Short & Sweet
Afenginn "Ivin (The Doubt)" (Single/Video, 2019); "Skapanin (The Creation)" (Single/Video, 2019).
Afenginn's latest album "Klingra"[69]
has been composed with the vinyl medium in mind and consists of two long parts, ca. 20 minutes each.
"Klingra" is not really the obvious album for singles, nevertheless, Afenginn has been dripping a few of them out
as some kind of sneak peaks. Listen to "Ivin"
and "Skapanin"!
Check out Kim Rafael Nyberg's comment on the single paradox @ afenginn.dk!
El Amir "Andalucía" (CD, Galileo Music Communication, 2020).
Flamenco guitarist Amir John Haddad, a Latin Grammy Nominee with Radio Tarifa 2004 and
right now the guitar soloist of “The World of Hans Zimmer” show, presents his third album “Andalucía,"
featuring 8 tracks dedicated to each Andalusian province as well as a single and a bonus lullaby.
Watch "Andalucía" (Official Video)!
The Reverend Shawn Amos & The Brotherhood "Blue Sky" (CD, Put Together Music, 2020).
“All I’m doing is singing and playing harp.” The Rev preaches the blues once again,[65]
with an energy and passion as if it were the last thing he can do in life.
Watch "Stranger Than Today" (Official Music Video) &
"Counting Down The Days" (Live in Spain)!
Fred Arcoleo "today again" (CD, Rally Folk Records, 2019).
Rally Folk Records aims to touch listeners with stories of human struggle and at the same time provide solace and inspiration to change the world.
Thus, Fred Arcoleo sings of struggle and resilience and calls out for compassion and action.
Check out Fred's Youtube Channel!
Asleep at the Wheel "Paste Studio ATL" (Download, 2020).
Texas swing mainstays Asleep At The Wheel are celebrating their 50th anniversary of being a band.
They stopped by at Paste Studio Atlanta
to play two of their songs, plus a cover of Glen Frey’s “Route 66.”
The Ballroom Thieves "Paste Studio NYC" (Stream/Download, 2020).
The Ballroom Thieves'[60]
welcome back to Paste Studio NYC
coincided with the release of their newest album "Unlovely." Four varied protest songs from this Boston trio.
Balsam Range "The Gospel Collection" (CD, Mountain Home Music Company, 2019).
Acclaimed bluegrass quintet Balsam Range has built an reputation on stellar live performances and countless #1 radio singles and albums.
Throughout, gospel music has been not just a staple, but an integral part of their sound and a reflection of their personal faith.
"The Gospel Collection" features the very best of those recordings released in just over a decade.
Check out Balsam Range @ YouTube!
La Banda Morisca "Gitana mora" (Video, 2019).
Spanish group La Banda Morisca are fusing traditional flamenco and Andalusian rock
with oriental and occidental influences from the South of the
Mediterranean.
Watch their latest video clip, "Gitana mora"!
Bedouine "NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert" (Video, 2018).
Armenian Azniv Korkejian (who made her way to Los Angeles) is Bedouine, a singer and acoustic guitarist who echoes sounds from the 1960's North American folk songwriters,
but with vocal inflections that feel closer to Leonard Cohen than Joni Mitchell or Joan Baez.
Watch Bedouine's NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert!
Mercy Bell "Paste Studio ATL" (Stream/Download, 2020).
The queer Filipino-American folk singer-songwriter Mercy Bell graced the
Paste Studio Atlanta
following the late 2019 release of her sophomore, self-titled album.
Ft. “Chocolate Milk & Whiskey,” “Skip to the Part,” “All Good Cowboys” and “Black Dress.”
Frank Bey "All My Dues Are Paid" (CD, Nola Blue Records, 2020).
“In a time when American Idol-type vocal gymnastics too often pass for soul, Frank Bey is a
perfect reminder of what soul singing is really all about: Communication, warmth, and
emotional sincerity.” (R. Estrin) Frank Bey returns with is an 11-song collection of blues, funk and soul that showcases his baritone and positive worldview.
Watch Frank Bey's recording session @ Greaseland!
Frank Bey Making a Scene!
Black Cat Bones "Tattered & Torn" (CD, BMI Broadcast Music, Inc, 2019).
Five-piece blues rock band Black Cat Bones from Tucson, Arizona
(no relation to the British blues band of the same name that originally accompanied Champion Jack Dupree)
has been formed in 2004 and is committed to bringing their fans Modern Blues that
is on the cutting edge for years to come! "Tattered & Torn" incorporates elements of blues, rock, jazz and soul, inspired by both
blues legends such as B.B. King and Muddy Waters and blues rockers like Johnny Winter and ZZ Top.
Bill Blue "The King Of Crazy Town" (CD, Conch Town Music, 2020).
Key West bluesman Bill Blue (sic!) learnt his chops on the road playing guitar with Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup.
After Crudup died, Bill went into retirement to resurface again in 2013 with the Mojolation comeback album.
His sophomore release crackles with edgy guitars, topped by Bill’s gritty vocals.
Watch Bill Blue perform a live version of "Who Do?"
Anne Briggs "Anne Briggs" (Vinyl, Topic Records, 1971/2019).
The 1971 debut album by Anne Briggs,[55]
widely regarded as a pillar of any folk collection and largely unavailable for 48 years, has been
re-issued as part of the Topic Treasures series - i.e. deluxe format with rare images and new liner notes.
It contains some of Briggs’ most notable songs, including ‘Blackwater Side,’ which she taught to Bert Jansch,[67]
and ‘Go Your Way,’ co-written with Jansch.
David Bromberg Band "Big Road" (CD, Red House Records, 2020).
After nearly a half century as a recording artist, David Bromberg[58]
was determined to give fans “something of value” — 12 new tracks, five performance videos and a mini-documentary detailing the album’s creation.
Check out Bromberg performing the title track @ Paste Studio!
Jacqui Brown "Love Love Love" (CD, Woodward Avenue Records, 2019).
Jacqui Brown has done it all: fashion model, journalist, book author, standup comedian.
Recently she co-wrote music with her husband Paul Brown. The result is the country-tinged album "Love Love Love."
Watch the title track, "Love Love Love"!
Kevin Brown "Heroes and Sparrows" (CD, Turkey King Music, 2019).
Spokane/Washington based singer-songwriter-storyteller Kevin Brown reminds us that ordinary people have a capacity for goodness and hope.
Watch "Back When We Were Heroes" (Live):
heroes fly and sparrows fall while heaven watches all!
Michael Jerome Browne "That's Where It's At" (CD, Borealis Records, 2019).
Canadian finger-picker stylist Michael Jerome Browne's[38] performances inspire to see the interconnections between the many cultures and influences
that gave birth to American roots music: blues, gospel, old-time, country, soul and cajun.
Watch Michael Jerome Browne at the Duncan Showroom 2019!
Bart Budwig "Another Burn on the Astroturf" (CD, Fluff & Gravy Records, 2020).
Idaho's Bart Budwig is a seemingly incongruous mix of country crooner and R&B shouter.
Watch "Rolling Stoned", filmed at the historic OK Theatre, Oregon,
featuring a 10-piece band including indie folk duo The Hackles.[70]
Caitlin Canty "Cold Habit" (Video, 2019).
American singer/songwriter Caitlin Canty wrapped up touring and has since been working on her next record. For now, she got a new video to share.
Jonny Song Catcher stopped by and shot a video, her dog Mackay stole the show.
Watch "Cold Habit"!
Jo Carley and The Old Dry Skulls "Dead Man Walking" (Video, 2019).
Hey ghouls and girls, come down and shake your bones! Jo Carley and The Old Dry Skulls
have gigs booked across the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and Italy.
They also have a crazy new tropical voodoo punk music video taken from their 2019 album "Shake Them Rattlin' Bones";[69]
please watch "Dead Man Walking" (Official Video)!
Alexandre Cavaliere "Manouche Moderne" (CD, Home Records, 2020).
Alexandre Cavaliere is a celebrated Gypsy violinist. Now he is back with a project which mixes jazz in the style of Django Reinhardt with
bebop and modern jazz. Watch the Alexandre Cavaliere Quintet!
Amberly Chalberg "hi-line" (CD, Own label, 2019).
Denver-based Americana singer-songwriter Amberly Chalberg expands her sound from indie folk into alt-country territory.
Her debut full-length album is scheduled for European release in March 2020;
check out full album stream via BandCamp!
Mary Chapin Carpenter "Our Man Walter Cronkite" (Single/Video, 2019).
“The song is less about an iconic newsman and his seminal broadcast of the Apollo moon landing and more about the mysterious passing of time,”
Mary Chapin Carpenter told Rolling Stone Country magazine.
“Growing up, Walter Cronkite was in our house Monday through Friday, presenting the news as The Most Trusted Man
In America, as he was known in his time. My parents raised us to believe that people in jobs like Cronkite's told the truth; they raised us to
believe in a world that reaches out to those who need help, that does not turn away from those less fortunate, or homeless, or those forced to
leave their country because of the threat of violence, poverty and persecution. The arms were there to hold them, the eyes to see them,
and the hearts of the world were there to love them. Because that was the right thing. It’s a different time now. I miss my parents, and I
miss Walter Cronkite.” Watch Our Man Walter Cronkite (Official Video)!
Jeff Chaz "No Paint" (CD, JCP Records, 2019).
Among Jeff Chaz’s past awards and achievements are winning the first Beale St. Blues Society Award, and singing
“Amazing Grace” on the opening day of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.
His first album in three years, and his first with his power blues trio puts an emphasis on catchy song-hooks and hot guitar licks.
Check out Jeff's YouTube channel!
