Want to get a bead on Paul Cauthen?

Good freakin' luck -- especially on his third album, COUNTRY COMING DOWN.

COUNTRY COMING DOWN has been in motion awhile, actually. The title track, one of several co-writes with good Nashville pal Aaron Raitiere, has been around since before Cauthen's dark sophomore album ROOM 41. Its sense of campfire calm and "damn near off the map" idyll set a bar, for both music and lifestyle, that Cauthen aspired to, while the rest of the new album, recorded at Modern Electric Sound Recorders in Dallas with regular collaborators Beau Bedford (Texas Gentlemen) and Jason Burt (Medicine Man Revival), shows that Cauthen was able to get there without losing any of the playful "hot dog holly golly dagnabit" good-time spirit that rolls off his tongue like a tumbleweed in the west Texas panhandle.

If you want to know what COUNTRY COMING DOWN sounds like, tuck into the album's sonic array, an austere, sinewy attack that puts Cauthen's vocals dead center in the ride. "We've really unleashed Big Velvet in this situation, which I love," he says. Nowhere is that more true than "Country As Fuck," with a taut groove and loping gait tailor made for a 21^st century honky tonk. Cauthen, Bedford and Burt play with that template throughout COUNTRY COMING DOWN, punctuating "Caught Me At a Good Time" with a sharp guitar solo, "High Heels" with a tasteful Wurlitzer break and the satiristic "Country Clubbin'" with a disco beat and chorus of female backing vocals.

His muse fully engaged, Cauthen is looking towards doing more of that in the future, with a few conceptual ideas up his sleeve about what he might do next.  No matter what direction he takes, however, he won’t be abandoning that cabin in the hills or the "Country Clubbin'" life; Cauthen will just be adding more to the mix he's stirred together.

"It's just about looking at yourself in the mirror and knowing that what you've done to this day has been in good standing, with good morals and a good compass in life, driven the right way," he says. "Legacy is all we have -- that, and try to be a good person as well. If you get all that together, then you can do whatever the fuck you want and it'll be alright."

Acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician Molly Tuttle will release her anticipated Nonesuch Records debut, Crooked Tree, April 1 (on CD and digital. LP will be May 13) with her new bluegrass collective Golden Highway.

Recorded live at Nashville’s Oceanway Studios, Crooked Tree was produced by Tuttle and Jerry Douglas and features collaborations with Sierra Hull, Old Crow Medicine Show, Margo Price, Billy Strings, Dan Tyminski and Gillian Welch. The album explores Tuttle’s love of bluegrass, which she discovered through her father, a music teacher and multi-instrumentalist, and her grandfather, a banjo player. Across these thirteen tracks, all of which were written/co-written by Tuttle, she honors the bluegrass tradition while also pushing the genre in new directions.  

“I always knew I wanted to make a bluegrass record someday,” Tuttle says. “Once I started writing, everything flowed so easily: sometimes I’ve felt an internal pressure to come up with a sound no one’s heard before, but this time my intention was just to make an album that reflected the music that’s been passed down through generations in my family. I found a way to do that while writing songs that feel true to who I am, and it really helped me to grow as a songwriter.”

In celebration of the new music, Tuttle and Golden Highway—Bronwyn Keith-Hynes (fiddle), Dominick Leslie (mandolin), Shelby Means (bass) and Kyle Tuttle (banjo)—will embark on an extensive headline tour beginning tonight with shows at Seattle’s Tractor Tavern (two nights), Portland’s Mississippi Studios (two nights), Los Angeles’ Roxy, Salt Lake City’s State Room, Boulder’s Fox Theatre, Asheville’s The Grey Eagle and Nashville’s Station Inn, among several others. Full details can be found at mollytuttlemusic.com/tour.   

In addition to Tuttle (vocals, guitars), Douglas (dobro), Keith-Hynes (fiddle) and Leslie (mandolin), Crooked Tree also features musicians Darol Anger (fiddle), Ron Block (banjo), Mike Bub (upright bass), Jason Carter (fiddle), Viktor Krauss (upright bass), Todd Phillips (upright bass) and Christian Sedelmyer (fiddle) with additional harmony vocals from Tina Adair, Lindsay Lou and Melody Walker.

