It’s another New Music Friday – and You Gotta Hear This!

Starting us off this week is Western North Carolina singer-songwriter Aaron Burdett – whom you may recognize from the Steep Canyon Rangers. Burdett has a brand-new single out today, “Can’t Look Back,” a track that draws on his strengths as a storyteller and text painter. The bluegrassy song talks about little towns forgotten and left to fade from their former vitality. His labelmate, Ashby Frank, releases a brand new album today, Run This Town, so we’re sharing a track to celebrate release day. Frank always does excellent bluegrass covers of non-bluegrass songs and today’s selection is no exception. You may have never thought “Valerie” needed a string band treatment, but Frank and his group of friends/all-stars certainly sell this unexpected and delightful bluegrass cover.

American Idol alumnus Slater Nalley announced a new EP today. Hey Georgia will arrive next month, but you can hear a single from the project, “All Over Again,” below. Smooth and vibing Americana, Nalley’s charming twang delivers the love song tenderly and with plenty of passion bolstered by Hammond organ and lovely keys. You can sense every ounce of the raw emotion he channels. Also in Americana, Utah-based Wyatt Lowe shares a new music video for “Sundown.” Soulful and funky with a spaghetti western streak almost as wide as its Laurel Canyon throughline, just as you’re picturing tumbleweeds and saguaros the carnival-lit cactus enters the frame. Perfect timing.

Rounding out our collection this week is a special treat from the late Gary Stewart. Sixteen previously unheard recordings by Stewart have been released today on One Track Mind from Delmore Recording Society. To mark the release we’re sharing “Big Bad Train,” one of the earliest recordings from the new collection dating to 1967. As producer/archivist Mark Linn puts it to BGS via email, the song is “David and Goliath on wheels.” Listen to the track below and check out the full project wherever you listen to music.

Bluegrass, country, Americana, and more – there’s something for everyone to enjoy in our roundup. You Gotta Hear This…

Aaron Burdett, “Can’t Look Back”

Artist: Aaron Burdett
Hometown: Saluda, North Carolina
Song: “Can’t Look Back”
Release Date: July 17, 2026
Label: Organic Records

In Their Words: “I was performing at a municipal festival out west, in Montana I believe, and it was one of those towns where you could clearly see both the decay of the downtown area and also the vitality it once had, maybe not so long ago. One of those forgotten Main Street towns that atrophied after the interstate drew all the gas stations and fast food places a mile outside of the original community center. It’s a bit of history on display. I’d been working on a few lines of ‘Can’t Look Back’ already and the rest of the song seemed to write itself as I walked around and visited a couple of the stores that were still in operation.” – Aaron Burdett

Track Credits:
Aaron Burdett – Lead vocal, acoustic guitar
Kristin Scott Benson – Banjo
Carley Arrowood – Fiddle
Tristan Scroggins – Mandolin
Jon Weisberger – Upright bass
Wendy Hickman – Harmony vocal
Travis Book – Harmony vocal

Ashby Frank, “Valerie”

Artist: Ashby Frank
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Valerie”
Album: Run This Town
Release Date: July 17, 2026 (album)
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “‘Valerie’ was originally written and recorded by an English indie rock band called the Zutons, but I first heard it when Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse recorded their famous cover version. About a decade ago, I had to learn the song for a set that an artist I was working with had put together. During that process, I started thinking about recording a country/bluegrass version of it. It took a few years for that idea to come together, but I couldn’t be more pleased with the finished product. Matt Menefee (banjo), Steve Hinson (steel guitar), and Josh Shilling (keys) created a truly unique sounding texture for this track and their creative instrumentals combined with Seth Taylor (guitar) and Travis Anderson (bass) in the rhythm section really helped to make it special and incredibly fun. Two of my favorite singers on the planet, Jaelee Roberts and John Cowan, joined in for harmony vocals and I couldn’t have asked for anything more! I’m so incredibly proud of this one.” – Ashby Frank