Che Apalache "Borderlands", "Red Rocking Chair" (Video, 2019).
In October, Latingrass band Che Apalache[69]
toured the US/Mexico borderlands of Arizona. The trip was a harrowing look at the border's effect on the lives of those that live around it.
"It is meaningful when artists like Che Apalache can come to the border to witness and shine a light on the injustices, the abuse and the desecration of human life.
Their music will bring healing and hope in a time and place that feels lost and hopeless." (Rev. Randy J. Mayer)
Watch the "Borderlands" documentation!
See also "Red Rocking Chair" (Live @ Nichols Canyon, California),
incorporating their trademark Latin textures into American roots music .
Popa Chubby "It's A Mighty Hard Road" (CD, Own label, 2020).
"You know me? I’m not what you think I am," says Popa Chubby,[68]
"I’m half human, half beast, 300 pounds of muscle and man, New York-born native son. Grew up hard, too big to run. I came up on the streets of the Bronx,
Queens and Manhattan. I sought the streets to find the love I could not get at home but all I found was trouble, heartache and despair in the barrel
of a gun and the eye of a needle in my vein. Then the music saved me, the guitar saved me and I was no longer fat Teddy from the block. I was a player,
a singer, a writer, and I found out people loved me for that. I was risen from the ashes, made stronger from the fire, I was ready for the trials and
the tribulations that would bring me to where I am now. My friends, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, my humble
offering to you: Fifteen tracks of my very bestest. No matter who you are, no matter what you do, no matter what you believe, we are all the same and …
Its A Mighty Hard Road!
Crow vs Lion "The Heart, The Time, The Pen" (CD, Own label, 2019).
Crow vs Lion is the music/art project of Dan Gallagher from Pennsylvania.
The songwriting style of this peculiar Indie Folk alters from piece to piece; there are four songs in each of the three sections (themes)
with the concluding title track embodying Heart, Time & Pen.
Have a listen @ BandCamp;
watch "Entropy"!
Dan and Faith "Then and Now" (CD, Own label, 2019).
New Hampshire husband-and-wife duo Daniel and Faith Senie create "dream-inspired" folk songs celebrating life's quiet moments and hope for the future.
You might catch their camper-van somewhere in Canada and the US, or listen to their music and stories in some coffeehouse or library.
The Dead South "Paste Studio NYC" (Download/Video, 2020).
Since Canadian neo-bluegrass band The Dead South formed in 2012, they have received critical and commercial success. Get thrilled
with some songs off their 2019 release 'Sugar & Joy,'
stream / download The Dead South @ Paste Studio NYC!
To promote their upcoming European tour, The Dead South have released a double single featuring their songs 'Black Lung' and 'Heaven in a Wheelbarrow.'
Watch 'Black Lung' (Live from Germantown, Nashville)!
Tony Denikos "Gravity Wins" (CD, Own label, 2020).
45 years of writing, recording, performing and living are distilled in this collection of pure Americana.
Washington singer-songwriter Tony Denikos delivers fine slide and finger style guitar on a dozen witty and ironical songs.
Nicole Ní Dhubhshláine & Kyle Macaulay "Barra Taoide - High Tide" (CD, Own label, 2019).
Nicole Ní Dhubhshláine (flute, concertina) and Kyle Macaulay (guitar) met at University College Cork
where they are both studying music in its renowned music department. Despite being from opposite
ends of the country, Kerry and Donegal, respectiveky, the two share an ethos of preserving, promoting and performing music from their localities.
Watch "Cheer Up Old Hag"!
Peter Doran "Nothing New Under the Sun" (Video, 2019).
Irish Alt.Folk songwriter Peter Doran pointed us to a video of an acoustic live in studio performance in his Oldtown Studios, Westmeath, of a new song stripped down to it's bare bones,
"Nothing New Under the Sun".
The version on his forthcoming album will feature a full string section and band along with harmony vocals from Emmett Tinley.
Michael Doucet "Lâcher Prise" (CD, Compass Records, 2020).
Cajun singer Michael Doucet,[59]
founder and frontman of BeauSoleil,[51]
crafts the quintessential Louisiana soundtrack stirring up a sweet and simmering brew of Acadian tradition, swamp soul, and infectious grooves.
“In French, Lâcher Prise means ‘let go’,” he explains. “It’s also a Buddhist term. When it came to making this music, it was just total freedom.
I’ve reached a point in my life and career where I can do whatever the hell I want to do.”
Watch "Water Water"!
Eamonn Dowd & The Racketeers "Songs From the Fever Ship" (CD, Intendance, 2019).
Swedish-based Irish rocker Eamonn Dowd[29]
has teamed up with former Horslips drummer Eamon Carr.[53]
All lyrics are written by Carr, including Horslips' Cú Chulainn's Lament from The Tain (1973) and Jim Lockhart playing organ and flute.
Dowd's music conjures up the dislocated and broken-hearted.
Watch "Cú Chulainn's Lament"!
Doug Duffey and Badd "Play the Blues" (CD, Out of the Past Music, 2019).
Living and working off and on in New Orleans from the 1960's to 1990's, singer-pianist Doug Duffey
has absorbed that city’s jazz and funk musical styles and mixed them with his own roots in the Louisiana Mississippi Delta: blues,
rock'n'roll, soul and gospel. Call it ‘Bayou Funk’, ‘Swampadelic’ or ‘Bluesiana’.
Watch Dan's YouTube channel!
The Earls of Leicester "Live at The CMA Theater at The Country Music Hall of Fame" (Video, 2019).
The film features performance highlights and backstage interviews from the two 2018 Earls of Leicester
concerts at The CMA Theatre in The Country Music Hall of Fame that became their first ever live album.
To view the film, go to The Earls Of Leicester YouTube Page!
The Early Risers "making life sweet" (CD, Itchy Sabot Records, 2019).
For four years Ashley Storrow and Putnam Smith have toured the US from East to West, and people kept asking
when are they finally going to record their rootsy songs about rural life in New England.
Watch album preview!
Georgia English "Learn to Drive" (CD, Own label, 2019).
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Georgia English blends Americana music with a contemporary female perspective.
Featuring a traditional rock’n’roll line up, "Learn to Drive" is an homage to the legacy of roots-rock and storytelling.
Check out "Learn to Drive"!
Stephen Fearing "The Unconquerable Past" (CD, Fish Records, 2019).
The co-founder of Blackie and The Rodeo Kings' 13th solo album is pushing beyond his own comfort zone of folk and roots music,
the title track setting the stage for most of the songs:
"Even within the recording industry we are in such a period of transition. The past has so many good things to offer us that we are in very real danger of throwing out the baby with the bathwater."
Watch "Someone Else's Shoes"!
Algis Fediajevas "Pėdsakų lede nepalikus" (CD, Resonating Wood Recordings, 2019).
The latest release from Lithuanian guitar player Algis Fediajevas, "Pėdsakų lede nepalikus" (Footprints in the Ice), is a seven-track album
defined by his psychedelic guitar playing and poetic but angry lyrics of a person who feels the need to comment on the state of the world.
Ft. Emma Reid (flute) and John Hannon (violin).
Check out Algis' YouTube channel!
Katie Ferrara "Break Free" (CD, Imagine Cat Music, 2020).
Katie Ferrara is an alt.pop singer-songwriter from Los Angeles who
began as a busker and performed at street festivals worldwide.[67]
She even wrote a book about her experiences on the road, "Stories from the Street".[64]
Her debut album "Break Free" is about growing up and leaving behind the past.
Watch "Living in Black and White",
"Lost in your Ocean Eyes",
"Weightless"!
Fireside Collective "Elements" (CD, Mountain Home, 2020).
Progressive bluegrass group Fireside Collective from Asheville, North Carolina, made an impact
with music that is part bluegrass and part roots rock with a good dose of funk-influenced danceable rhythms.
The single “She Was An Angel” had been premiered by The Bluegrass Situation!
Samantha Fish "Paste Studio NYC" (Download, 2019).
Blues vocalist-guitarist Samantha Fish's mission on her recent 6th solo album has been “Strong messages from the heart – that’s what I really set out for.”
She made an appearance at Paste Magazine's NYC studio to perform a three-song solo session.
Listen & download Samantha @ Paste Studio NYC!
Watch "She Don't Live Around Here"!
Florist "Shadow Bloom", "M" (Video, 2019).
"Band To Watch": Florist is an American indie pop band from Brooklyn, New York, founded by lead vocalist Emily Sprague.
Check out "Shadow Bloom" & "M"!
Spike Flynn "Just This Side Of Here" (CD, Own label, 2019).
Spike Flynn is a singer-songwriter who grew up in a small country town in New South Wales in Australia and his songs often reflect this.
So expect story-telling songs with a small country feel.
Check him out @ BandCamp!
Jeffrey Foucault "Blood Brothers" (CD, Blueblade Records, 2020).
The sixth collection of original songs are a departure from the electricity of Americana troubadour Jeffrey Foucault's last outing,
pulling together strands of folk, country, gospel, R&B and rock'n'roll.
Videos: ‘Blood Brothers’ (ft. Pieta Brown), ‘War on the Radio’,
‘Blown’ (ft. Tift Merritt)! Jeffrey will be touring the UK from April 1-11, 2020!
Gillian Frame & Findlay Napier with Mike Vass "The Ledger" (CD, Cheerygroove Records, 2020).
Every week in the late 1950s and early 1960s The Scotsman newspaper published a traditional Scottish folk song, i.e.
lyrics and melody alongside an explanatory article, later published as The Scottish Folksinger.
Findlay Napier's grandfather cut them out and pasted them into an old ledger.