Priscilla Block draws listeners in with her unfiltered, relatable songwriting and catchy melodies. "I love writing about real-life experiences and the ups and downs that I've gone through," Priscilla says. "I don't sugarcoat anything, and I think that's the beauty of songwriting and being an artist. It's a little sass, a little trash and a little sad," she describes with a knowing wink as her catalog rolls easily from heartbreak to laughter. Features the Country radio hit, "Just About Over You."

Country/Bluegrass album, Run, Rose, Run that will be released along with a novel co-written with the famed author, James Patterson, sharing the title Run Rose Run. The 12 songs were inspired by the book storyline and feature Country and Bluegrass artists; Joe Nichols, Rhonda Vincent, The Issacs, and Dailey & Vincent. Dolly & James will be doing book and album promotions together - presenting a unique co-marketing opportunity.

“I’m starting to realize that being an outlier and a weirdo––it doesn’t have to be a bad thing,” says Sarah Shook. Shook pauses, then adds with a grin, “It can be whatever you want it to be.”

Shook is home in North Carolina, talking about Nightroamer, the hotly anticipated new album from their band, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers. Backed by white-knuckle playing from Eric Peterson on guitar, Aaron Oliva on upright bass, drummer Jack Foster, and Adam Kurtz on pedal steel, Shook has pulled from Hank Williams, Elliott Smith, the Sex Pistols, and Shook’s own inquisitive, open, outlying self to create pop-savvy, honky-tonk punk that’s both an escape and a reality check––a re-opened wound and a balm. Relationships and life-changing realizations are dissected with honesty and humor, three tight minutes at a time.

When Sarah Shook & The Disarmers released Sidelong four years ago, the irreverent quintet’s debut turned heads around the world. Then 2018’s follow-up Years hooked everyone from Rolling Stone to Vice. “This ain’t no country for hipsters or posers,” said No Depression. “It’s real, raw, mean-and-evil-bad-and-nasty bidness.” Then, the first two albums turned into a tease: The pandemic shut down the world, just as The Disarmers finished recording Nightroamer in Los Angeles. The band has had to sit on the album––until now.

Nightroamer is worth the wait. This is still a band whose recordings beg to be heard live, either in a punk-rock hole in the wall or honky-tonk roadhouse. Shook’s voice is crystalline––but boozy, too, with a cadence that sounds comfortable resting in the pocket before lagging, jumping, or cozying up to the offbeat. What initially may feel like a slip is actually a stroke––and listeners cannot get enough.

Produced by Pete Anderson, Nightroamer is the confident next step fans hoped The Disarmers could take. “I think this record is different than ones we’ve done in the past. It feels every bit as expansive as I wanted it to feel,” says Shook. “I didn’t want there to be a shocking, jarring difference, but I definitely wanted it to feel like things are opening up. It’s a bigger feeling experience.”

Asked what they hope listeners experience, Shook is clear. “Music is one of the ways we can connect to other people,” they say. “That’s my hope: That people feel seen and they feel connected to something that brings them a sense of peace.”

Coming off her first Number 1 single at country radio with "Somebody Like That" & 2021 ACM's New female artist nominee, Tenille Arts is set to release her third studio album, Girl To Girl. Catapulting into the project is the Dave Pittenger produced lead single,"Back Then, Right Now" which has amassed 8.8M streams on Spotify to date. Tenille continues to deliver magic with the 13 track album while stepping into stardom on a major tour this summer through January 2022 with Lady A. Features include Matt Stell & Callista Clark.

Folk icon and cultural treasure Judy Collins continues her astounding career renaissance with a deeply introspective, lovingly crafted 29th studio album!This very special songcycle is a first in Collins' long career - it's her first collection of all original material written by entirely by her - and it unfolds as a curated exhibition of her remarkable life!Co-produced with longtime collaborator Alan Silverman as well as singer-songwriter Ari Hest, whose album with Judy (Silver Skies Blue) was nominated for a Grammy in 2016, along with multi-instrumentalist Thad DeBrock (Duncan Sheik, Nelly, Jonas Brothers), bassist Zev Katz (Marc Anthony, Elton John, Billy Joel), and drummer Doug Yowell (Suzanne Vega, Joe Jackson, Duncan Sheik)!Will be heavily promoted by PR veterans Shore Fire media as well as on Judy's new podcast Since You've Asked and at numerous live performances planned for 2022!Packaged in a deluxe digipak with 16 page booklet featuring full lyrics and personal liner notes penned by Collins"I always knew I was going to be a late bloomer." - Judy Collins

Introducing Jackson + Sellers and their debut album Breaking Point, on ANTI records. Jade Jackson and Aubrie Sellers, two rising stars who aligned during the pandemic to write one of the most compelling duo albums of the last decade.

