson has been saying from the stage that she’s working on a new album.
Kix Brooks says Brooks & Dunn might be working on new, original music in the future (read more), and expects to have a new album out in the next couple of years.
Rumor is that Charlie Marie is recording a new album with hopes of a 2025 release.
Ray Wylie Hubbard: “Warning: the new record is not the pretty girl singing Jolene at the national finals rodeo in Las Vegas..its the Huntsville prison rodeo when the death row clown gets gored distracting the bull away from the arsonist who got thrown.”
West Texas Exiles will release their debut album “this fall.”
Bob Wayne has a new album called 13 More Truckin’ Songs. It’s currently only available to his Patreon subscribers, but a few singles have been release to streaming.
A Southern rock supergroup consisting of Marcus King, Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke, original Marhsall Tucker Band drummer Paul T. Riddle, bass maestro Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers, Tedeschi Trucks Band, a bunch others), Josh Shilling of Mountain Heart, and the incomparable Billy Contreras on fiddle have formed. It’s called the Toy Factory Project, and it’s meant to pay tribute to the songs of Toy Caldwell. Though so far all we’ve heard about is a gig at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, video from the studio verifies some recorded project is in the works.
Brad Paisley was supposed to have a new album coming out called Son of the Mountains that was a return to his West Virginia roots. But after the first four songs were released in EP form in September of 2023, not much else has happened. Unfortunately with some mainstream country performers, if something doesn’t show promise commercially, it gets shelved. We’ll have to see if anything materializes with the project in the future.
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May 6, 2025 @ 8:21 am
Looking forward to Tami Neilsen’s new album. She has that amazing voice that to me ranks up there with Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, and Linda Ronstadt as one of the best ever. Surprising to me that she hasn’t broken out big yet. I know you Trigger have championed her work. Her last album of Willie Nelson covers was most excellent!
May 6, 2025 @ 6:25 pm
She’s absolutely goddamn amazing. Her back catalog includes stuff that is more straightforward country and other stuff thats more r&b, so if you are just now checking her out, sample a bunch of different albums and errors.
One of the greatest voices operating right now.
May 6, 2025 @ 8:22 am
Micky & the Motorcars also have an album due out June 13th (it seems to be self-titled from all I can tell).
Ian Noe said at a show late last year that he hopes to have an album out this year.
May 6, 2025 @ 8:26 am
Waiting on some confirmation of the new Micky and the Motorcars album. My guess is we’ll get something soon.
May 6, 2025 @ 11:33 am
Available for pre-order on their website with a June 19 delivery date.
May 6, 2025 @ 12:44 pm
Not to get into the weeds here, but delivery date and release date are two separate things. June 19th is a Thursday instead of a Friday. I’ve also seen people say June 13th, so maybe it’s 13th for digital, and 19th for physical. Or maybe it will be the 20th, which would typically be the release date. That is why I say it’s not confirmed. But I did add it under the 19th below as I seek more confirmation, or at least, clarity.
May 6, 2025 @ 4:02 pm
I saw where ian said he was putting the finishing touches on an album and maybe a tour, that was a few months ago. The tour did materialize though it seems to be in sweden so maybe he will realease the album before that. Hope so i liked the last one.
May 6, 2025 @ 8:27 am
Two of my favorite Canadian songwriters will have albums out this year as well in William Prince and Mariel Buckley. Real excited about their new records. Hoping for a Zandi Holup record this year at some point.
May 6, 2025 @ 8:27 am
Looks like you missed the Maren Morris album Dreamsicle which is out on May 9th. Big release!
May 6, 2025 @ 8:36 am
This is a country music site.
May 7, 2025 @ 4:32 am
And we’re waiting for the Robert Adam album!
Hardcore cowboy music expected.
May 6, 2025 @ 8:54 am
He “missed” Morgan Wallen, too, due on the 16th. I’m pretty sure both omissions were intentional, as they are strictly of mainstream interest. (Trig, correct me if I’m wrong about this.) I can’t figure why Van Morrison is on the list, though.
May 6, 2025 @ 10:13 am
The point of this website is to highlight the overlooked. Nobody is going to overlook the Morgan Wallen or Maren Morris albums, at least not inadvertently. The rest of the media will assure that. I will still consider those albums for review in the belief that artistic criticism is important, but they do not come recommended here.