"The Ledger" is a time capsule of the fledgeling Scottish and UK folk scene
and is brought to life by Findlay Napier,[70]
Gillian Frame[20]
and Mike Vass.[56]
Check it out @ BandCamp!
Watch Findlay Napier, Gillian Frame and Ali Hutton performing "Jamie Raeburn," "Baloo Baleerie" & "Twa Recruitin Sergeants" @ the TED Summit in Edinburgh!
Annie Gallup "Bookish" (CD, Flyaway Hair, 2019).
Annie Gallup,[59]
who also records as the duo Hat Check Girl[57] with Peter Gallway (see below),
had internalized a unique songwriting style that had evolved from
her fascination with country blues and a dancer’s sense of rhythm.
Annie says, “I’ve been unable to travel for several years because I have chronic Lyme Disease.
It has turned my world upside down and made it very small. Touring and performing are out of the question. But I’m writing, constantly, and I’ve
recorded these new songs to sound the way I would play them on stage if I were able to bring them to you in person”.
Check out Annie's YouTube channel!
Peter Gallway & The Real Band "Reach For It" (CD, Gallway Bay Music, 2019).
Partnering with Annie Gallup (see above) as the duo Hat Check Girl,[57]
Peter Gallway[59]
is on his own again. It is still melancholic and poetic, but his most funky when he sings about "Kid Motown."
Watch "True"!
Abbie Gardner "Jezabel" (Video, 2020).
Abbie Gardner is a dobro and lap steel player knonw from American folk trio Red Molly.
In 2015 Red Molly went on an extended hiatus and the band members pursued solo projects.
"Jezabel" is an older song of hers with a new arrangement. Watch it performed and filmed in November 2019 @
Cathedral Arts Live (New Jersey)!
Gibrish "Andrahandssånger" (CD, Paraplyrecords, 2019).
Gibrish from Sundsvall, Sweden, has been described as a rusty rockband with elements of blues, folk and vaudeville.
Let's say they put Americana into the deep, dark woods of Sweden.
Watch "Vilse bland stjärnorna"!
Tom Gilberts "Old School" (CD, Polymerase Records, 2020).
The aptly titled "Old School" is a 12 track collection of original songs that hits a wide variety of genres of blues, R&B and rock.
Tom Gilberts claims a myriad of influences - from Robert Cray to Frank Zappa.
Eliza Gilkyson "Sooner or Later" (Video, 2020).
Singer-songwriter Eliza Gilkyson[67]
is keeping with the idea of folk music as an instrument for change. Her forthcoming release, "2020,"
ia a collection of politically charged anthems designed to motivate, reflect and inspire action
during what she believes will be the most important USA election of our lifetime.
Listen to her condemnation of the current regime’s policies, "Sooner or Later",
and celebrating her commitment to care for and protect the "Beautiful World of Mine"!
Tomislav Goluban "Hayloft Blues" (Single, Spona, 2019).
“Hayloft Blues” is the first single from Croatian blues harpist Tomislav Goluban's
forthcoming studio album “Memphis Light”. Tomislav had the following comment:
"This cheerful, hill-country blues-colored track is inspired by old times when country people collected and stacked hay by
hand. And it all worked out just fine as whole families of neighbors gladly helped each other. Hay was stacked with
pitchforks onto the wagons pulled by horses, cows or oxen. The heavy labor, fortunately, was well-spiced with song and
laughter. Also, common to both Europe and America--hay was very often the setting for various love activities and this
makes the song universal."
Watch "Hayloft Blues"!
The Gothic Cowboy (aka Melvin Litton) & Mando Dan "Between the Wars" (Do-CD, Own label, 2019).
I’ve got an opinion on everything and I’ll sing till I’m hoarse or the stalls are empty, says
The Gothic Cowboy aka Melvin Litton. When he retired the Border Band in 2016 after a 20 year run,
he partnered up with 'Mandolin' Dan Hermreck and you can catch their sounds on their live double CD:
stoic and dark country, folk and blues music.
The Grascals "Haggard" (Single/Video, 2020).
The Grascals' single "Haggard" has reached #1 on Bluegrass Unlimited's February chart, written by Harley Allen about his
dog who was named after the legendary Merle Haggard.[60]
It pays homage to a family’s unsung hero. A special video is dedicated to the ones we love and the ones we've lost.
Watch "Haggard" (Fan Video)!
Greensky Bluegrass "Paste Studio ATL" (Stream/Download, 2020).
Michigan's Greensky Bluegrass[38]
were once again making a stop at Paste Studio.
They played two songs off their 2019 release "All For Money," plus a special cover of Dire Straits’ classic song “Money For Nothing.”
Hansan "Du Du Du" (Single, Makaki Music, 2020).
Hansan is the Swedish word for the Hanseatic League which was a trade group between Scandinavia
and Middle Europe in the 14th to 17th centuries, much as Swedish/German duo Hansan now is trading their songs.
Singer Sofia Talvik[70]
and cellist David Floer blend lush vocals with intricate celloarrangements drawing on folk, jazz and chamber music.
Watch the first single from the upcoming debut album, "Du Du Du"!
Lynne Hanson "Just Words" (CD, Own label, 2020).
Too tough for folk and too blues influenced for country! Ottawa-based singer-songwriter Lynne Hanson,
one half of The LYNNeS, a collaboration between herself and Lynn Miles,[66] has released her seventh studio album.
Watch "Just Words" (Official video)!
Matt Harlan "Mountain Pose" (Video, 2019).
His latest collection of songs “became much more political than I imagined,” Matt Harlan says. “Everything I wrote ended up being about current events. The
theme through the record is trying to makes sense of our crazy world today.”
Watch "Mountain Pose"!
Chuck Hawthorne "Fire Out of Stone" (CD, 3 Notches Music, 2019).
In Chuck Hawthorne's own words:
“I’d purposely let a package that had been delivered to the house sit unopened on my workbench for quite some time. I knew the contents. Edith
Dobson had thoughtfully sent her late husband’s final album to me from Switzerland.[70]
It wasn’t an album I wanted playing in the background as
I shuffled around the shop; it deserved a genuine listen with a full spirit. Late one night, after all our houseguests made it to bed, I put
Richard Dobson’s last record on and discovered the song, I Will Fight No More Forever. I probably listened to it 20 times that night. The next day,
I realized Dobson had gifted me the theme of my next album. I started looking into my back catalog selecting songs about survival, transition, and
moving on - crucible songs - making Fire Out Of Stone.”
Watch "Amarillo Wind" (Official Music Video)!
Neil Bob Herd & The Dirty Little Acoustic Band "Every Soul A Story" (CD, Cattlecall Music, 2019).
The debut album by Scotsman Neil Bob Herd, formerly singer and guitarist of Alt.Bluegrass band The Coal Porters,
is an eclectic blend of Americana roots, folk and country adding a little more electricity to the Porters' acoustic palette.
Videos: ‘Bad Land’ & ‘Coming Back as Jason’!
The Highwomen "The Highwomen" (CD, Low Country Sound, 2019).
While country radio remains a male operation, The Highwomen (Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires and Brandi Carlile) decided to make a statement.
These four artists explore every facet of femininity and humanity: work, family, children, straight romance, queer romance, shitty men, imperfect women.
Watch "Redesigning Women"!
Hot Club of Los Angeles "Cinema Swing" (CD, Own label, 2020).
The Hot Club of Los Angeles, comprised of Los Angeles-based musicians with backgrounds in country, jazz, folk, blues, rock, pop
and world music, is a neo Django Reinhardt ensemble that showcases eclectic arrangements of gypsy jazz instrumentals (“Swing Gitan”),
songs in French (“Nuages”) and Russian (“Óči čjórnye”), and gypsy jazz-inspired originals.
Check out the Hot Club's YouTube channel!
Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley "Brown-Eyed Women" (Video, 2020).
With white-hot picking and stone country vocals the duos latest album, "World Full of Blues," has cracked the Americana Radio Top 20.
Watch dobro player Rob Ickes and guitarist Trey Hensley with guest Vince Gill performing a spirited rendition of the Grateful Dead's moonshinin' song
"Brown-Eyed Women",
shot on location in Lynchburg, TN at Jack Daniel's Distillery.
Ida Mae "Love Is Still A Long Road" (Video, 2019).
“We’ve existed on the road together for so long with an almost Bonnie & Clyde lifestyle...”
The video for "Love Is Still A Long Road" is a show-reel of snapshots of Chris Turpin and Stephanie Ward as they travel
across the US, capturing the love they have for performing live as well as for each other.
Watch "Love is Still a Long Road" (Official Video)!
Sariyah Idan "Breaking Shadows" (CD, Urban Jewess Productions, 2019).
Sariyah Idan is an American singer-songwriter whose debut album, "Breaking Shadows," has been born
at the crossroads of folk, soul, jazz, hip hop and her Eastern European Jewish roots.
Check it out @ BandCamp!
The first in a series of videos, a taster for the single "That Woman," can be viewed @ YouTube!
I'm With Her "Lover's Return" (Video, 2020).
Dolly Parton turned 74 on January 19th and female folk trio I'm With Her (Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O'Donovan & Sara Watkins)[65]
celebrated with an incredible cover. Watch I'm With Her's version of "Lover's Return"
from the 'Trio II' record with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris.
Ismay "Songs of Sonoma Mountain" (CD, Fast Atmosphere, 2020).
California-based singer-songwriter Avery Hellman has named his project after a scattered village in the Great Plains
evoking that the Ismay sound is connected to the landscape in which he lives.
The album was recorded in a sheep barn at the family ranch,
Watch "When I Was Younger, I Cried"!
Stream/download "Songs of Sonoma Mountain" (Noisetrade)!
Ismay has also compiled a podcast entitled Where the World Begins to accompany the record.
