Here’s some the best Americana and roots-type music releases for November 8th, 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.
Jamey Johnson
Midnight Gasoline (Big Gassed Records)
For the first time in 14 years, Jamey Johnson has a new album out produced by Dave Cobb (the first half of the album was produced by The Kent Hardly Playboys) and marks Johnson’s sixth studio album in total. This is also the first of Johnson’s Cash Cabin Series, which is a collection of albums recorded at the famed studio in Hendersonville, that was owned by Johnny Cash. “There is a spirit in the place. Maybe it was born there from Johnny and June, and maybe it was born there from the countless other artists who have come to that studio to record. But there is a spirit there and I love it.”Johnson continues,”It feels like home to me. I think the only common thread would be me. There isn’t an overtone or some underlying theme in the songs. They are just glimpses of my life. Some of them are just funny stories, and not all of them were written recently.” (edited from Whiskey Riff review)
Yonder Mountain Stringband
Nowhere Next (Frog Pad Records)
The 21st century popularity of bluegrass is not something I would’ve predicted a couple decades ago – I knew it mostly as something my hillbilly neighbors played (too loudly) while growing up in Upstate New York. But, even before it began to peak (via Billy Strings) over the past five years, it was on a slow but steady rise. Turns out, the stellar musicianship required to succeed in our most American form of music also lends itself to jammy-ness, and it’s been that melding of two summer-ready genres that’s made jamgrass/newgrass a huge concert draw, especially at Red Rocks. Fortunately for Yonder Mountain String Band, they formed in just the right place – beautiful Nederland, Colorado – roughly a quarter century ago. Their newest album, Nowhere Next, continues to provide ample amounts of their mountain-ready bluegrass, while also pushing deeper lyrically, serving the song as well as the jam.
Also new this week…
Dean Mueller – Wishes Never Gone (Ripping Glass Entertainment)
Coming out soon … Caleb Klauder & Reeb Wilms, Dwight Yoakam, Dolly Parton, Lucinda Williams and more!
