Best of What’s New

Welcome to my latest look at newly-released music, which is slightly delayed due to a very busy week on the home and work fronts. But the show must go on, even if it’s a bit later than usual, so let’s get to it right away. Except for the final tracks, all songs appear on releases that dropped yesterday (November 5).

David Nail/Comeback History

First up is the latest by David Nail, a Nashville-based singer-songwriter I featured in a previous Best of What’s New installment in December 2020. Nail who, grew up in Kennett, Mo., recorded an eponymous album in 2002, which generated a charting country single, Memphis, but due to staff changes at his then-label Universal Music Group Nashville, the record never appeared. His first released album became the appropriately titled I’m About to Come Alive in August 2009. After putting out three more solo albums, Nail formed David Nail & The Well Ravens in July 2018, an independent project with longtime colleagues Jason Hall and Andrew Petroff. They independently released the album Only This And Nothing More in September 2018. This bring me to Comeback History, a track off Nail’s new solo solo EP Bootheel 2021. It’s another great song that once again reminds me a bit of Bruce Springsteen. Check it out!

Emma Ruth Rundle/Return

On to another American singer-songwriter, Emma Ruth Rundle, who was born in Los Angeles is based in Seattle, Wa. From her Apple Music profile: The singer and guitarist for California post-rock/psych-metal outfit Marriages, a member of Isis-connected post-rockers Red Sparowes, and frontwoman for atmospheric psych-folk/slowcore collective Nocturnes, singer/songwriter, guitarist, and visual artist Emma Ruth Rundle is also an accomplished solo artist. Since debuting in 2014 with the acclaimed gothic folk/post-rock effort Some Heavy Ocean, Rundle has issued a string of evocative albums, including a 2020 collaboration with Louisiana sludge metallers Thou and 2021’s stripped-down and unflinching Engine of Hell. Here’s Return, the opener of the aforementioned Engine of Hell. The haunting song and Rundle’s vocals make for a powerful combination that drew me in right away.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats/The Future

Denver, Colo.-based Americana-influenced singer-songwriter Nathaniel Rateliff is best known as frontman of Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, a band he formed in 2013. Prior to launching The Nights Sweats and a solo career, Rateliff founded two other groups, Born in the Flood and The Wheel, and released an album with each, If This Thing Should Spill (February 2007) and Desire and Dissolving Men (November 2007), respectively. The latter could be viewed as his debut solo album. The first record to appear under Rateliff’s name only was In Memory of Loss from May 2010. Fast-forward 11 years to The Future, the third and new album by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. Here’s the title track. The warm roots sound is right up my alley. The horns add a great soulful vibe. Great music I got to check out more closely!

Jane Lee Hooker/All Good Things

I’d like to wrap up this installment with the latest single from Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Jane Lee Hooker, a great female-led blues rock band I’ve featured several times on the blog before, for example here and here. Here’s All Good Things, the band’s third new single this year, which came out on October 29. Here’s more from a press release: The origin of All Good Things goes back to August of 2020 when, in addition to dealing with the Covid pandemic, guitarist Tracy Hightop’s NJ neighborhood was hit with a severe storm that ravaged the area and knocked out power in the community. With her family headed out of town, Tracy was left at home with her two French bulldogs, no electricity and a small fan plugged into a neighbor’s generator. “That first night they were gone was miserable – the storm left the weather so hot and humid.” Hightop recalls. “I made my way through a couple bottles of wine that evening before falling asleep on the couch with the dogs. When I woke up the next morning the electricity was still off, I was hung-over as hell, it was still very warm and the sound of the generators was deafening. I was scrolling through Facebook on my phone and came across an old photo of Howlin’ Wolf with his guitar, drinking out of a bottle of whiskey – and I thought this picture is exactly how I feel right now. I picked up my Gibson Hummingbird and as soon as I started playing, All Good Things came pouring out. I recorded a rough version on my phone and sent it to (singer) Dana…” [Dana Athens – CMM]. All Good Things was produced and mixed by Matt Chiaravalle (Joe Bonamassa, Warren Zevon, Courtney Love), and mastered by Grammy winner Emily Lazar (Foo Fighters, Garbage, Beck, The Killers, Linkin Park). While the tune’s origins sound like a classic blues story, the outcome is actually a feel-good blues rocker. The tune will also appear on the band’s upcoming new album Rollin’ slated for January 2022. Looking forward to that one!

Sources: Wikipedia; Apple Music; Jane Lee Hooker press release; YouTube