Tag: album preview

STREAM: Clay Parker & Jodi James, ‘Your Very Own Dream’

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Clay Parker & Jodi James
Hometown: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Album: Your Very Own Dream
Release Date: January 19, 2024

In Their Words: “We set out to make this record in early 2020, but things got a bit trivial then. However, we came out of the pandemic with some new ideas on how to approach these songs. Exploring the dynamics of two electric guitars sitting together against starkness was an exciting exploration for us and capturing that became our new focus. As for the songs, we didn’t really lean on any notions of genre; the stories themselves aren’t strictly linear. There are moments of bitter tenderness and some of flat-out absurdity – these songs are from those crossroads. Your Very Own Dream is equal parts plaintive folk existentialism, blue-note bluster, prairie-fire idealism, and fever dream ballad. It’s a raw representation of us searching for and finding a new sound.” – Clay Parker & Jodi James

Photo Credit: Michael Tucker

STREAM: Claire Hawkins, ‘The Name’

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Claire Hawkins
Hometown: New York City, New York
Album: The Name (EP)
Release Date: October 27, 2023

In Their Words: “The songs on this EP have been on the road with me for the past two years. I wrote in Ireland and Germany, tracked demos in Thailand, and recorded in my hometown of New York City. I’ve gotten to play them for audiences in Lisbon, Los Angeles, and London, and alongside different musicians from around the world. These songs are my souvenirs from the last two years. This EP is a scrapbook of the people, places, and sounds that have left a mark on me during this period. They’ve been around the world with me, and now they’re out in the world for everyone else to hear.” – Claire Hawkins

Credits: Written by Claire Hawkins

Produced, Mixed, and Mastered by Katie Buchanan

Photo Credit: Geraldine Smyth

STREAM: Ira Wolf, ‘Rock Bottom’

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Ira Wolf
Hometown: Montana
Album: Rock Bottom
Release Date: October 13, 2023
Label: Nettwerk Music Group

In Their Words: “When I began writing Rock Bottom, over a year had passed since the onset of the pandemic. Every piece of my life had been affected. It felt like I had lost everything that once gave my existence meaning: My career as a touring musician, my nomadic way of life, my passion, my sense of community, and finally, my person. I was alone for the first time in almost five years after calling off my wedding and leaving an unhealthy relationship that had wreaked havoc on my mental health. As I sat by myself in the van amidst the red rocks of the Utah desert, I couldn’t fathom how things could deteriorate further from where they stood, amidst the depths of sorrow that paradoxically offered some solace. ‘If this is rock bottom, at least I’m on solid ground,’ I mused, finding a semblance of stability in the sentiment. I knew healing would take time, and writing and recording these songs helped me process an immense amount of grief in the way I needed – slowly, viscerally. It helped me feel everything, say everything, forgive everything, and in doing so it helped me find a way back to myself.” – Ira Wolf

Photo Credit: Kendall Rock

STREAM: Victoria Bailey, ‘A Cowgirl Rides On’

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Victoria Bailey
Hometown: Orange County, California
Album: A Cowgirl Rides On
Release Date: October 6, 2023
Label: Rock Ridge Music

In Their Words: “A Cowgirl Rides On is my most vulnerable and honest piece to date. I am so proud of this record and of everyone who brought it to life. It started with a few heartbreak songs and a few gospel songs and it turned into an intertwined piece of those two things exactly: An unexpected breakup and what I grasped onto to get me through, my faith and the Gospel. I wanted this record to feel as raw as the songs felt to write, so we went into the studio and recorded live with a string band, all in one room together, and everyone poured a lot of love into each recording. You can hear it so clearly listening to the record. It’s perfect-imperfections, and just some good ol’ classic country storytelling. I can‘t even envision this project coming to life without my good friend and producer of the record, Brian Whelan (also a co-writer on a few of the tracks). I hope this record takes listeners to a good–feeling place – some sort of western, bluegrass dream – and brings them comfort even in the slightest way. Enjoy.” – Victoria Bailey

Photo Credit: Stefanie Lee Johnson

STREAM: Rachael Sage, ‘The Other Side’

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Rachael Sage
Hometown: Hudson Valley, New York
Album: The Other Side
Release Date: July 21, 2023
Label: MPress Records

In Their Words: “The Other Side is my 15th album and yet, in some ways, it felt like I was starting all over again with this particular collection of songs and recordings. After we were all emerging from lockdown, I noticed there was such an intense awareness that nothing would ever be quite the same, but nor should it be. As a songwriter, how do you chronicle a time of so much loss, but also so much gratitude – just to still be able to live, anticipating all that you will see, do, and experience once you’re able to move freely, beyond a time of immediate crisis?

“My goal in creating this record was to channel a kind of zealousness and to transcend limitations, which we had all largely become accustomed during the pandemic – and, in so doing, to reignite hope. How does music and creative expression in general help us get back to the business of living, with renewed joy, courage, appreciation and even idealism? The dozen originals on the album all circle the theme of transcendence in some way, as do the handful of covers I selected. Yearning, forgiveness, breathing itself – only human beings can thoroughly understand the miracle it is to do all of these with reverence and uplift, after enduring trauma. I hope when people listen they hear not only my voice, but the echoes of refrains so many of us clung to over the last several years: Hopes and imaginings that kept us going, and family and friends, who we were reminded the hard way are the most precious legacy anyone can create in this lifetime.” – Rachael Sage

Photo Credit: Bill Bernstein

STREAM: Mike Thomas, ‘Diamonds’

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Mike Thomas
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee (originally from Knoxville, Tennessee)
Album: Diamonds
Release Date: July 21, 2023
Label: Electric 3 Records

In Their Words: “After essentially giving up on music around 2006, I released my debut LP, Three Reasons, in the middle of the COVID pandemic in 2020. Talk about poor timing! We couldn’t tour or even play shows locally, and, despite having hardly any budget for promotion, the album did quite well. Folks bought the records, and in time, the album gained more than half a million streams. I was blown away that this collection of old songs that I’d been carrying around for more than a decade seemed to resonate with listeners. This was the catalyst that prompted me to begin writing songs again. It was the spark I needed to begin believing that even though I wasn’t part of the Nashville hit-making machine, I was still a songwriter in my own right with something worthwhile to say.

“So while Diamonds is my second record, in many ways it feels like my first. With Diamonds, I set out to write an album. I carved out time, usually in the early morning hours, and I wrote with intentionality and purpose. I began to explore themes that are often uncomfortable and deeply personal, yet simultaneously universal. Tres Sasser, my producer, and I pursued those themes in the studio with our instrumentation and arrangements. In the end, I think we have an album that reveals my varied musical and lyrical influences while still maintaining a sense of continuity throughout. I wrote this album for the listeners who ultimately convinced me to begin writing songs again, and I am hopeful that this record helps send a few more listeners my way.” – Mike Thomas

Photo Credit: Jeremy Harris