Drawn together by instant chemistry, cosmic forces and their ability to write intuitive romantic breakup songs for each other, their album is a window into the dissolution of two different relationships and the formation of another: a perfect, platonic, creative union. United in their desire to write a record that reflected their expansive musical interest from 70s rock to raucous roots to indie pop, their LA written, Nashville recorded album is a masterclass in unexpected vocal harmonic convergence.

With Breaking Point, Jackson + Sellers will establish themselves as two individual artists who together, share a deep friendship, musical kinship and the ability to craft tight singular pop rock songs that will embed themselves in your ears for the rest of time.

Anais' first solo studio album in over a decade will be released January 28th 2022. The self-titled album was produced by Josh Kaufman (of Bonny Light Horseman) and it features other core players including Michael Lewis, JT Bates, Thomas Bartlett and Aaron Dessner.

Equally upbeat and mellow, Hayes writes clever songs that mirror his brand and artistry of unconventional, unique country music. Following the high from scoring his first No. 1 with hit song “Fancy Like,” Hayes’ latest album is a continuation of that success; a medley of beatboxing, sing-rapping, and witty lyrics with refreshing and vulnerable honesty that solidifies his place as a top-notch, one-of-a-kind player in the country music scene. After a long journey of fighting tooth and nail to make it in Nashville, but always sticking to his true self, Hayes’ record tells reminiscent stories of trials and triumphs of following a dream and trying to be better every day, with refreshing, catchy tunes about love and life mixed in that you can’t resist singing along to.

The Whitmore Sisters are real life sisters Eleanor Whitmore (The Mastersons, Steve Earle, Tanya Tucker) and Bonnie Whitmore (Hayes Carll, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock)."Their sisterly harmonies add a sweetly assured, down-home sound that rings with immediate appeal." -HOLLER MAGAZINE Sisters Eleanor and Bonnie Whitmore, two of roots music's most accomplished songwriter/instrumentalist/ vocalists, are releasing their first album together as The Whitmore sisters. Titled Ghost Stories, it's inspired by the loss of family, friends, ex-boyfriends and - on the title track - people who died by police violence. These "ghosts" chose to appear right as Covid became entrenched - when live music evaporated and people were isolated from each other. Bonnie, whose four solo albums are all state-of-a-real-woman's-heart jewels, decided to join sister Eleanor and her husband Chris Masterson in their Los Angeles closed circle for a break. Chris, who's recorded four albums with his wife as The Mastersons, saw the visit as an opportunity to issue a mandate: If Bonnie was coming, it was time for the sisters to make a record. Not just an album, but "the album" - the musical inevitability that's been simmering since a 22-year-old Eleanor was protecting her curly-headed 15-year-old sister at gigs in local bars. The Whitmore Sisters' original songs, along with two covers - a song by their pal Aaron Lee Tasjan ("Big Heart Sick Mind" and "On the Wings of a Nightingale" (written by Paul McCartney for iconic siblings The Everly Brothers) - was produced by Chris Masterson and completes Ghost Stories, their debut album set for release on January 21, 2022.

Jelly Roll, the giant underground genre-bending singer/songwriter/rapper today released a new album Ballads of the Broken, ahead of his sold-out show at the iconic Ryman Auditorium. In celebration of the new record

The extraordinary career of superstar Lorrie Morgan, one of the biggest and best selling female artists in country music history, is celebrated on this very special anthology that finds Morgan revisiting her greatst moments as well as covering a handful of country classics and more!Includes fresh new recordings of the blockbuster singles "Five Minutes," "What Part Of No," and "Something In Red" plus beautiful renditions of Tammy Wynette's "Till I Can Make It On My Own," George Jones's "Loving You Could Never Be Better" and a special acoustic set of all new songs that fans are gonna love!Now available for the first time on vinyl in a gorgeous gatefold jacket with PINK colored vinyl!