Also, there’s at least a chance ‘B’ was being sarcastic.
May 6, 2025 @ 11:01 am
I can’t figure out why Blake Shelton is on the list.
May 6, 2025 @ 11:53 am
Columbia Nashville has announced that the album will be released on Morris’ forehead, as no one could miss that.
Also go listen to the new Barlow – it rips.
May 6, 2025 @ 1:17 pm
I’m surprised there isn’t anything on here from Zach Bryan.
May 6, 2025 @ 2:34 pm
Because Van Morrison rules.
May 10, 2025 @ 3:13 pm
He does, and the two tracks I’ve heard in advance of his upcoming album are a welcome return to form after his last one, “Latest Record Project,” which was largely a series of paranoid screeds set to music. But neither one is country.
May 6, 2025 @ 8:28 am
Don’t know if you know but Cole Chaney had such a good debut album in 2021. Any idea if he will come out with a new album at any point? Sorry for the random question
May 6, 2025 @ 9:48 am
Cole played a new record live start to finish at the Green Lantern in Lexington recently. It should include studio versions of the tracks from his OurVinyl sessions. No official word on when it will be released, but he seemed to indicate it’s in the can and ready to go.
May 6, 2025 @ 10:08 am
Oh that’s exciting thanks for the info!
May 6, 2025 @ 8:31 am
I’m looking forward to the new Vandoliers album June 27th
May 6, 2025 @ 10:47 am
VFFV
May 6, 2025 @ 9:13 am
Heard anything about new Gabe Lee? 2 years is about his usual interval, he’s posted some videos of unreleased songs on IG, and was teasing some new music on Twitter.
May 6, 2025 @ 10:14 am
Nothing definitive about Gabe Lee yet, but he is due.
May 6, 2025 @ 10:53 am
Talked to him after a house show back in December. It didn’t seem like a new album was imminent, but he gave the impression that had a number of songs in the works that he was still refining.
“American Idols” is money.
May 6, 2025 @ 6:47 pm
He says in a podcast that the album will not be released at least until next year.
May 6, 2025 @ 10:13 am
Low Water Bridge Band has a new one coming out
May 6, 2025 @ 1:30 pm
Hell yeah, glad to hear it. Know they’ve been dropping singles lately.
Hopped the bandwagon late, but missed a golden opportunity to see them headline a small venue back in March and still hate that I missed it. Had the tickets bought and a dinner date scheduled, then the NCAA tourney got in the way.
May 6, 2025 @ 10:16 am
Don’t sleep on Ken Pomeroy. That girl is fire.
May 7, 2025 @ 4:34 am
No heterosexual man would ever sleep on her.
Not for the first 10-15 minutes, at least
May 6, 2025 @ 10:17 am
Is Erin Viancourt still signed with Jinks’ label? Her 2023 album was one of my favorites that year and I’m hoping she’s got something in the works coming soon.
May 6, 2025 @ 6:26 pm
We REALLY need more from Erin Viancourt.
May 6, 2025 @ 10:33 am
Clay Street Unit is dropping an album in the second half of the year.
I think they’ll be a big name on this website once that record comes out.
May 8, 2025 @ 6:49 am
I really like all of the songs they have put out. I love Cost of Living but they don’t seam to play it anymore. Why?
May 6, 2025 @ 10:51 am
Some interesting listings in there. I had completely forgotten about Anderson East until a couple of weeks ago when I was itching to listen to some soul music. His album ‘Delilah’ was superb. Also fun to see Robert Randolph on this list after the Pedal Steel article of a week ago or so. Superb talent, but the fact that he can’t seem to keep a band member for more than blink would seem to indicate a bit of diva-ness.
May 6, 2025 @ 12:23 pm
Anderson is amazing and has one of the best bands in music in my opinion but I doubt it would appeal to many on here unfortunately. He is so underrated.
May 6, 2025 @ 10:56 am
Can’t wait for the new Joe Stamm Band record. His songwriting and the emotion put into the vocals is second-to-none. The band is killer, too. If Torrence’s work with Stamm on Allegheny is any indication, it’s a match made in Black Dirt Country Rock Heaven and this album is going to be a contender for Album of the Year. Anyone who’s not listening to them at this point is sorely missing out.
