Here’s some the best Americana and roots-type music releases for June 7th, 2024. Click the artist or album links to find out more. The artist’s names link to their websites and the CD title links go to either Amazon, iTunes, Bandcamp or the artist’s site for ordering or downloading. A + sign means although not a featured release, it’s a notable album that’s still worth checking out. Also, this page will be updated as I find out about other new releases so check back again.
Keegan McInroe
Dusty Passports and Empty Beds (independent)
is Texas singer-songwriter, Keegan McInroe’s seventh studio album and very much a product of post 2020; when the world went into lock down, and what managed to come out at the the other end was our ambition. With time for reflection, McInroe was holed up at his mother’s home in Dublin, TX for the duration. “If hindsight is 2020, I hope to never look back again”, he states. Opening track, Big Year somehow reminds me of New York-born singer-songwriter, Chip Taylor as the vitality it possesses literally jumps up at you as McInroe speaks of all the bad news around him, but how here and there the sun still shines out. McInroe covers John Prine’s Lonesome Friends Of Science. Taken off John’s last album, The Tree Of Forgiveness and is a beautiful piece of writing. McInroe has been around for quite a while and proudly carries the torch for insightful Texas songwriters for the generations, old and indeed new. (edited from Rocking Magpie review)
Tony Trischka
Earl Jam: A Tribute To Earl Scruggs (Down The Road Records)
One afternoon during the height of COVID, Tony Trischka opened a small package with a thumb drive. It contained some extremely rare recordings of Earl Scruggs and John Hartford jamming, mostly taken from private gatherings at Earl’s house during the 1980s and 90s – over 200 songs and tunes – and Tony’s mind was blown! He’d been studying Earl for over 60 years, but now he heard exciting new information in these solos, chock full of twists, turns and exciting revelations. Tony immediately began transcribing and learning his favorites. Tony plays on this album is his own, inspired by Scruggs, every solo is note-for-note Earl’s, from those jams. Tony felt that these tapes might never see the light of day, so he recorded this album in hopes that a host of others could experience the same excitement he felt on hearing Earl’s “new” music. The album was recorded with guest vocalists Sam Bush, Dudley Connell, Sierra Ferrell, The Gibson Brothers, Vince Gill, Del McCoury, Billy Strings, and Molly Tuttle.
Also new this week…
Bonny Light Horseman – Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free (Jagjaguwar Records)
Jesse Daniel – Countin’ The Miles (Die True Records)
Fantastic Cat – Now That’s What I Call Fantastic Cat (Missing Piece Records)
Robert Earl Keen – Western Chill (Scriptorium Rex Records) +
Katie Knipp – Me (independent)
Nolen Sellwood – Cadence to the Flame (New Folk Records)
Parker Smith – Short Street (independent)
Quinn Sullivan – Salvation (Provogue Records)
Joanne Shaw Taylor – Heavy Soul (Journeyman Records)
Nichole Wagner – Plastic Flowers (Star Catcher Music)
Coming out soon … Hermanos Gutiérrez, Yarn, Silverada, Ryan David Green, Jenny Don’t and the Spurs, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Kaitlin Butts, Oliver Wood, Jubal Lee Young, David Serby, Jim Lauderdale, Melissa Carper, Joe Ely, Rory Block, Billy Strings and more!