Jack Mack & The Heart Attack "Live from Centennial Park - Atlanta - 1996" (CD, Free Roll Records, 2019).
In 1996, Jack Mack & The Heart Attack performed at the XXVI Olympiad in Atlanta, Georgia, before 40,000 party goers.
As the R&B and soul band closed their set, a pipe bomb exploded in close proximity to the stage killing 1 person and injuring 111.
Now, Clint Eastwood and Leonardo DiCaprio have released a film drama titled "Richard Jewell,"
based on the story of the security guard who was wrongly accused of being the bomber.
The film features two songs of the 11-song set cut short by the bomb blast that cuts off the recording.
Check out Andrew Kastner and Bill Bergman (of Jack Mack and the Heart Attack) Interview!
Sunny Jain "Wild Wild East" (CD, Smithsonian Folkways, 2020).
Smithsonian Folkways is proud to announce the upcoming release of the new solo album by Sunny Jain,
Brooklyn-based composer, drummer, dhol player and bandleader of bhangra/funk/hip-hop band Red Baraat.[50]
"Wild Wild East" is about interrogating American myths to make them fit the reality of our world:
“The immigrant is the current-day cowboy or cowgirl.”
Listen to "Immigrant Warrior"!
Jiggy "Hypernova" (CD, Big Beat Music, 2020).
Their debut album ‘Translate’ went to number 1 in the world music charts, the sophomore album of this Irish
further explores traditional Irish music while bringing the flavour of world rhythms and dance grooves
to the table. Ft. Aoife Kelly (vocals, fiddle), Éamonn de Barra (flute), Éamonn Galldubh (uilleann pipes),
and a host of outstanding guest musicians such as fiddler Daire Bracken or whistle Alan Doherty.
Watch "Hypernova" on Fleadh TV!
The Jimmys "Gotta Have It" (CD, Brown Cow Records, 2019).
"Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet"
muses guitarist Perry Weber in the opening song: Wisconsin vocalist-pianist Jimmy Voegeli of Swiss heritage
is tending the cows by day, and playing kick ass blues and R&B by night.
Check out "Grim Reaper" (Live) and
The Jimmys Making A Scene!
Glenn Jones "Ready for the Good Times" (CD, Good Guys Music, 2020).
North Carolina based singer-songwriter-storyteller Glenn Jones offers a dozen soulful songs of life, love, and hope.
He says, “My writing has matured and is more from the heart. Let the words and story rule, not my voice or guitar.”
Watch Ready for the Good Times,
originally a belting rock anthem turned into moderate country music (after his near-death experience after heavy drinking).
Since then Jones put writing and performing music first
(“Sure, I’m older than a lot of the folks out there trying to make it in the singer songwriter world, but I have things to say, I know what matters in this life”),
and “getting older can be a pain....but there's compensations”:
They All Look Good To Me!
Jon Stickley Trio "Scripting The Flip" (CD, Organic Records, 2020).
Though rooted in the traditions of bluegrass music,
the Asheville, NC-based Jon Stickley Trio crafts genre-defying acoustic music that is joyful and unconventional.
Watch "Animate Object" [Official Video], a blend of jazz, latin, and dance music.
Says Stickley, “The world is a swirling collection of objects passing through space and time.
As humans, we have our own orbits that intersect with others as we live in the world. ‘Animate Object’ explores the idea of different
musical orbits coming together to create something unexpected.”
Andrea von Kampen "Romeo & Juliet" (EP, 2020).
Andrea von Kampen was commissioned by the Flatwater Shakespeare Company to write a 5-song folk EP based on Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet"
to accompany their upcoming spring production in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Check out YouTube or
BandCamp!
Ruston Kelly "Paste Studio NYC" (Stream/Download, 2019).
It started off as a fan joke for his bittersweet country songs, but then Ruston Kelly dubbed Dirt Emo his genre.
He stopped by Paste Studio NYC
to perform three songs from Dirt Emo Vol. 1, a new collection of cover songs.
See also "Screaming Infidelities" (ft. Chris Carrabba) and his
backstage interview at Tønder Festival 2019!
Ranzel X Kendrick "Texas Cactus" (CD, Own label, 2019).
"Texas Cactus" closes Ranzel X Kendrick's three-CD Texas Trilogy, offering a very original pop rock freestyle folk groove.
Watch the Texas Cactus Photo Album Video!
Benji Kirkpatrick & The Excess "Gold has worn away" (CD, Westpark Music, 2019).
Whilst best known for his membership in progressive folk bands such as Faustus, Seth Lakeman Band and Bellowhead, on this album English singer/songwriter Benji Kirkpatrick shows a different side to his talents. Described in the sleeve notes as Alt Roots Rock, the songs on the album are top quality but well removed from English folk, being a much more radio friendly indie rock/pop style. Benji is joined on the album by ex Bellowhead colleagues, drummer Pete Flood and bassist Pete Thomas.
Check out Benji Kirkpatrick & The Excess behind the scenes at Henwood Studios whilst making 'Gold Has Worn Away'!
Jeremy Kittel "The Boxing Reels" (Video, 2019).
Kittel & Co.[67]
had an absolute blast on tour from California to Nova Scotia last fall.
They also loved joining Chris Thile on Live From Here,
a modern variety show broadcast on public radio stations across the US.
Watch "The Boxing Reels"!
See also Chris Thile, Chris Eldridge and Jeremy Kittel getting into a
Fiddle Tune Request (St. Anne's Reel / Whiskey Before Breakfast / Salt Creek)!
Greg Klyma "Fake Songs", "Maybe The Ocean", "C&W" (Digital, 2019).
Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter Greg Klyma has had a productive 2019, recording and releasing three albums in total:
the folk music-inspired "Fake Songs", the rock'n'roll-driven "Maybe The Ocean" and the twangy "C&W".
Most remarkably, they're all quite good, and he already has another album in the pipeline.
Watch Greg Klyma live in Belgium 2018!
Mick Kolassa "Blind Lemon Sessions" (CD, Endless Blues Records, 2020).
Mick Kolassa began this acoustic album when Thomas Schleiken, of Blind Lemon Records, invited him to do some shows in Germany and record songs for
a compilation. What began as a couple of songs expanded into "Blind Lemon Sessions," featuring old favorites and new compositions
(a few tracks are not blues or even blues-ish).
Check out Mick Kolassa Making A Scene!
L'Alba "Alba", "Sempre caru", "Madrigale" (Video, 2020).
The six musicians and singers of Corsican ensemble L'Alba[67]
draw from the vocal tradition of 'paghjella' (three-voice polyphonies)
adding sounds from the Mediterranean to India.
Director Vincent Moon followed the band on tour in Corsica last summer, see three concert excerpts:
"Alba",
"Sempre caru",
"Madrigale"!
Jim Lauderdale "Cackalacky" (Video, 2020).
Jim Lauderdale is an A-list Nashville songwriter whose songs have ruled the country charts. His new
bluegrass album, featuring members from bands such as Steep Canyon Rangers and Balsam Range,
pays homage to his native North Carolina.[70]
Watch "Cackalacky",
a raucous tune co-written with North Carolina songwriter-activist Si Kahn[69]
that declares North Carolina “always means home sweet home.”
Gilles Le Bigot "An Distro" (Video, 2019).
Breton guitarist and composer Gilles Le Bigot is around since the early 1980's (e.g. co-founder of Skolvan).[69]
Check out this video recorded at the Rencontres de Chants Polyphoniques de Calvi 2019 in Corsica, featuring
Aïda and Babak (Iran), Naran and Nasaa (Mongolia) as well as Marthe Vassallo.
Watch "An Distro"!
The Legendary Ingramettes "Take A Look In The Book" (CD, Virginia Folklife Records, 2020).
Raised in the Civil Rights Era, Richmond's African-American all-female gospel quintet The Legendary Ingramettes
(founded by Maggie Ingram who passed away in 2015) has got 65 years of history behind them and eyes on a bright future.
Watch "Take A Look In The Book" (Richmond Folk Festival 2017)!
The Legends of Tomorrow "Don’t Go to Nashville" (EP, Market Square Records, 2019).
Since 1995, Belfastman Colin Harper has created The Legends of Tomorrow for gathering many musical friends together.
This EP was inspired by the obsession among songwriters with the idea of ‘Nashville’ and the ‘scourge of co-writing’.
‘Don’t Go to Nashville’ is free of formula, none of this would pass a ‘Nashville co-writing’ exam.
Listen to 'Don't Go to Nashville' & 'Greta Thunberg at the End of Time'!
Elaine Lennon "Elaine Lennon" (CD, Own label, 2020).
2019 Celtic Connections Danny Kyle Award Winner Elaine Lennon is writing songs free from genre and period.
She says she wants songs that have great melodies, stories that make her laugh and cry, and carry a message.
Check out her debut album ft. Patsy Reid (fiddle), Iain Sloan (pedal steel), Findlay Napier (guitar) and
Euan Burton (bass) @ BandCamp!
Bianca De Leon "Dangerous Endeavor" (CD, Lonesome Highway Music, 2018).
Bianca De Leon is a is a real Texan, born near Corpus Christi and living in Austin.
She says she is influenced by Townes Van Zandt and Hank Williams, it shows in a a very particular style somewhere between country and folk.
Watch "Dangerous Endeavor" (Live @ El Mercado Backstage 2019)!
Les Tireux d'Roches "Il est grand temps" (Video, 2019).
In summer, Québécois group Les Tireux d'Roches was touring through picturesque villages in France.
In order to remember the good moments, they decided to film their time there.
Watch "Il est grand temps", taken from their last album "Tarmacadam."[65]
Levellers "Food Roof Family" (Single/Video, 2020).