May 6, 2025 @ 11:11 am
I agree with you and Trigger 100% on this release! I was introduced to Joe Stamm music about 6 months ago and then went to a small concert at Duke’s Indy a few months ago to see him and WOW. It is my opinion that Joe Stamm should have won song of the year for 2024 with “The Storm” and that song shows the raw emotion that is put into his songs, he writes from experiences, and his voice is spot on. Jinks has had plenty of talk and has been on his way for quite a while now, it is someone else’s turn to shine and make it big. Joe Stamm has everything it takes to make it big; he just needs some help getting his music spread around, thank you Trigger for doing so!
May 7, 2025 @ 1:24 pm
Fully agreed! The Joe Stamm Band wins my prize for the highest ratio of quality output:recognition. I was telling a friend the other day that if I could only listen to one musician for the rest of my life, it’d be Joe Stamm. If I could only listen to one album for the rest of my life, I’d try to loophole both his *Fort Smith* and *Allegheny* EPs in as a combined album. If I could only listen to one song, it’d be “The Storm.”
Close seconds in my excitement for new releases are the James McMurtry and the Teague Brothers Band albums.
Thanks Trigger for staying on top of all this, and introducing so many of us to new favorite artists!
May 6, 2025 @ 10:56 am
Randy Rogers Band should have a new one coming soon.
May 6, 2025 @ 11:21 am
I think they said that they have an EP coming, so unfortunately not a full album, but, yes, they should have some new material. They already released a new song a few weeks back called “Break Itself” which was pretty damn good.
May 6, 2025 @ 11:20 am
But guitarist John Jeffers assures, “We didn’t set out to chase a specific sound—we set out to make a Whiskey Myers record. Jay pulled something out of us that’s raw and real, and every track’s got a piece of our story in it. This album’s about where we’ve been, what we’ve lived and the scars we earned along the way.”
That quote doesn’t reassure me.
May 6, 2025 @ 11:24 am
This has been a standard Whiskey Myers line for years. They don’t like to be put in a box on genre.
May 6, 2025 @ 11:35 am
I hope you LOVE French horns.
May 6, 2025 @ 11:55 am
And songs name-dropping truck names.
May 7, 2025 @ 4:36 am
French horns sounds excellent in classical genres.
May 6, 2025 @ 1:16 pm
Brad Paisley can’t fit into the commercial mold today – whatever that is. He needs to go back to what he did during early to mid 00’s.
May 6, 2025 @ 2:18 pm
Anything on the horizon for Courtney Marie Andrews?
May 6, 2025 @ 3:42 pm
Have not heard about anything new on that front.
May 6, 2025 @ 2:26 pm
Hey Trig, you gonna do a review of Sterling Drake’s new album that dropped this past Friday… “The Shape I’m In”
It sounds exactly like the kind of upcoming artist you break to the hungry masses …
May 6, 2025 @ 3:43 pm
Yes, Sterling Drake’s album is on my radar and being considered for review.
May 7, 2025 @ 10:47 am
I am obsessed with “Neon lights & Cheap Perfume”
May 6, 2025 @ 2:41 pm
It seems as though Ashley Monroe is leaning back towards country for this album, which is a good thing because “Rosegold” was one of the dullest albums I’ve ever heard.
And I do pray her health is improving.
May 6, 2025 @ 4:38 pm
Thanks for this great list! One addition I would have is Ashley Campbell’s “Goodnight Nashville” releasing June 27th. Definitely more Americana, but there will be lots of country influence throughout. She already has a stellar banjo tune out called “Little Rapids” with her & legendary banjo player Carl Jackson.
May 6, 2025 @ 4:48 pm
Got it!
May 6, 2025 @ 4:46 pm
Any word on the new music Shooter has been talking about of Waylon?
May 6, 2025 @ 6:30 pm
Anyone who gets a chance to see Poi Rogers live, jump on it. It’s a side project of ameripolitan winners Carolyn Sills Combo. Some of the most mind-blowingly good and yet restrained musicians doing Western swing and it’s relatives.
May 6, 2025 @ 8:40 pm
Dylan Earl in September!
May 6, 2025 @ 8:53 pm
Joe Stamm, CWG, and Colter in 2025. Hold on to your butts.