Out on dBpm Records, Love Is The King, a “beautifully honest ode to love and hope,” is the follow-up to 2018’s WARM and 2019’s WARMER, and comes on the heels of Tweedy’s second book, How To Write One Song. “At the beginning of the lockdown I started writing country songs to console myself. Folk and country type forms being the shapes that come most easily to me in a comforting way. 'Guess Again' is a good example of the success I was having at pushing the world away, counting my blessings — taking stock in my good fortune to have love in my life,” comments Tweedy. “A few weeks later things began to sound like 'Love Is The King' — a little more frayed around the edges with a lot more fear creeping in. Still hopeful but definitely discovering the limits of my own ability to self soothe." This deluxe edition will include a second disc of live material, all in the same sequence as the studio recording plus a Neil Young cover bonus track titled “The Old Country Waltz."

Body Language has already yielded Platinum-certified No. 1 smash "Happy Anywhere" with Gwen Stefani. The deluxe edition also features brand new single "Come Back As A Country Boy". The anthem boasts a "muscular lead voice... driving rhythm and gritty melody" (Billboard) as it extolls the virtues of living the country lifestyle, rooted deep within the Oklahoma native.

Bear's Sonic Journals: Johnny Cash, At the Carousel Ballroom, April 24, 1968 - Bear's Sonic Journals: Johnny Cash, At the Carousel Ballroom, April 24, 1968 - Johnny Cash

Double vinyl LP pressing. 2021 release from platinum recording artist Cody Johnson. The massive endeavor is stacked top to bottom with songs that were originally rejected by other Nashville artists, for what Johnson considers as being too country for country. "It's so hard to watch the fight to get the cowboy back on the radio, so I told them to bring those songs to me," Johnson explains. "Because that's who I am and the lifestyle I live." Johnson continued: "There was too much good out there to let go of, so I just said, 'We're going to cut all of them.' There are ones I wrote on, there are ones I didn't write on, and there are ones that I wish I'd written. I addressed things personally with this music and when people listen to Human, they are going to hear a lot more of me being me. I am finally comfortable with myself and able to share that with my fans."

Two CDs. The consummate collection curated by Bruce Cockburn himself, presents 30 songs over a double album that defines the acclaimed singer-songwriters' 50 year career. These songs are both the ones that shot to the top of the charts when they were released, and also are the fan favourites most often requested at Bruce's concerts. With over 125 minutes of music, and notes on each song by the artist.

Vinyl collection of early and rare recordings from the biggest legend of outlaw country, Willie Nelson!Nelson's matchless songwriting and rebellious spirit made him one of the most influential music icons of all-time and songs such as "Things To Remember," "A Moment Isn't Very Long," and "The Face Of A Fighter" show why!Comes in a gatefold jacket with unique multi-color vinyl!

The Willie Nelson Family finds Willie joined in his Pedernales Studios by a host of his family members and extended family of long-time band members, performing songs that they have performed for much of their lives. Sister Bobbie, sons Lukas and Micah, and daughters Amy and Paula all contribute plus band members Mickey Raphael, Kevin Smith and Billy and Paul English. Produced by Willie and Steve Chadie and shaped around a setlist of 12 favorite spirit-driven songs from the Nelson Family repertoire, the album draws on deep Americana (including A.P. Carter's "Keep It On The Sunnyside" and the traditional hymn "In The Garden") while celebrating classic songwriting from Hank Williams ("I Saw The Light") and Kris Kristofferson ("Why Me") to George Harrison ("All Things Must Pass") and Willie Nelson (who penned half of the album's compositions). Willie's son Lukas (who fronts his own band, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real) sings lead vocals on two of the album's tracks--"All Things Must Pass" and "Keep It On The Sunnyside"--while sharing lead vocals with Willie on "I Saw the Light," "I Thought About You, Lord" and "Why Me." These songs represent the final recordings Willie made with his longtime drummer and pal Paul English who was Willie’s drummer for over 50 years before he passed away in February 2020.