"Food Roof Family" is the first single from the Levellers'[66]
forthcoming album, 'Peace'. Watch the Official Music Video!
Sam Lewis "Solo" (CD, Loversity Records, 2020).
Nashville-based country-soul singer-songwriter Sam Lewis, dubbed “a modern Townes Van Zandt” (Chris Stapleton),
has discovered the place where feel-good music meets social commentary.
His latest release is a solo-acoustic, intimate recording featuring new material alongside reimagined songs from his back catalogue.
Watch "Neighbors" & "I Love You".
Sam is undertaking an extensive European tour until mid March 2020.
The Lone Bellow "Paste Studio NYC" (Stream/Download, 2020).
Paste magazine was thrilled to welcome back indie-folk act The Lone Bellow to their NYC studio.
They played four very stripped-down versions of songs from their new album, "Half Moon Light".
Stream/Download Paste Studio NYC!
Watch "Good Times"!
The Lost Brothers "After The Fire After The Rain" (CD, Bird Dog Recordings, 2020).
“After The Fire After The Rain” is the 6th album from Irish duo Oisin Leech and Mark McCausland.
The Lost Brothers remain true to their love of Gothic folk and roots music: “More than any
other album these songs are inspired by our native land and all the beauty of the island with its rain, its dreams and storms.”
Watch “Fugitive Moon” &
"After The Fire" (ft. M Ward and Howe Gelb on electric guitars)!
Ruby Lovett "It's A Hard Life" (CD, PuffBunny Records, 2019).
Sweet honky tonk music
straight from the heart!
Riley brings the fiddle around
and the blues comes to town every now and then!
There's a message too: If we poison our children with hatred, then a hard life is all that they'll know!
Marlia Project "Palisandros" (Video, 2019).
Indie-folk artist Marlia Project's "Palisandros" (Rosewood) was self-recorded as Marlia travelled around the world:
"This is the first song I have written in in my native Cypriot dialect. I conceived the melody 3 years ago while rehabilitating from a knee
surgery and being hosted in Greece by my dear friend & exceptional guitarist Bill Stathopoulos, I wrote the lyrics while trying it on the piano of my
brilliant songsister Arianna Tondo ヅ in Italy, I recorded it with special creature's Benjamin Hedengran Andersen classical guitar in a soundproofless hut
in India, I used the chimes, rattles, cajon and djembe belonging to multi-talented musician and top-notch father David Esteban, while shooting the video
in the wilderness of the Philippines with charismatic and tribal soulsister Dona Tumacder-Esteban, finally mixing and producing it in the company of my
dogs in Cyprus." Watch "Palisandros" [Παλίσανδρος]!
Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers "California" (Video, 2020).
The Steep Canyon Rangers had a great time joining actor and banjo player Steve Martin on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Steve Martin leads the troupe through a rousing rendition of their new single,
"California"!
James McArthur and the Head Gardeners "Intergalactic Sailor" (CD, Moorland Records, 2019).
Described as "a British answer to Iron and Wine's Sam Beam", the 3rd album from Welsh born folk singer-songwriter James McArthur
is inspired by his travels between Suffolk and Sardinia.
Watch the first single taken from "Intergalactic Sailor," "Tourist Town"!
Linda McRae "Going to the Well" (CD, 42rpm, 2019).
Linda McRae is a Canadian folk/roots musician, being a former member of folk rock band Spirit of the West.
A singer-songwriter of the old school, she comes up with pleasant surprises out of the blue.
Watch Linda's "Long Shadow Trail" stop motion video!
Mean Mary "Friend I Never Had" (Video, 2020).
Nashville-based Americana artist Mean Mary (Mary James) is working on her new album. Meanwhile watch her latest music video from its precursor "Cold".
Watch "Friend I Never Had" (Official Music Video)!
Steve Mednick "Enough!" (CD, Cottage Sound Recordings, 2019).
New Haven based singer-songwriter Steve Mednick[64]
is jolly well fed up: "As an adult, I can't imagine the horror facing my grandchildren as they wait on
the cusp of their school years. Forget the probabilities; in this case, possibility is all you need to understand. The fear is palpable and the
killer could be the kid next door. We need safe streets, schools, gathering spots, sanctuaries to worship for all faiths and sensible laws to
address the proliferation of guns and gun violence. Let us make a difference and change the path of history! Enough!"
Check him out @ BandCamp!
Jaime Michaels "if you fall" (CD, Appaloosa Records, 2019).
Jaime Michaels came late to the songwriting craft having enjoyed a long career as a covers artist.
Something happened a few years back when he moved from the east coast to a new home in Santa Fe, the songs started coming.
Both spirited and spiritual. Now wait, there is a cover, "Snowing On Raton",
which already appeared on Appaloosa Records’ tribute album to Townes Van Zandt.
Listen to "If You Fall" (Album Medley)!
Frank Migliorelli & The Dirt Nappers "The Things You Left Behind" (CD, Rave On Productions, 2019).
Frank Migliorelli had a career in video game projects and advertising jingles.
As a songwriter he creates easy-listening pop music informed by American folk, rock'n'roll and soul.
Check out Frank's YouTube channel!
Mile Twelve "Whiskey Trail", "Rocky Island" (Single/Video, 2019).
Last September bluegrass band Mile Twelve went down to Nashville to play at Americana Fest and hopped into the studio while in town to cut their version of the Los Lobos tune "Whiskey Trail."
The second single of this recording session is the Ralph Stanley classic "Rocky Island,"
Evan reimagined the lyrics and they paired it with an old-time fiddle tune called "Hell's Broke Loose in Georgia."
They also filmed a performance of both songs at The Fox Bar & Cocktail Lounge in Nashville.
Enjoy "Whiskey Trail" &
"Rocky Island"!
Aine Minogue "Carolans Dance" (Single/Video, Little Miller Music, 2020).
Aine Minogue[36]
is preparing an upcoming compilation of instrumental harp music, "Carolan's Dance," featuring cellist Eugene Friesen.
Aine is going back to the original sources of inspiration that first drew her to the instrument, famous harpist
and composer Turlough O'Carolan,
who had an extraordinary zest and vitality for life in the face of unthinkable obstacles and social oppression.
Have a listen to "Carolans Dance"!
Miss Bix & The Blues Fix "We Don't Own the Blues" (CD, Own label, 2019).
Under her maiden name Leslie Letven she did very well in the smooth jazz category,
after the birth of her son she turned her attention to children’s music. Recently
Leslie Bixler (aka Miss Bix) spent several months at the home of the blues,
Clarksdale, Mississippi, soaking in the culture and learning the blues from the founders themselves.
These songs reflect the sensuous sound of the bluesy south,
watch "Voodoo Man"!
Olaf Moen og Robert Løkketangen "Om Alt som henda har" (CD, Etnisk Musikklubb, 2019).
The material from this album is steeped in Norwegian singing traditions - with the songs mostly either being subtly accomplished by guitar or in their purest a capella form, presented by singer Olaf Moen. The songs are traditional songs from the Agder region in Southern Norway. Olaf’s duo partner guitarist Robert Løkketangen has influences also away from Norwegian traditions in bluegrass and world music, and whilst these influences come through, the guitar playing stays true to the traditional and at times archaic feel of the songs.
Moonfruits "Ste-Quequepart" (CD, Own label, 2017).
Moonfruits are an art-folk group from Ottawa, Canada, who are heading into the studio this spring to record their second full length album.
Their debut album did showcase Alex Millaire and Kaitlin Milroy's
voices hovering over a cinematic and sometimes odd tapestry of guitar, banjo, kalimba and glockenspiel.
Watch Ste-Quequepart teaser!
Iain Morrison "Sàl" (CD, Peat Fire Smoke Records, 2019).
Musician Iain Morrison[58]
from the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides had been commissioned to write new music to mark the centenary of
His Majesty's Yacht Iolaire (Gaelic for Eagle), an Admiralty yacht that sank with great loss of life at
the entrance to Stornoway harbour on 1 January 1919.
Watch "Ise I" ft. vocals by Lori Watson.[33]
mudfish "mudfish" (CD, Paraplyrecords, 2019).
The contributions to the compilations “Home Is Where The Heart Is”
and “Won’t Be Home For Christmas”[64]
marked the return of this Swedish rock band after am hiatus of many years. “It’s about time we release these songs now”,
says singer Joakim Lövgren, “It has taken us a while from farm to fork.”
Check out YouTube!
Kailey Nicole "Kailey Nicole" (EP, Own label, 2020).
Eclectic in every sense: Vegas-born, California-raised, Nashville-based, music inspired by her family’s southern roots.
Watch "Diamonds and Coal",
written after a breakup and leaving you with the sense that Kailey Nicole isn’t going to let anything get her down!
Anne Niepold & Andy Cutting "At Halsy" (Video, 2019).
Accordionists Anne Niepold[61]
and Andy Cutting[16]
celebrate their new joint venture for the season 2019/2020.
Watch Teaser (ft. Andy's composition "At Halsy")!
Tim O'Brien Band "Last Train From Poor Valley" (Video, 2019).
The Grammy winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tim O'Brien[69]
has landed with two feet squarely back in bluegrass.
Mike Bub (bass), Shad Cobb (fiddle) and Patrick Sauber (banjo/guitar) bring the same team effort to the studio
that O'Brien fans know from his live performances,
Watch "Last Train From Poor Valley" (Live)!
Cormac O Caoimh "Swim Crawl Walk Run" (CD, Own label, 2020).
With his fifth studio album, Cork singer-songwriter Cormac O Caoimh [63]
has eventually found a niche of his own somewhere between folk and pop music.
