Well ladies and gentlemen, all the down time of the quarantine is catching up with us with an extra busy final portion of 2021 when it comes to the release of new albums. So to help you stay on top of it all, find this handy dandy guide to the albums you should be on top of.
“Perfection” is a very hard metric to measure when it comes to music. But if your measure of perfection is how well you re-interpret and reinvigorate the classic styles of country music, then Zephaniah OHora’s second record—similar to his first one—scores a 10.0.
It’s been a long and arduous wait for many classic country fans sitting on the edge of their seats for the second record from country songsmith and crooner Zephaniah OHora. But ‘Listening to the Music’ has finally been announced, with a new song “All American Singer” available now.
It’s can be dizzying trying to keep up with all the great releases in country and roots music. The Saving Country Music Top 25 Playlist is built to keep you informed of all the best songs and albums coming out right here, right now, and you get to listen to cool music while doing it. New songs just added.
Music is what we turn to for reprieve from the common irritations and emotional burdens of everyday life. Galax, Virginia’s Dori Freeman is uncommonly blessed with the ability to dispel those difficulties and replace them with a warm appreciation for the simple joys of living through the pacifying nature of her songs.
If you’re wondering what you might look forward to listening to in the final portions of 2019 in country and Americana music, let this be your guide. Here’s all the information Saving Country Music has been able to compile on the most anticipated upcoming releases, along with a more extensive catalog of releases to have on your radar.
The delightfully simple songs of Dori Freeman have made her one of the most cherished songbirds of roots music from this generation, and now she’s getting ready to add to that growing legacy with a new album. The Galax, Virginia native has deep ties to the music from growing up at the legendary Old Fiddler’s Convention.
The problem with Margo Price’s ‘All American Made’ is the same as her first record, ‘Midwest Farmer’s Daughter.’ Though the songwriting is strong in segments, the recordings themselves are lifeless, the playing and mixing is unimaginative, at times Margo’s otherwise strong voice is exposed and naked-feeling in the mix.
Dori Freeman is separating herself from the gaggle of country’s most encouraging prospects by mining the simple beauty from Appalachian dialect, taking deprecated compositions in outmoded tongues and making them feel more relevant than the most modernized hip-hop beats, and then contribution her own original expressions.
As summer concludes and we start to enter what promises to be a very crowded fall for landmark releases in country music, new songs have just been added to Saving Country Music’s Top 25 Playlist to get you ready. Also, the playlist is finally available for those who use Google Play.
Dori Freeman was one of 2016’s greatest discoveries in country music with the release of her debut, self-titled album, scintillating fans and critics alike on its way to the top of many of the end-of-year lists. Now without wasting too much time in between releases and allowing the momentum to subside, she has announced her second album.
The small yet mighty, meticulously-curated, and expertly-planned festival just outside of Portland, OR known as Pickathon continues to be the local festival with international implications in how talent presented at the festival is given the possibility to break out onto the national stage.
Zephanaiah OHora’s This Highway just very well might be a modern classic country masterpiece. It’s flawless for what it is, which is a reawakening of everything brilliant and beautiful about the Countrypolitan era of country music, while leaving all the superfluousness of strings and choruses and other overproduction aside.
Not one, not two, but three nominees for Saving Country Music’s 2016 Album of the Year have made the cut for the lineup of the 2017 Pickathon Music Festival just outside of Portland, Oregon in August. And that’s just where the list of distinguished country-oriented artists for the 2017 season starts.
2016 was a difficult year to be a traditional country music fan in many respects, and not just from the death of so many legends. In independent circles, it was a year of having to settle for albums prefaced with explanations of why the artist decided to move away from their country influences, even if it was just slightly, or just on a temporary basis.
It has once again come that time of year for reflecting back on some of the best albums released in the last 12 months or so, not to treat country music as competition per se, but as an exercise undertaken with the intent of expanding your musical knowledge in hopes the gaps that formed due to the busy lives we all live get filled in with joyous little music projects.
Not all music awards have to go to the worst artists of an industry like we’re used to, or be ushered in with “high school pageantry” (to quote Sturgill Simpson). For 15 years now, the Independent Music Awards have labored to highlight the artists that slip through the cracks in all the major genres of music.
List making either before or after events has become a dubious enterprise of mainstream outlets just looking to troll the fan bases of independent performers to get these performers to dutifully post the coverage to their social network feeds and drive unique views to the outlets while little if any true discovery for said artists by new fans actually occurs.
With over 200 artists playing AmericanaFest this third week of September, it can be a little bit intimidating for the folks either looking to attend in person, or experience the gathering vicariously through various social channels and video streams. So here is a curated list of artists battle tested and approved by Saving Country Music.
As was said in reference to the Best Albums of 2016 So Far, it has been fairly slim pickings for the first part of the year for finding music that really touches the heart, and has the fortitude to last beyond the calendar year. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t exceptions, and 2016 already boasts a number of serious, gut-punching songs.
The AmericanaFest keeps piling on names for their annual gathering, causing you to seriously question your September plans if they don’t involve trekking to Nashville to take in this years festivities. After announcing the first 68 names in early May, another batch of performers has just been released, swelling the participants to a solid 121.
With no disrespect meant to the albums highlighted here, which represent the exception and not the rule, 2016 has begun where the second half of 2015 left off, where it feels like country and roots music across the board is out of ideas, and the search for music that truly enlivens the spirit is becoming harder. Nonetheless, there are still some excellent albums out there worth highlighting.
2016 is still a young, fertile lass and much more still needs to be determined. But I get the sense we’ll be talking about this album again come December, and Dori Freeman will not be a name unknown, but the one of the select few to be measured by.