In 2007, Plant and Alison Krauss released Raising Sand, one of the most acclaimed albums of the 21st Century. It was an unlikely, mesmerizing pairing of one of rock’s greatest frontmen with one of country music’s finest and most honored artists, produced by the legendary T Bone Burnett. Now, after fourteen years, the two icons return with Raise the Roof, a dozen songs from a range of traditions and styles that extend this remarkable collaboration in new and thrilling directions.

Two queens of contemporary country music join forces on this powerful album, combining voices, vision and talents!Altogether, these two artists have sold well over 10 million albums worldwide, not to mention they both come from country royalty - Pam is the daughter of icon Mel Tillis and Lorrie, the daughter of hitmaker George Morgan!Pam's grit meets Lorrie's glamour on such country classics as the title track, originally made famous by Dottie West, Billie Jo Spears' "Blanket On The Ground," and Dwight Yoakam's "Guitars, Cadillacs" PLUS early rock favorites such as Roy Orbison's "It's Over" and The Everly Brothers' "Walk Right Back!"Special guest appearances by Joe Diffie & Darryl Worley!

Just a few weeks after the surprise release of the Cuttin' Grass (Vol. 1): Butcher Shoppe Sessions album—which Uproxx called “the most sublime and delightful music he’s yet made on record”—Sturgill Simpson returns with the next installment of his bluegrass series, Cuttin' Grass (Vol. 2): The Cowboy Arms Sessions. The genre-defying singer/songwriter reconvened an A-Team of acoustic players (now dubbed "The Hillbilly Avengers") for another round of reinterpretations of his catalogue, this time largely focusing on 2016's A Sailor's Guide to Earth, which won the Grammy for Country Album of the Year and was nominated for Album of the Year. This volume also includes "Jesus Boogie," originally performed by Simpson's first band, Sunday Valley, and two previously unreleased songs, "Tennessee" and "Hobo Cartoon," the latter of which was co-written with the incomparable Merle Haggard—who once said that Simpson was "about the only thing I've heard that was worth listening to in a long time."

Cuttin' Grass Vol. 1 (Butcher Shoppe Sessions) is now available on Vinyl & CD.

During the middle decades of the 20th century, the factories of southwestern Ohio drew hundreds of thousands of migrants from Appalachia, including innumerable musicians. Industrial Strength Bluegrass celebrates the music that these migrants made and loved, and explores a pivotal moment in the history of bluegrass and country music at large. Produced by beloved performer and radio personality Joe Mullins, the collection features many modern legends like Lee Ann Womack, Mo Pitney, and Vince Gill, plus a stellar lineup of bluegrass stalwarts including Rhonda Vincent, Bobby Osborne, and Mullins himself, taking on tunes that have echoed across Ohio for decades. This group of some of the biggest names in bluegrass today pays tribute to the jubilant highs and lonesome lows of life amongst the factories and warehouses, reflecting the region's rich culture and resilient people.

Honoring the enduring inspiration of Frank Sinatra, That’s Life is Willie Nelson’s second album of classics made famous by The Chairman Of The Board. Willie’s first ode to Frank, 2018's My Way, earned Willie the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Solo Album, and That's Life finds Nelson (who has penned a few standards himself) inhabiting 11 more of the most treasured songs in the Great American Songbook including the title track, "Luck Be A Lady,” "Nice Work If You Can Get It," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "You Make Me Feel So Young," and "I Won't Dance" (a duet featuring Diana Krall). Produced by Buddy Cannon and Matt Rollings, That's Life was recorded at Capitol Studios in Hollywood--where Frank Sinatra, created a string of album masterpieces--with additional recording at Pedernales Studios in Austin, Texas. Willie delivers 11 new studio performances, coming alive in a musical landscape animated by lush string and vibrant horn arrangements on an album mixed by recording industry legend Al Schmitt (who's recorded and mixed more than 150 gold and platinum albums and won more Grammy Awards than any other engineer or mixer). The album cover features a brand new painting of Willie and his iconic guitar, Trigger, standing in the glow of a twilight streetlamp, evoking classic Sinatra album covers of yore.