Watch the first single, I'm In Need:
"I did have the simplicity and directness of The Beatles 'Help Me' as a lyric is so fragile and honest and sad...but the song isn't.
The song is catchy and poppy. I wanted it to have meaning but more so a groove and be catchy. What starts as vulnerable ends up
as a celebration of our humanity."
Aoife O'Donovan "In The Magic Hour (Solo Sessions)" (EP, Yep Roc Records, 2019);
"Bull Frogs Croon (and Other Songs)" (EP, Yep Roc Records, 2020).
After the success of the group I'm With Her ft. Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz,[71]
Aoife O'Donovan is back on her own. "In The Magic Hour (Solo Sessions)"
features acoustic versions of songs from her 2016 album "In The Magic Hour," as well as two covers:
Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska”
& Joni Mitchell’s “You Turn Me On, I’m A Radio”.
See also YouTube playlist!
"Bull Frogs Croon (and Other Songs)" is her first release with a string quartet, ft.
Jeremy Kittel[71]
and Brittany Haas on violins, Mario Gotoh on viola and Paul Kowert on bass. Watch
"Pretty Bird" &
The Darkness" (Live)!
Old Man Luedecke "Easy Money" (CD, True North Records, 2019).
Old Man Luedecke channeled a traditional Christmas number he knew from a Harry Belafonte record and sang some improvised verses:
Oh yes I need it, Oh yes I want it, I dream about easy, I dream about Easy money.
The further nine original compositions and two covers run a modern storytelling line from the 1950's folk and calypso boom into everyday
middle age life. Ft. Tim O’Brien & Fats Kaplin.
Check out the title track "Easy Money" and the traditional sea shanty
"The Mermaid"![71]
Caitríona O'Leary "Both Sides Now (Ón Dá Thaobh)" (Digital Single, Heresy Records, 2020).
Caitríona O’Leary[17] has released a digital single of
Joni Mitchell’s [69] iconic song, Both Sides Now,
in an Irish language translation. "Ón Dá Thaobh" was translated into Irish by the renowned poet Gabriel Rosenstock.
It was first performed by Caitríona O’Leary in 2016 in a production entitled Sweet Fire: The Joni Mitchell Project as part of the
Irish Language Literature Festival. Listen @ SoundCloud!
Originaire "Off The Ship" (EP, Own label, 2020).
Atlantic City, New Jerseys acoustic folk group Originaire touches on the hard lessons of addiction, self discovery and recovery on their thought-provoking debut EP.
Watch "Off The Ship" (Live at Philadelphia Folksong Society)!
Otava Yo "Do you love" (CD, ARC Music, 2019).
You might expect from the cover photo that this album features Russian female vocal power - but the photo of the three ladies is a historic photo and does not show band members. The six-piece band from St Petersburg present traditional songs from rural Russia, some presented in a very traditional and folkloric style with archaic sounding vocal harmonies, others with much more contemporary folk rock backing.
Watch "Как на горке, на горе" (Once upon time on a high hill),
"Ой, Дуся, ой, Маруся (казачья лезгинка)" (Cossack's lezginka)
"Сумецкая (русские частушки под драку)" (Russian couplets while fighting)!
Bett Padgett "If I Catch My Dream - Songs of Hope for a Better World" (CD, Ceilidhe's Music, 2019).
A simple message that we should all be able to take for granted but can't: kindness and respect in all its forms!
Bett Padgett's belief in friendships is reflected in her beautiful rendition of Robert Burns' "Auld Lang Syne".
Watch the title track, "If I Catch My Dream"!
Paris Texas "When You're Gone" (CD, Trad Records, 2019).
Belgian quintet inspired by singer-songwriter Gerrit Hüppertz's roadtrips all across the US,
showcasing groovy Americana with country and bluegass overtones on their debut album.
Watch Paris Texas performing their broken heart balled 'When You're Gone' on a sunday matinee at the OKA in Kalmthout!
Parno Graszt "Mar nem szedülök - Rolling back" (CD, Fono Records, 2018).
Founded more than 30 years, Parno Graszt continues as a successful Gipsy Roma ensemble from Hungary. The big band appears to be a family affair, with five of the ten band members having the same surname, Olah. Everybody in the ensemble sings, and there’s accordion, double bass and guitar playing too. Guest musicians add viola, fiddle, dulcimer and cajon. The music is full of gipsy energy and joy of playing, with well elaborated vocal harmonies.
Watch "Már nem szédülök" (Live)!
Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus "Collection: 2008-2018" (CD, Berkalin Records, 2019).
The lanky, silver haired Jim Patton and the petite, dark haired Sherry Brokus are looking back on a decade on the road with folk songs
grown between Austin, their current home for over 20 years, and their Maryland home before that.
Listen to "Collection: 2008-2018" (Album Medley)!
David Philips "In Focus" (Digital Single, Black and Tan Records, 2020).
"In Focus" is an acoustic ballad, co-written by UK singer-songwriter David Philips
with Spanish film composers Lucas Suarez and Javier Bayon for the romantic comedy "Te quiero, imbécil".
It's a classic tale of not appreciating what you have until it is gone.
The song is available on all download and streaming platforms.
Check it out @ SoundCloud!
Possessed By Paul James "As We Go Wandering" (CD, Own label, 2020).
Florida-born, Austin-based songwriter Konrad Wert (aka Possessed By Paul James)
is back with an album brought about through his work as a special education teacher
drawing attention to issues of poverty and violence in public education.
Watch "When It Breaks"!
Kern Pratt "Greenville, MS... what about you?" (CD, Endless Bluess Records, 2019).
Singer-guitarist Kern Pratt was born in Greenville, Mississippi, and he grew up with the blues.
Mississippi Blues Kern Pratt style is raw, truthful and emotional.
Check out "Greenville Mississippi Blues" and
Kern Pratt Making a Scene!
Laurel Premo "The Iron Trios" (CD, Own label, 2019).
Michigan-based artist Laurel Premo presents an instrumental project diving deep into traditional American and original fiddle music, revealing
minimalist repetition, polyrhythms and harmonic drones.
Watch "The Brushy Fork of John's Creek" (Official Video)!
An instrumental rendition of a shape note hymn closes this rich collection.
Rae Gordon Band "Wrong Kind of Love" (CD, Own label, 2019).
10 original blues/soul songs covering a wide range from gritty barroom blues to heartfelt ballads and uplifting funk anthems.
Read about the beginnings of her singing career in the piano bars and comedy clubs of Los Angeles @ Making A Scene!
Railroad Earth "Paste Studio NYC" (Stream/Download, 2020).
Railroad Earth [40]
was founded in 2001, and since then the band’s genre has been hard to pin down. Combining elements of Bluegrass, Americana and
improvisational rock, they played laid-back versions of songs off their forthcoming LP "All For The Song" at
Paste Studio NYC.
Bill Randen "Antiquities" (CD, Own label, 2019).
Bill Randen mostly plays solo shows in bars and music venues of Athens, Greece. His distinctive dark songwriting
at times resembles classic folk rock from the 1960s/70s, at others moves towards experimentation.
The "Antiquities" singles: "Of Many",
"Misfit Yonder",
"Sweet Departure"!
Jaron Reid Raven^sky "I Can't Take The Darkness Anymore" (Do-CD, Standing Tall Music, 2019).
Canadian singer-songwriter Jaron Reid Raven^sky's First Nation heritage is echoing clearly in these 25 songs of desolation and pain,
delivered with passion and pathos in a mixture of American folk and Celtic soul music.
Over the past few years, he has delighted audiences throughout Europe, so watch out!
Johnny Rawls "Live in Europe" (CD, Continental Blue Heaven, 2020).
If you're into this old-fashioned, deep soul-blues thing, all you need is a brilliant singer, Johnny Rawls,
and a splendid band, The Özdemirs. Together they played a European tour in 2019, putting on record
at the Bischofsmühle in Hildesheim, Germany. Listen to "Live in Europe"!
Katy Hobgood Ray featuring Dave Ray "I Dream of Water" (CD, Out of the Past Music, 2019).
Katy Hobgood Ray and Dave Ray spend equal time between New Orleans and Memphis, so their latest release is a collection of
songs in the Americana/folk rock/country vein reflecting that mixture of elements and influences. Because life in the Deep South is always at the crossroads,
with one foot rooted in the past and the other working towards the future.
Watch Katy's YouTube channel!
Dennis Roger Reed with Don Reed "Before It Was Before" (CD, PlasticMeltdown Production, 2018).
"Before It Was Before" is a retrospect of Southern Californian Dennis Roger Reed's 30+ years recording career. It features 21 songs showcasing
bluegrass, blues, folk, swing, country and folk rock. Five are Reed's originals, and brother Don provides great instrumental support.
Check out YouTube playlist!
Ben Reel "The Nashville Calling" (CD, B.REEL Records, 2020).
The ninth album from Northern Irish singer-songwriter Ben Reel[36]
has been recorded in Nashville, TN, thus having a more roots rock feel about it.
He's coming full circle, since he picked up the guitar inspired by the authenticity of a Bruce Springsteen or a Neil Young
against the backdrop of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Watch "Up There In The Sky"!
Reverend Freakchild "Road Dog Dharma: Lay Your Hands on the Radio" (CD, Treated and Released Records, 2019).
"Music is my religion. Through song I seek transcendence!" In the tradition of Reverend Gary Davis and others, the
Reverend Freakchild[60]
takes his listeners on a road trip round US radio.
Check him out @ YouTube!
Rising Appalachia "Leylines" (CD, Own label, 2019); "Paste Studio ATL" (Stream/Download, 2019).