Track Credits:
Ashby Frank – Mandolin, lead vocal
Seth Taylor – Guitars
Travis Anderson – Bass
Matt Menefee – Banjo
Tony Creasman – Drums
Jaelee Roberts – Harmony vocal
John Cowan – Harmony vocal
Josh Shilling – Piano, organ
Steve Hinson – Pedal steel guitar

Wyatt Lowe, “Sundown”

Artist: Wyatt Lowe
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Song: “Sundown”
Release Date: July 17, 2026
Label: Redline Records

In Their Words: “I’ve always been drawn to songs that reveal something new every time you hear them and ‘Sundown’ has always been one of those songs for me. Gordon Lightfoot had this incredible ability to say so much with restraint, and that’s what I wanted to honor. Rather than trying to recreate the original, I wanted to uncover another side of it.

“As we started working on the arrangement, we leaned into the tension that was already living inside the song. There are these beautiful melodies, but underneath them is this feeling that something isn’t quite settled. We pulled that to the surface with a swampy groove, guitar-driven textures, and soulful harmonies that gave the song a darker, more cinematic feel while still respecting what made the original so timeless.

“What I love most is that the song still feels alive more than 50 years later. That’s the mark of truly great songwriting. Hopefully this version introduces ‘Sundown’ to people hearing it for the first time while giving longtime Gordon Lightfoot fans a new way to experience a song they already know and love.” – Wyatt Lowe

Credits:
Wyatt Lowe – Vocals, guitar
Connor Mlynek – Rhythm guitar
Eric Stoye – Drums
Wally Barnum – Bass
Daniel Salini – Pedal steel, Dobro

Video Credits:
Will Floor – Director
Taylor Ballam – Producer
Caleb Youlton – Director of Photography
Derick Lott – Gaffer, grip
Nick Barney – Editor
MODO Studios – Production

Slater Nalley, “All Over Again”

Artist: Slater Nalley
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Song: “All Over Again”
Album: Hey Georgia (EP)
Release Date: July 17, 2026 (single); August 21, 2026 (EP)
Label: Warner Records/Warner Records Nashville

In Their Words: “‘All Over Again’ is a tale of heartbreak and second chances. It explores the irony of being let down and taken advantage of, yet still giving the person another chance. When we love something we try our best to preserve it, even if it’s not truly meant to last. That’s what this song is all about; the raw emotion that comes with taking another chance on someone. The risk, and the possible reward. I hope anyone who listens can relate and appreciate vulnerability of the lyrics, and the overall message.” – Slater Nalley

Track Credits:
Slater Nalley – Vocals
Darren Dodd – Drums, percussion
Greg Garner – Bass
Shaun Richardson – Acoustic guitar, mandolin
Philip Towns – Piano, Hammond organ
Melissa Fuller – Background vocals

Gary Stewart, “Big Bad Train”

Artist: Gary Stewart
Hometown: Dunham, Kentucky
Song: “Big Bad Train”
Album: One Track Mind
Release Date: July 17, 2026
Label: Delmore Recording Society

In Their Words: “What can you say about ‘Big Bad Train’? It’s David and Goliath on wheels. A raucous, rowdy, feel-good, spit-in-your-face anthem for the little guy who’s gotten pushed around for too long by big government. Gary’s high lonesome voice evokes the whistle of a train and his vibrato sounds like the shaking of the train coming down the tracks. And… it’s funny!

“‘Big Bad Train’ is one of the earliest recordings on One Track Mind, dating from 1967 when Gary first arrived in Nashville from Fort Pierce, Florida, on the advice of Mel Tillis and started writing songs with Billy Eldridge for Tillis’ Cedarwood Publishing Company.” – Mark Linn, producer/archivist, Delmore Recording Society

Photo Credit: Gary Stewart courtesy of Gina Stewart; Slater Nalley by Jesse DeFlorio.