The Milk Carton Kids are releasing the live album Live From Lincoln Theatre, for the first time on vinyl. Comprised of singers and acoustic guitar players Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale, The Milk Carton Kids both filmed and recorded their set at this Columbus, Ohio theatre in October 2013 during their tour in support of the Grammy-nominated album The Ash & Clay. Released as a film in 2014, the newly remastered audio will be available on vinyl.

“Live From Lincoln Theatre is the truest representation of what Joey and I have been up to for the last decade,” Pattengale explains. “The set list is like a greatest hits album of Milk Carton Kids songs. I’ve never played guitar in the studio quite the way that it comes together on stage. Our voices also communicate something extra for the occasion. And, of course, Joey doesn’t ramble about our master recordings, but there’s no stopping him once the lights are dim and the mics are hot.”

Founded in 2011, The Milk Carton Kids swiftly emerged as a major force in the American folk tradition, blending ethereal harmonies and intricate musicianship with a uniquely powerful brand of contemporary songcraft.

The first Country act to achieve RIAA’s DIAMOND certification, GRAMMY-nominated duo Florida Georgia Line have been making history since 2012. They’ve tallied 17 career #1 singles, 13.1+ billion streams, sold more than 33.9 million tracks and 4.7 million albums worldwide, logged 1.5 billion video views, and played to over 4 million fans spanning massive headline tours. Honored by ACM, AMA, Billboard, CMA, and CMT Awards, Florida Georgia Line releases their anticipated studio album Life Rolls On.

Good Woman was written and recorded in a time of tremendous turmoil and change forthe band, between theending of relationships,thedeath oftheir beloved mother, andthebirth of Emily’s first child. The album is a testament tothe Stavely-Taylors’ strength and that of other women; to sisters, mothers, and daughters; to love, loss, and change; and to trying to be a good woman.The band explains: “We have been working on this for a long time and are thrilled to share the title track. When we think about making this album we think about moments and snapshots of all the different contexts we were in as it was made. Living in each other’s pockets and then living with oceans between us. Of voice notes and field recordings and ideas in emails sent across continents. We think of homesickness and family. Of being an outsider. Of endless notebooks and scraps of paper. Of studios in the winter and recordings under the summer sun. Of rainy London days and long American nights with coffees and beers, dogs, and cats. We think of love. Big, big love. Our Mum. Our Dad. Our friends. And of loss. Death and birth. Womanhood, motherhood. Sisterhood.“And coming home.”

Danny Kroha’s Detroit Blues could be considered part two of his solo debut LP - Angels Watching Over Me. In his own words, “it was me in a room playing acoustic instruments and doing my own arrangements of some old songs”.

Not so fast man!, when you hear this record and dig a little deeper into the facts, you’ll have a heightened awareness of the sonic beauty found in the simplicity. On many of these traditional songs, Danny dropped, added or rearranged verses from various sources, mixing up music from one song and words from another and unintentionally created his own amalgamation of early blues and ‘60s folk.

Keep your ears peeled for familiar and wild homemade sounds. There’s a DIY one string washtub bass made out of some kinda bug spray can. There’s a lot of jug bass, blowing the bass notes over the jug opening, frequently heard in early rural American music but also with the 13th Floor Elevators who ran their jug thru an amplifier. The one string guitar, aka The Diddley Bow, on “Come Out Of The Wilderness” is extremely rare, aside from Danny, one of the last times we heard one was on One String Sam's “I Need A Hundred Dollars”. You have your traditional assortment of spoons, jawbones and other percussion instruments, but during one session, Danny and the album supervisor tried out several pairs of Danny's work boots to find the best tone for the foot stomps. We’ll report back soon on what brand was chosen.

Instead of following all the rules rooted the early blues and ‘60s folk, Danny Kroha mixed up all the rural and urban traditions and kicked out a new surreal sound that could really only happen in Detroit - “I listen to both genres, for sure. I just wasn’t TRYING to make a record that sounds like that. It just came out that way”.