Rising Appalachia, a folk act led by sisters Leah and Chloe Smith, stopped by Paste Magazine's Atlanta studio to share moving renditions of
of “Resilient” from their latest album Leylines and “Bright Morning Stars” from their 2015 release Wider Circles.
For their final song the sisters brought up their mother to join them on “Find Your Way.”
Stream/download "Paste Studio ATL",
watch @ YouTube!
Jim Roberts and The Resonants "A Month of Sundays" (CD, Bo$$ PoGG Music, 2019).
Singer-songwriter and slide guitarist Jim Roberts takes listeners down the blues-rock-Americana highway from Detroit to Mississippi,
from the horn section-driven, sax-flavored, jazzified contemporary urban blues back to acoustic cigar box guitar blues.
Watch "Moonshine Maiden" (Live @ Kulak's Woodshed, California, 2019)!
Tad Robinson "Real Street" (CD, Severn Records, 2019).
Walking down Real Street (= Beale Street) will find you US harmonica player Tad Robinson in his element like a fish in the water.
His latest songs get the Memphis-soul treatment with backing by members of the Hi Rhythm Section, The Lovelight Orchestra and The Bo-Keys.
Carrie Rodriguez "Edge of the Colorado", "Whiskey In Your Water" (Video, 2019).
Mexican-American singer-songwriter Carrie Rodriguez[62]
had a blast working with Bruce Robison's old school studio: 100% analog, no auto tuning, no fixes!
Watch "Edge of the Colorado", co-written with Bruce Robison
and recorded with bluegrass band Wood and Wire,
and "Whiskey In Your Water",
featuring singer Evan Felker (Turnpike Troubadors).
Hubertus Rösch "Sea of Life" (CD, Eigenverlag, 2019).
Munich singer-songwriter Hubertus Rösch had just been on tour with Ted Russell Kamp.
Here is some footage from De Bunker, Gemert, Netherlands:
"This Life Is For Dreamers",
"Running To Be Free".
Rösch 's latest release "Sea of Life" is a psychedelic folk album of sorts.
Watch "Sea of Life" (Official Video)!
Rosier "Rosier" (EP, FAMGroup, 2019).
This Québécois folk quintet was driven not to simply reproduce the music of their beloved culture but to redefine it.
The band’s first iteration was in 2009 as Les Poules à Colin.[68]
Their organic growth was the reason of the group’s name change and the inspiration behind their self-titled EP, "Rosier."
Check out Rosier @ BandCamp,
watch "Vie Pénible"!
David Rovics "Strangers & Friends" (CD, Own label, 2019).
David Rovics[32]
has recorded "Strangers & Friends" in the Irish Cooley Mountains, featuring backing vocalists Lorna McKinnon & Kamala Emanuel,
produced by Pol Mac Adaim.[50]
Listen @ BandCamp &
YouTube!
Read some notes @ davidrovics.com!
Check out also: "Here In The Matrix" (all songs not yet recorded in a studio),
"Waiting For Something To Happen: An Audio Memoir" (free sample) &
"2019 Retrospective Slide Show"!
Rachael Sage "Bravery's On Fire", "Both Hands" (Video, 2019).
Rachael Sage's album "Bravery's On Fire"[70]
continues to climb up the charts. Two videos of the title track are out now:
Narrative Version (Nick Clark) &
Performance Version (Tom Moore)!
Her forthcoming album, "Character", is another tribute to survivorship; the first single is a string-quartet version
of the early Ani DiFranco[69]
classic "Both Hands." Sage's first tour was as an opener for DiFranco, and the song was part of a playlist that kept her determined and strong
while she was undergoing treatment after her cancer diagnosis. Watch "Both Hands" (Live @ Carriage House Studios)!
Alejandro Santoyo "Dreams for a Better Tommorrow" (CD, Own label, 2019).
Pianist Alejandro Santoyo cares about people, society and the world as a whole, and the instrumental music
he composes reflects his commitment to wanting to make Planet Earth a better place.
Check out Alejandro's YouTube channel!
Screamin' John & TD Lind "Mr. Little Big Man" (CD, Down in the Alley Records, 2019).
"This is a group of exceptional musicians," says producer Glyn Johns, "it was all over in a blur and before I knew it, I was back on a plane to London,
with large grin on my face, knowing that they had accomplished something quite special."
Watch Britain-born guitarist Screamin’ John and vocalist TD Lind ready to take the blues world by storm, "Little Big Man" (Live)!
The Secret Sisters "Cabin" (Single/Video, 2019).
Hailing from small-town Alabama, Lydia and Laura Rogers are trading harmonies in ways only siblings can.
Listen to the first single from their upcoming album, "Cabin"!
See also "Late Bloomer" [Official Video] &
The Secret Sisters: 2016 NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert!
Jan Seides "Unsung" (CD, Artsong Music/Panda Productions, 2018).
Bible stories are part of Western culture but ...
"These are the stories of people in the Bible who never got their stories told. Sometimes, you barely learn anything about them,
not even their names are given. I have kind of an inflated sense of responsibility, so I decided to tell their stories in song."
Here are some stories untold and unsung, some angry, some sad, some sexy, some joyful, some even funny.
Check out Jan's YouTube channel!
Shama and Friends "Let The Light In" (CD, NarRator Records, 2020).
"Let The Light In" is a collaborative album from British-based sitar and synthesizer player Shama Sarwat Rahman (Bengali: শামা সরয়াত রহমান) and musicians from all over Europe.
Watch the title track, "Let The Light In",
composed by Shama and arranged by Serbian violinist Djordje Mijuskovic and Spanish bassist Daniel Abad to
arrive at a style that they termed ‘Baroque Pop’.
Joan Shelley "Coming Down for You", "The Fading" (Video, 2019).
There’s a saying that goes, “When the world comes to an end, I want to be in Kentucky where it's always 5 years behind.”
Woven into Shelley's melodies and rhythms are fragments of the many musical traditions that comprise what is called Kentucky music:
Irish, British, African. Watch "Coming Down for You" &
"The Fading" (Recorded Live for World Cafe)!
Spottiswoode & His Enemies "Lost In The City" (CD, New Warsaw Records, 2018).
Stories of love and death in the Big Apple. Jonathan Spottiswoode does it New York style: a mixture of jazz, chanson, rock and blues.
Check him out @ BandCamp!
Dave Starke "Duende" (CD, Own label, 2019).
South African folk singer-songwriter Dave Starke describes a guitar as nothing more than a wooden box with strings,
tensioned to near breaking point - it's fundamental, honest and often scary and it's a good metaphor for
the human experience… He named his album after the Spanish term connected to flamenco music for a heightened state of emotion and expression.
Watch "Brandy Bossa Nova"!
Check out BandCamp!
Billy Strings "Paste Studio NYC" (Stream/Download, 2019).
Bluegrass aficionado Billy Strings stopped by the Paste Studio NYC
to showcase his high velocity, flat-picking guitar technique. Strings and his band played to three songs off his new record.
Watch also "Everything's the Same"!
Sugar Blue "Colors" (CD, Beeble Music, 2019).
"Colors" reflects the eclecticism of US blues harmonica player Jimmie Whiting a.k.a. Sugar Blue
(probably best known for collaborating with Louisiana Red and his playing on the Rolling Stones' "Miss You"):
a classic blues, a tribute to Bo Diddley, the Beatles' "Day Tripper" delivered Chicago-style,
the Afrika Riz choir from Soweto, South Africa, and the Chinese Sheng
(a mouth-blown free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes and somewhat of a precursor to the harmonica).
Check out Album Teaser!
Sultans of String feat. Demetrios Petsalakis, Fethi Nadjem and Majd Sekkar "El Bint El Shalabeya" (Single/Video, 2020).
This track from the forthcoming Sultans of String album "Refuge"[70]
reinvents a traditional Lebanese song, bringing in Syrian clarinetist Majd Sekkar, Algerian mandolinist
Fethi Nadjem and Greek oud player Demetrios Petsalakis, who all found their home in Canada.
Its arrangement is also a tribute to Dick Dale, The King of the Surf Guitar, who passed away last March.
Like Sultans of String violinist Chris McKhool, Dale's father was of Lebanese descent and drew on Middle Eastern music scales.
Watch "El Bint El Shalabeya"!
De Temps Antan "Affilons nos couteaux" (Video, 2019).
French-Canadian trio De Temps Antan[65]
is better than ever. A fiddler, an accordionist and a guitarist in their own right, call-and-response songs and turluttes,
and the distinctive foot percussion that makes the music drive at 100 kilometres per hour with the use of no fossil fuels.
Watch the new video "Affilons nos couteaux"!
Threepenny Bit "King Ahtu" (CD, Little Folk Records, 2019).
English band Threepenny Bit, named after a former British coin, take a look far beyond ceilidh dancing.
Let's call it the decimalisation of traditional folk music.
Check it out @ BandCamp!
Trad.Attack! "Tehke Ruumi!" (Single/Video, Made in Baltics, 2020).
Estonian folk/pop/rock trio Trad.Attack![63]
borrow from the tradition and distort and deform it. Such as their new single from the forthcoming album,
"Tehke Ruumi!" is a rendition of a wedding song recorded in 1961 by 81 year old Maria Koert from Saaremaa. Maria lists the expected behaviour
of young women if they are getting married. Watch "Tehke Ruumi" (Make Room or (Make Your Move))!
Tragedy Ann "Matches" (CD, Own label, 2018).
Tragedy Ann is a folk duo from Guelph, Ontario, consisting of Braden Phelan (guitars) and Liv Cazzola (vocals, piano, accordion).
Their songs and arrangements are as delicate as they are driving.
Watch "The Last Thing", a song for breakups, makeups and candy shops.
