The team assembling around viral country songwriter Zach Bryan continues to be stocked with top shelf talent. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native shocked the country music world on August 23rd when he released a completely self-produced and self-distributed solo acoustic record called ‘DeAnn.’ Now he’s working with Dave Cobb.
This is what Jason Isbell promised during the closing night of his seven night residency at the Ryman Auditorium. It’s been a slightly more elongated release cycle for Jason Isbell and his last record ‘The Nashville Sound.’ Where he took about two years in between his last four records, ‘The Nashville Sound’ was released now 2 1/2 years ago and counting.
Strong songwriting underpins inspired performances delivered by four women with passion for this project and its material in this initial effort by The Highwomen. Instead of writing it all themselves, they took the Nashville approach of utilizing co-writers to refine each effort that began with their original ideas, and it shows in the results.
As if answering a distress call sent out over the airwaves or via a spotlight beamed over Music City, the Highwomen have assembled in the form of the Grammy-winning Brandi Carlile, fiddlemaster Amanda Shires, songwriting markswoman Natalie Hemby, and superstar Maren Morris. “Redesigning Women” is their first taste.
Country and Americana producer extraordinaire, and multi CMA and Grammy Award winner Dave Cobb can now add Country Music Hall of Fame board officer to his resume. He was announced with a host of other new officers by the Country Music Hall of Fame this week, along with the reelection of Vince Gill as the board’s President.
Singer, songwriter, performer, and Pistol Annies member Ashley Monroe is no longer singed with Warner Music Nashville, Saving Country Music has confirmed. Monroe exited the label on May 1st. No reason has been given by Monroe’s management, or Warner Nashville for the departure.
On ‘Between The Country,’ people die, and the light of the world is clouded out by the gloom of hard times, broken hearts, and unsettled minds. But there’s also a strange comfort to Ian Noe’s music, with the stories of tough times and tragic characters resetting one’s perspective on many of the silly concerns of much of modern life.
The Americana Music Association has announced the 2019 nominees for their annual Americana Music Awards to be held this September at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. In a video hosted by The Milk Carton Kids taped at Soundcheck Nashville on Tuesday, May 14th, four nominees in six categories were unveiled.
Randy Rogers is the master of making songs that immediately sit well in your heart and soul, and are hard to shake. It’s not just the melody construction, it’s the stimulation of memory with relatable moments that make a Randy Rogers Band song so easy to warm up to, and so hard to not hum along with.
Before Dave Cobb was Dave Cobb, and Sturgill Simpson was Sturgill Simpson, Dave Cobb produced an album for Edmonton, Alberta singer and songwriter Lucette called Black Is The Color, and Sturgill Simpson appeared prominently in the video of the evocative murder ballad and signature song “Bobby Reid.”
Brandi Carlile is the big winner coming out of the 2019 Grammy Awards Premier Ceremony, where some 70+ awards are handed out ahead of the telecast version of the awards show. This makes Brandi Carlile three for three with the six nominations she is up for on the night.
Beyond her efforts as a solo performer, recording artists, and in the country music supergroup the Pistol Annies, Ashley Monroe is also a respected and accomplished songwriter. Now Monroe’s efforts are being rewarded with a new worldwide publishing deal.
The long wait for fans of the Randy Rogers Band is about to be over. The Texas country band’s much talked-about eighth record produced by Dave Cobb will finally see the light of when ‘Hellbent’ makes its way to stores. “We’re in it for the long haul,” Randy Rogers says.
The nominees for the 2019 Grammy Awards were announced Friday morning (12-7), and some of the things we anticipated happening have happened. But the biggest takeaway, and surprisingly so, is Brandi Carlile earning six total nominations, including all-genre nominations for Album, Song, and Record of the Year.
Country and Americana super producer, and four-time Grammy winner Dave Cobb has signed with Creative Artists Agency, or CAA for representation. This partnership will be specifically about trying to develop more opportunities for Dave Cobb in the realm of television and film.
Georgia songwriter Brent Cobb has been out on the road bolstering his name recognition in 2018 as one of the opening acts on Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show tour, and now as that tour winds down, Brent Cobb has ordered up a bunch of new tour dates coming up in 2019.
Live records can often be a wild card when it comes to sales, but Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s “Live From The Ryman” has proven to be a hit. The successful debut also comes as Jason Isbell just wrapped up another sold-out six night run at the Ryman Auditorium October 22nd through the 28th.
We’re not talking honky tonk country by close approximations and burdened with qualifiers. Dillon Carmichael is the pure, unadulterated, 100 proof version of country. If the term was still cool, you would call it “Outlaw.” This record is nothing short of merciless in how it grinds out one deeply-powerful plodding track after another.
Ever since The Randy Rogers Band began dropping hints and allegations about working with Dave Cobb on a new album, fans have been waiting impatiently for further news or hard details. There is more news finally, but folks are going to have to wait a little bit longer before the new record hits shelves.
A new version of the feature film A Star Is Born is on the way starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, and a host of notable names from the the cool side of country music are included in the movie and soundtrack. But the most surprising takeaway from the track list is the very active participation of Lukas Nelson.
Just the name “Shooter” elicits strong opinions from people in country music. This is the result of being the son of a country hero whose legacy looms so large, the history of the man himself could never match the mythos. Hank Williams Jr. was saddled with such burdens. He’s also the primary inspiration behind “Shooter.”
Get ready for new music coming from Canadian folk country singer and songwriter Colter Wall, who will release his much-anticipated sophomore full-length album Songs of the Plains via Thirty Tigers. Said to be a full dive into the inspiration of his home of the Saskatchewan prairie, Colter writes 7 of the new album’s 11 songs.
True country fans will have to wait a little bit longer to hear the debut record from Kentucky traditionalist Dillon Carmichael after it was announced the release will be delayed due to undisclosed reasons. The Dave Cobb-produced ‘Hell On An Angel’ was originally slated to be released on August 17th, 2018 on Riser House.
Whether there’s any need for panic among fans and artists who are part of the new reshuffle remains to be seen, but it is certainly something to keep an eye on. Often these label reshuffles are enacted with the best of intentions, and the devil is ultimately is in the details.