American Soul' is Aaron Watson's 13th studio album, and 17th album overall, since his debut in 2000. His last 4 studio albums have debuted Top 10 on the Billboard country album chart with the last three hitting the #1, #2 and #2 positions respectively. To say that he is prolific as a writer and an artist is an understatement. Recorded just days before the COVID 19 shutdown, the 10 tracks on American Soul take the listener on a journey of love, heartbreak, nostalgia and pride. - Aaron Watson continues to dominate as a true independent in the country music arena. Watson's last release Vaquero launched into the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart with his biggest career sales debut to date, and at #2 on the Top Country Albums chart. Vaquero is the follow up to his history-making album The Underdog, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, making him the first-ever independent, male country artist to debut in the coveted top spot. The album features lead single "Outta Style," his record-breaking Top 10 hit on country music's national radio airplay charts. His new single, "Run Wild Horses" has just hit country radio. Watson's rise has been paved by years of hard work and perseverance. Eighteen years later, over a dozen recorded albums and more than 2,500 shows in the U.S. and Europe, the Texas native is determined to stay true to his roots and deliver music directly to his fans.

The transcendent new album from Ani Di Franco, Revolutionary Love marks the latest proof of one of her most powerful gifts as an artist: a rare ability to give voice to our deepest frustrations and tensions, on both a personal and political level. “My songs have always reflected an acute connection between my personal life and the life of my society,” says the trailblazing musician and activist. “As I started to come out of years of dealing with marriage problems, I saw my entire country in the same situation; the complete breakdown of communication and loss of empathy and connection. But after what seems like unforgivable damage, then where do you go? You can’t kick each other off the planet, you can’t change the past, so what then?”

As the 22nd studio album in an iconic career— a musical career which forged one degree of separation between Pete Seeger and Prince and the accompanying career of founding her own precedent-setting label, Righteous Babe Records—Revolutionary Love began taking shape in the final weeks before the Covid 19 pandemic came to change the plans of everyone everywhere. Returning home to New Orleans from a West Coast tour in February of 2020, with a new batch of songs written on the road, Di Franco found herself without a path to recording those songs and lost in the creative abyss of the collective need for social isolation. “And then I decided I wanted to start pushing this new music out by fall… before the election,” she recalls. “I felt very strongly that I needed a horse to ride to try to help get out the vote—to get people inspired and get them believing in democracy, believing in each other and in themselves.”

Di Franco began to explore using live recordings from the tour as the basis for the new album but then she reached out to her friend Brad Cook, a Durham, North Carolina-based producer/multi-instrumentalist known for his work with artists like Bon Iver and Waxahatchee. The two had kept in touch after crossing paths at the Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival (an event co-founded by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, who appeared on Di Franco’s acclaimed 2017 album Binary), where she became enamored with one of Cook’s guitars. “Brad let me borrow the guitar and I ended up writing half this record on it,” says Di Franco. “I called him up and told him about the new pile of songs I’d pulled out of his guitar and about my recording predicament and he said to me, ‘Give me a week. If you can get yourself to Durham, I’ll take care of the rest.’”

Produced by Di Franco and recorded mainly in two whirlwind days at Overdub Lane in Durham, Revolutionary Love more than justifies the mad dash behind its making. As her first studio effort since the release of No Walls and the Recurring Dream (Di Franco’s widely praised 2019 memoir), Revolutionary Love arrives as an instantly transportive selection of songs. Rooted in her poetic lyricism and ever-commanding vocal work, the album unfolds in an understated yet captivating alchemy of folk and soul and lushly textured jazz-pop. In sculpting that sound, Di Franco and Cook assembled an eclectic lineup of musicians, including percussionist Brevan Hampden (Hiss Golden Messenger, Milton Suggs), horn/flute player Matt Douglas (The Mountain Goats, Josh Ritter), keyboardist Phil Cook (Megafaun, Shouting Matches), drummer Yan Westerlund (Quetico, Mipso) and Di Franco’s longtime touring band Terence Higgins on percussion and Todd Sickafoose on bass.

Special reissue of this excellent compilation of 12 early recordings from the infamous outlaw of country music, Waylon Jennings!Includes "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright," "White Lightnin'," "Crying," "It's So Easy" and more!Features production and guest appearances by the late great icon of early rock music, Buddy Holly!"Available as a mini-LP gatefold CD or deluxe tri-colored RED, WHITE & BLUE vinyl!

Vinyl LP pressing.