May 7, 2025 @ 4:39 am
Wylie & The Wild West should grant us a new collection soon. Been awhile since Bunchgrass.
Not to mention Tom Russell, or any leftovers from Don Edwards and Merle Haggard.
May 7, 2025 @ 6:40 am
Wow, some very exciting releases coming up. Almost too many to mention.
Excited:
Jesse Daniel, Kelsey Waldon, Joe Stamm Band, Ward Davis, Mose Wilson
Super excited:
Kristina Murray, Brent Cobb, Red Clay Strays, Whitey Morgan, Charlie Marie
Intrigued:
Cody Jinks, Lukas Nelson , Whiskey Myers
Been waiting a long time for the Kristina Murray album. She’s such an underrated artist and I hope this will finally bring her the attention she deserves. Ditto for Charlie Marie who has just a classic country voice. Some of these artist are just automatic gets for me.
Jinks and Whiskey Meyers are two of my all time favorites, but I haven’t been as excited as normal over their last few releases. They’ve both been in heavy rotation for like over 10 years, so I’m hopeful, but Jinks new rock direction/sound and Meyers over reliance on vocal enhancements have me concerned. As for Nelson, his music has been hit and miss for me. Sometimes great, sometimes not so much. Curious to see where the solo thing takes him.
Don’t overlook the Mose Wilson release. His last album was about 5 years ago, so he may be off the radar. But he’s a great guitarist and has been honing his skills with Hannah Juanita.
Not mentioned, or I missed it, is Joshua Quimby. This guy may be a niche type, but he has a unique voice and style. He has a new album coming out and a couple singles released already. Not someone I would typically listen to, mostly acoustic, songs about weed and other irreverent stuff, but he has grown on me.
May 7, 2025 @ 7:06 am
Kristina Murray’s album came out 05/02 at least on amazon
As always thanks for the lost trig
May 7, 2025 @ 7:46 am
Not sure why the Kristina Murray album is already out on Amazon. It’s not out anywhere else until Friday. Must be some sort of mistake.
May 7, 2025 @ 9:14 am
Weird, it’s awesome, after a couple of spins… shows how broken Nashville is, that that talent got passed over for so long
May 7, 2025 @ 7:57 am
Beyond my two favorite bands — Sparks’ ‘MAD!’ is due out May 23, and I’m still waiting for more info on They Might Be Giants’ next studio effort (originally due late last year) — I’m especially stoked for Trisha Yearwood and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Also intrigued by what I’ve read about Ashley Monroe’s upcoming project (including a collab with Marty Stuart), though I skipped her last album (‘Rosegold’)…
May 7, 2025 @ 9:28 am
Add Ernest to the list. “Cadillac Sessions” drops this Friday, May 9, and two songs were released online this morning, one of them a duet with Miranda Lambert. Both are very much country, as I hope the whole album will be.
May 7, 2025 @ 12:12 pm
Trig,
Any more news on possible new Holly Williams music? I think that was mentioned as a possibility in a recent post?
May 7, 2025 @ 1:28 pm
So I did see her perform in January and she said that this year she finally hopes to get new music out. But I haven’t seen anything definitive just yet. For years I had in the rumor mill that her Dave Cobb-produced album was in the offing. I really have no idea the status of all of that, but as soon as i hear something I will be sharing it.
May 7, 2025 @ 4:00 pm
The Rachel Baiman – Viv & Riley collaboration is what I’m looking forward to the most on this list.
May 8, 2025 @ 12:28 am
Dalton Domino’s “Arizona” is available for preorder. No release date on his website.
May 8, 2025 @ 6:55 am
Danno Simpson confirmed last night that his debut is dropping sometime within the next 3 months.
Been looking forward to that one for a long time now, long overdue!
May 12, 2025 @ 9:41 am
The Kill Joy
7/11/25
May 8, 2025 @ 9:37 am
Anything on Presley Haile?
May 8, 2025 @ 1:11 pm
It’s time for a new Zephaniah OHora album…
May 16, 2025 @ 10:19 am
Eli Young Band just announced a new album, “Strange Hours” out August 1st. They’ve returned to an independent release for this one so I’m really hoping that this returns to the sound and quality of those first few albums up through “Jet Black & Jealous.”