Trampled by Turtles "Sigourney Fever" (EP, BanjoDad Records, 2019).
Trampled By Turtles is a bluegrass/folk-rock band from Duluth, Minnesota, adding their indie folk flair to some of their favorite tracks:
Neil Young ("Pocahontas"), The Faces ("Ooh La La"), Iris DeMent ("Our Town"), Warren Zevon ("Keep Me in Your Heart").
Watch "Fake Plastic Trees" (Radiohead cover)!
Udu "Buryatia - Lithuania" (CD, CPL Music, 2019).
A curious album combining throat singing from Buryatia (a region in the Far East of Russia, neighbouring Mongolia) and ancient Lithuanian folk songs. Udu brings together two Buryatian musicians - a throat singer and guitar /morin khuur player and an ethnic percussionist - and two Lithunian musicians - a singer and drummer and a violinist/mandolinist. The result is meditative ethnic music, with archaic sounding singing and more contemporary folk instrumentation.
Listen to "Jovaras / Altargana"!
Unspoken Tradition "Cold Mountain Town" (Video, 2019).
From their 2019 release Myths We Tell Our Young, Unspoken Tradition’s "Cold Mountain Town" is a love letter to the mountain city of Asheville,
North Carolina, containing archival footage juxtaposed with the ongoing construction happening to meet the demand for tourism.
It's also a song dedicated to artists that continue to struggle and survive in this "Cold Mountain Town".
Justine Vandergrift "Stay" (CD, Own label, 2019).
Justine Vandergrift is becoming a household name in the Canadian country roots scene,
a fine tunesmith and an emotional vocalist.
Watch "Stay" (Official Music Video)!
Ad Vanderveen "Final Refuge" (CD, Continental Rose, 2019).
Although born a Dutchman, half of Ad Vanderveen's[42]
family are Canadian and it’s this part of the world his musical roots can be traced to.
The recording sessions for "Final Refuge" took place in an intimate living room setting, with an acoustic combo or just acoustic guitar.
Watch "Blues Ain't Nothing" (Eppstein, Germany, November 2019)!
Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans "Twice as Nice" (CD, Manhattone, 2019).
As always, Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans[60]
celebrate the music they love and the styles that influenced them: blues, jug band music, shuffle & jump, and rock 'n' roll.
Check out Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans @ YouTube!
The Vignatis "Let's Hit the Road: Gypsybilly Vol. 3" (CD, GB Music, 2018).
The Vignatis combine elements of Gypsy Jazz a la Django Reinhardt with rockabilly and jazz music into a driving sound that has set Los Angeles on fire.
Watch "Let's Hit the Road" (Official Video)!
Voxfire "Fontis" (CD, Orenda Records, 2019).
Take songs from medieval Spain and France and present them with the angelic voices of a female trio (Samela Aird Beasom, Christen Herman, Susan Judy)
and modern, genre-bending backing instrumentation (Nick DePinna, Ross Garren). "Fontis" (i.e. source or fountain in Latin)
is not Early Music, but timeless thoughts, feelings and passions presented in a contemporary musical setting.
Kelsey Waldon "Powderfinger" (Video, 2020).
One of the latest voices to emerge from Nashville, Kentucky's Kelsey Waldon covers one of her musical heroes, Neil Young,
for The Bluegrass Situation's Sitch Sessions in Los Angeles.
Watch "Powderfinger"!
Matty T Wall "Transpacific Blues Vol. 1" (CD, Hipsterdumpster Records, 2019).
“Generally, blues is fun music,” Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist Matty T Wall points out. “Aside from the occasional ballad or slow blues, it is fun.
It takes you away from feeling blue; it makes you look at the bad things in life in a different light and other things that happen in a fun light.
The blues has always been pretty fun to me, and that’s why I’m drawn to it.” Transpacific Blues Vol. 1 finds Wall reaching
across the oceans to trade licks with blues greats Walter Trout, Kid Ramos, Kirk Fletcher, Eric Gales and fellow Australian Dave Hole.
Sunny War "Tiny Desk Concert" (Video, 2019).
Sunny War is a heavy-hearted singer with a soothing voice. On her
Tiny Desk Concert
she launches into the dark lines "Before you rip your girl to shreds / Be sure you really want her dead"
from her current album Shell of a Girl.[69]
These are words from a young woman who had been homeless, busked, had her life complicated by drugs,
and found a way to pick up a guitar and bring joy to others.
We Banjo 3 "Irish Folk Tips on Guitar, Banjo, Fiddle, and Mandolin", "Dawn Breaks & John Brown's" (Video, 2019).
Irish band We Banjo 3[60]
went to the Reverb Studios in Chicago and recorded a series of videos sharing some tricks of the trade (what kind of instrument
they use and how they play it to achieve the band's Celtgrass style). They hope this inspires some to pick up an instrument.
Watch Irish Folk Tips on Guitar, Banjo, Fiddle, and Mandolin, and
the two-song performance "Dawn Breaks" & "John Brown's"!
Westwego "Bittersweet Moods" (CD, iMD-Lalalande Drive, 2019).
The Westwego quartet says it is no pub songs nor pop songs... it is Colorful Folk. Though hailing from Toulouse, France,
you are taken on a journey from Greenwich Village to California with some world music influences thrown in for good measure.
Watch videos: "Shady Grove" & "After You've Gone"!
Listen @ BandCamp!
Sid Whelan "Waitin' For Payday" (CD, Presidio Records, 2020).
In the 1990s, Sid Whelan was lead guitarist with various world music acts including the Nigerian Lijadu Sisters.
On his third album out on his own, the New York City singer-songwriter-guitarist's appreciation of African music makes an
occasional appearance, but generally is a fine blend of blues, country, soul and rock music.
Check out the Sid Whelan Band @ BandCamp/a>!
Chelsea Williams "Red Flag", "Two Headed Boy" (Video, 2020).
At the end of 2019, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Chelsea Williams[66]
has released her “Mockingbird Mixtape” EP, including covers of Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan,
Jackson Browne and Tom Waits. Watch the Neutral Milk Hotel cover “Two Headed Boy”!
Her new song and video “Red Flag”,
a catchy pop song with a hint of country muisc, also spotlights her beautiful vocals.
Wolfsheart "All Life Springs From Water" (CD, iM Digital, 2020).
Native American flutes, keyboards and handpan - music for meditation and relaxation: Wolfsheart's[68]
“All Life Springs From Water” is a hypnotic and healing journey.
Watch the single "River Of Life"!
The Wood Brothers "Paste Studio NYC" (Stream/Download, 2020).
Fans of late-1990s/early-2000s Southern rock and folk-rock should be aware of The Wood Brothers.[53]
Their plucky, bluesy style of Southern rock sounds possibly fresher than ever.
Stream and download Paste Studio NYC!
Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn "Water" (CD, Smithsonian Folkways, 2020).
Merging American old-time music and Chinese folk songs, Wu Fei (guzheng zither) and Abigail Washburn (banjo)
are showcasing traditional material from the hills of Appalachia to the prairies of western China, each tune flowing seamlessly into the next.
Take a listen to the first single,
"Water is Wide/Wusuli Boat Song (乌苏里船歌)"!
Dwight Yoakam "Blame the Vain" (Vinyl, New West Records, 2019).
Riding high from his induction into the Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame, country music star Dwight Yoakam[61]
he's releasing the first ever vinyl pressing of 2005's "Blame The Vain."
New West Records dug deep in the vault to find two vintage videos:
"Blame The Vain" &
"Intentional Heartache"!
Various Artists
Various Artists "Dhannsadh Gun Dannsadh: Dance-Songs of the Scottish Gaels" (CD, Greentrax, 2019).
This is Volume 28 from the archives of the School of Scottish Studies offering performances of well-known pieces as well as
songs that are rarely or never heard.
Singers includes such notables as Mary Morrison, Annie Arnott, Kate MacDonald, Kitty MacLeod, Calum Johnston, Kenneth MacIver,
John Shaw, John MacInnes, Dr William Mathieson and Donald MacColl.
Horňácká muzika Petra Mičky / Jiří Hradil "Hrubá Hudba" (Do-CD, Indies Scope, 2019).
Two recordings, two worlds, one music: The first is the musical vision of Jiří Hradil connecting traditional
Horňácko music with contemporary genres. The second presents the most distinctive traditional singers of the Horňácko region,
put together by violinist Petr Mička. Stream it @ YouTube!
Various Artists "Let the Rhythm Lead: Haiti Song Summit Vol. 1" (CD, ARTS Music, 2020).
"Let the Rhythm Lead" is employing an array of diverse songwriting traditions and genres
such as polyrhythmic Haitian Voodoo drumming and Flamenco and Malian guitar interwoven with folk and rock
to celebrate the work of non-profit organization Artists for Peace and Justice in Haiti.
Ft. Jackson Browne,[67]
Habib Koité,[70]
Paul Beaubrun, Jenny Lewis, Raúl Rodríguez, Jonathan Russell and Jonathan Wilson alongside members of Haitian roots band Lakou Mizik.
Watch "Love Is Love" & Album Teaser!
Various Artists "Ronds et rondes – traditionell chantes du Bas-Berry recuillis et publies par Barbillat & Touraine – Vol. 1 (Tomes 1 et 2 des Chanson Populaire dans le Bas-Berry)"
(CD, AEPEM, 2019).
An impressive resource of songs recorded in a traditional a Capella style, from the region Bas Berry in France. Eleven folk singers have recorded a total of 56 songs on these three CDs – featuring the full range of songs featured in the first two volumes of a classic song collection by Emile Barbillat and Laurian Touraine from 1930/1931. This is a labour of love which will be important as a way of preserving and reviving these traditional songs.
