Best of What’s New

Evidently, yesterday (May 19) was a popular day for new music releases. I also found more than 10 songs I could have highlighted in this latest installment of my weekly new music revue, to which I’d like to welcome you. Let’s get to it!

Brandy Clark/Ain’t Enough Rocks (feat. Derek Trucks)

Kicking things off is country singer-songwriter Brandy Clark. To date, she has released three albums starting with her 2013 debut 12 Stories. Her songs have also been recorded by Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, The Band Perry, Reba McEntire and Kacey Musgraves, among others. Off her latest self-titled album here’s Ain’t Enough Rocks, co-written by Clack, Jessie Jo Dillon and Jimmy Robbins – a great tune featuring cool slide guitar action by the amazing Derek Trucks!

Leftover Salmon/Fire and Brimstone (feat. Oliver Wood)

Leftover Salmon are a bluegrass and country-oriented jam band from Boulder, Colo. Since their formation in 1989, they have released eight studio albums, including their new one, Grass Roots. Here’s their cover of Fire and Brimstone, a tune penned by guitarist Link Wray who also first recorded it for his 1971 self-titled studio album. In 1958, Wray’s instrumental Rumble became one of the earliest songs in rock to utilize distortion and tremolo. Leftover Salmon’s rendition features Oliver Wood, of roots band The Wood Brothers. I can hear some Leon Russell in here!

GracieHorse/If You’re Gonna Walk That Straight Line Son, It’s Only Gonna Hurt

Other than she’s an indie artist who evidently has written for at least a decade and who just released a country-flavored debut album, it’s not clear to me who exactly GracieHorse is. From her Bandcamp page: Gracie Horse weaves stories into her songs. On L.A. Shit, her debut record with Wharf Cat, she takes us into the past half a decade of her life…It’s a record of immaculate country music…It’s also a vulnerable record, full of lyrics about the intensity of being alive, all told with a sense of humor and self-awareness. Here’s a cool-sounding tune with an impossibly long title: If You’re Gonna Walk That Straight Line Son, It’s Only Gonna Hurt.

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives/Sitting Alone

American country and bluegrass singer Marty Stuart has been active since the late 1960s. Initially working as a touring musician with Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash, Stuart launched his recording career in 1978 with Marty (With A Little Help From My Friends). He has since released 18 additional albums, including his latest, Altitude, appearing as Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives. Let’s check out Sitting Alone, penned by Stuart, which has a bit of a Tom Petty vibe – love it!

PONY/Très Jolie

PONY are a grungy power pop group from Toronto, Canada, led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Sam Bielanski. According to their AllMusic bio, their melodic strain of guitar pop is rooted in early-’90s grunge and classic indie pop. After a series of singles and EPs, they released their full-length debut album TV Baby in April 2021. PONY are now out with their sophomore album Velveteen and here’s the catchy Très Jolie.

Graham Nash/Golden Idols

My last pick for this week is by an artist I trust needs no introduction. Graham Nash who in February turned 81 just released Now, his first new solo album in seven years. It’s also the most personal he has ever made, according to a couple of reviews I’ve seen, for example, this one in Ultimate Classic Rock. Boy, does he sound great, both vocally and musically! And he also has a lot to say, about life, love and politics. I think these won’t be my final words about what looks like a late-career gem. For now, here’s Golden Idols, showing Nash still has some activist fire in the belly!

Of course, this post wouldn’t be complete without a Spotify playlist of the above and a few additional tracks.

Sources: Wikipedia; GracieHorse Bandcamp page; AllMusic; Ultimate Classic Rock; YouTube; Spotify

Best of What’s New

Hard to believe it’s Saturday again, and another week just flew by since my last revue of newly released music. Most of the times, Best of What’s New features artists I’m not familiar with or only have heard of in passing. This week is different. Two of my picks include artists who have been around for more than five decades, and I’ve listened to each for some 40 years. I had not been aware of the other two, though they’re not new artists. All tunes except for the last one are on releases that came out yesterday (October 15).

Santana/Joy (feat. Chris Stapleton)

I’d like to start with Carlos Santana who I trust needs no introduction. He first entered my radar screen when I was 8 or 10 years old. That’s when I listened to his band’s first compilation Santana’s Greatest Hits from 1974, which my older sister had on vinyl. I loved the combination of Latin rhythms and rock right away, which was front and center on that record, since it covers Santana’s first three studio albums. Of course, Santana’s music has since evolved. Which brings me to the band’s new and 26th studio album Blessings and Miracles. After the Latin rock-focused Africa Speaks and Santana IV, released in 2019 and 2016, respectively, Blessings and Miracles is reminiscent of previous records like Supernatural and All That I Am, marking return to a more pop-oriented sound and a collaborative approach. Here’s Joy, a tune co-written by Carlos Santana and Chris Stapleton, one of the many guests on the new album, who also include Rob Thomas (remember Smooth?), Steve Winwood and Chick Corea, among others. I didn’t expect Stapleton to sing a reggae-like tune, but it works and has a cool groove!

Wilderado/The Worst of It

Wilderado are an indie rock band that originally hails from Tulsa, Okla. and is currently based in Los Angeles. According to their Apple Music profile, their expansive indie rock fuses soaring vocals and rumbling guitars with an open-road, Americana-inspired feel…Co-songwriters Max Rainer (vocals, guitar) and Tyler Wimpee (vocals, guitar) began working together in college, initially using the name Bird Dog. By 2016, the band also included bassist Colton Dearing and drummer Justin Kila and the quartet, now called Wilderado, released their debut EP, Misty Shrub. The Worst of It, written by all four members of the band, together with co-producers Chad Copelin and James McAlister, is a track from Wilderado’s new eponymous album, their first full-length release. I like this!

Erin Enderlin/Somebody’s Shot of Whiskey

Erin Enderlin is a Nashville-based county singer-songwriter who originally is from Conway, Ark. She has written songs for a number of other country artists, such as Alan Jackson, Lee Ann Womack, Randy Travis and Reba McEntire. Some became hits on the Billboard Country Chart, such as Jackson’s Monday Morning Church from 2004 and Womack’s Last Call from 2008, which reached no. 5 and no. 14, respectively. In August 2013, Enderlin released her debut album I Let Her Talk. Two additional records have since appeared, as well as Enderlin’s new EP Ballroom Mirrors. Here’s the opener Somebody’s Shot of Whiskey. The tune was co-written by Enderlin and Ben Chapman. Looks like it was first released back in July. I suppose three months still count as newish. Plus, the EP is definitely new.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse/Song of the Seasons

I’d like to finish this Best of What’s New post with the latest from Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Song of the Seasons is the first track from their forthcoming album Barn scheduled to drop on December 10. This is Young’s 40th studio album and his 14th with Crazy Horse, and follows Colorado from October 2019, which he also recorded with the band. According to a short statement on Young’s website, Song of the Seasons was written about a year ago (by him) and is the oldest tune on the record. Released on October 14, the song features Young (guitar, harmonica, vocals), together with band members Nils Lofgren (accordion, backing vocals), Billy Talbot (bass, backing vocals) and Ralph Molina (drums). This acoustic folk tune sounds like classic Neil Young – love it!

Sources: Wikipedia; Apple Music; Neil Young website; YouTube