20 years in, Blackberry Smoke isn’t showing their rust. They’re hitting their stride, understanding their species is slowly becoming endangered, taking that prognosis personally, and doing what they can to keep the torch burning, and the memories of the sounds of the South alive.
“Set In Stone” feels like a really solid and inspired mid career selection from Tritt, well-produced by Cobb, with some great instrumental performances, and no signs of rust or heavy wear from the time away. Undoubtedly though, this is a Boomer record, and in more ways than one.
Along with picking one of the hottest and most well-respected producers from the independent side of country for his comeback record, Tritt has also called on some of the best songwriters and performers at the moment. Don’t expect a dated retrospective from Tritt.
Stay calm folks. No, Zach Bryan is not dead. No, he hasn’t quit music. No, he wasn’t cancelled or anything else traumatic. And no, he hasn’t turned in his name in for a number to become an international crime-fighting anti-terrorist extra-juridical assassin for the CIA.
Ever since November of 2019 when we got fair warning that viral songwriting star Zach Bryan was working with Dave Cobb in historic Studio ‘A’ in Nashville, we’ve been waiting to hear the results. Well now at least two tracks from those sessions have arrived.
In 2013, the daughter of Hank Williams Jr. and granddaughter of Hank Williams had us all completely rethinking our depth charts when it comes to the Williams lineage in music with the release of her landmark record The Highway. Of course the musical pedigree runs deep in the Williams family.
Founding guitarist for fast-rising and critically-acclaimed Southern rock band The Steel Woods, and long time session guitarist and touring member of Jamey Johnson’s backing band, Jason “Rowdy” Cope, has died according to the band. The Steel Woods shared the news Saturday evening.
Looking through the 2021 Grammy nominations released on November 24th, one of the big points of intrigue for the country and roots world won’t be found in the major country categories of the awards, or even the American Roots categories that cover Americana, bluegrass, folk, and blues. It will be found in the all-encompassing “Producer […]
The momentum behind Chris Stapleton continues as his latest record “Starting Over” soars to the top of the charts off the back of strong physical sales and streaming numbers. Released on November 13th, the album debuts at the top of the Billboard Country Albums chart this week.
The 2021 Grammy Award nominees were announced on Tuesday (11/24), and as can be expected, there is some good, some bad, many worthy nominations, a few probably born of virtue signaling as you can expect. But overall, it’s about par for the course.
Chris Stapleton has always been the most unlikely of superstars. Slightly overweight 36-year-olds with beards and a burly countenance aren’t supposed to be the beneficiaries of the confluence of positive circumstances that powered Stapleton so high into the stratosphere of country music, he’s transcended the genre.
After five decades of paying dues and all that hard work paying off, John Prine decided to treat himself to his dream car—a Porsche 911 Turbo. After John Prine passed away on April 7th, 2020, he bequeathed the car to Sturgill Simpson.
I just know too much about the untold history of Barry Gibb and his dalliances with country music to be perturbed that at 74-years-old, he wants to make a country record. And the first song they released from it featuring Jason Isbell sounds pretty damn good to me.
Five years ago today—on November 4th, 2015—the biggest event and paradigm shift in country music occurred most certainly in the last 10 years, likely in the last quarter century, and possibly one of the biggest moments in the totality of country music history.
To help in the COVID-19 recovery effort, the Hall of Fame is planning a special live streaming event that will match up many of the iconic instruments in the “Precious Jewels” collection and other displays with many of the best artists and players of today.
For those that like to keep up with the doings of guitar player Laur “Little Joe” Joamets—the Estonian ax slinger who set houses on fire behind Sturgill Simpson from 2015 to 2017—he’s formed a new project with Nashville-based and noted blues singer Laura Reed called “Lore.”
If you’re looking for an opportune auditory retreat from the utter madness that is 2020, then Brent Cobb has just dropped one right in your lap, and not a moment too soon. Like taking a slow drive through the countryside, or sitting on the back porch on a Sunday afternoon with a jar of tea, he’ll get you to feeling right.
Of all the implausibles of 2020, who would have thunk that Travis Tritt would be the one to release one of the most topically-relevant songs of the time? In his first new taste of original music in 13 years, he puts some “drive” in his country as he once famously compelled us all to do in 1990.
Well well well. Get ready to grow your mullet out, bust out your old pair of Levi’s nut huggers from high school, and be ready to party like it’s 1989, because after a pretty astounding 13-year hiatus of no proper single, one is headed our way.
Also as part of the reopening, the Hall of Fame is planning a special live streaming event on October 28th, and one they hope will be one of their biggest fundraisers ever, called “Big Night (At The Museum)”. It will match legendary instruments with many of the legendary artists of today.
The new record will include 14 new songs, 11 of which Stapleton wrote or co-wrote himself, along with a few notable covers, specifically John Fogerty’s “Joy of My Life,” and two covers of Guy Clark songs—“Worry B Gone” and “Old Friends.” He also collaborates with members of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
On Monday (8-24), those horny for new Chris Stapleton music got their worlds rocked when the Kentucky singer and songwriter wiped his social media feeds clean and posted a teaser video complete with fire, loud guitar riffs, foreboding backup choruses, horses running free, and insects eating each other.
If anything, The Balladeer takes lofty expectations already reaching towards the unattainable, and still impresses with what might be the high water mark of Lori McKenna’s career so far. The wisdom and calming attitude flowing from these works is as potent as Asian proverbs.
Alan Jackson fans have been hankering for some new music for a while now since it’s been a good five years since he released his last album. Well he surprised us all this week by releasing a new version of an old Don Williams song with up-and-coming Capitol Records Nashville signee Caylee Hammack.