Artist:Elizabeth King Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee Song: “Living in the Last Days” Album:Living in the Last Days Release Date: April 2, 2021 Label: Bible & Tire Recording Co.
In Their Words: “There’s so much going on now that you wake up in the morning time and all you hear is something going wrong, you know. It’s affecting your children. People know they wrong but they think it’s right. How is it that a mother can hit a child in the streets and don’t even stop to think. It set my mind back, like in the Bible days, like when the lady went to sleep and killed her child and stole the other lady’s baby. It just let you know that time is getting shorter and shorter every day. If you notice the weather, it look like even the storms are mad. There’s just so many of them. There used to be a storm every now and then. Now, just look like it’s in a hurry to get it over with. I know I’m living in my last days. God already gave me my promise. Every day with him, it just gets sweeter.” — Elizabeth King
Artist:Jomo & the Possum Posse Hometown: Austin, Texas Song: “Self Quarantine” Album:Self Quarantine EP Release Date: March 26, 2021 Label: Guy on a Buffalo
In Their Words: “I started 2020 with a challenge to myself to write a song every week for a full year. I had no idea the year would give me so much material! ‘Self Quarantine’ was written right at the time of the lockdown, when things were starting to get really crazy. People were hoarding groceries and supplies and generally freaking out. I loved the idea of using that as an excuse/metaphor to break it off with somebody. After more than a year of weekly songs, and the pandemic being such a big part of our lives, we decided to release an EP of some of our favorites.” – Jomo Edwards
Artist:Kris Delmhorst Hometown: Buckland, Massachusetts Song: “Light Breaks Through” Album:Light Breaks Through Release Date: March 26, 2021 Label: Bandcamp only release
In Their Words: “‘Light Breaks Through’ is a pretty straight-ahead song about the moment after a long stretch of bad weather (literal or emotional) when you begin to believe it’s over. As I was writing it, it landed naturally in these feel-good chords that felt like a bit of a guilty pleasure, and I kept having the urge to make it more complicated. But ultimately I decided that it’s right for this one to feel effortless; effortlessness is exactly the point. When you’ve been struggling and it suddenly eases up, you don’t overthink it; your job is just to let go and enjoy feeling good.” — Kris Delmhorst
Artists:Keb’ Mo’ featuring Old Crow Medicine Show Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Single: “The Medicine Man” Release Date: March 19, 2021 Label: Concord Records
In Their Words: “I was taking some time out at our house in California with my family. We were locked in and staying away from people. Doing Zoom writing appointments, watching Dr. Fauci on TV doing interviews, and it sparked some ideas. This was one of those songs that just came to me, and quickly. I woke up early one morning and wrote the whole thing in about 15 minutes. Maybe it was the subliminal use of the word ‘medicine’ that made me think of my friend Ketch from Old Crow Medicine Show, so I called him and said, ‘I’ve got a song for you guys.’ In essence, the song is about things that are out of our control, but we should do our best to be good people and citizens and spread love instead of germs.” — Keb’ Mo’
“I first met Keb’ three years ago backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and sensed immediately that we needed to work together. I’d been listening to his music since the late ’90s, so this recent collaboration is something of a two-decade-long full circle of intentions. I called him up two autumns ago and asked if he’d hold some dates to play some live shows together and he said, ‘Can’t now, but soon.’ Well, soon enough came around again this past December when he sent me a brand new song he’d written a few hours before. The song captured the urgency of these stark times like no other I’d heard. It didn’t mince words. No sugarcoating, no placebo effects, rather it was a ‘give it to me straight, doc’ kind of a tune, which told an objective truth, one undiluted by affiliation, vantage point, persuasion. The song shook me up and I wrote back to him that night in December, ‘We got to rush this out soon. Real soon.’ Old Crow jumped right into gear, recording Keb’s powerful song of the times within days of the ink drying. It was a joy. It felt dutiful, meet and right, urgent, essential. And harmonious.” — Ketch Secor, Old Crow Medicine Show
Photo of Keb’ Mo’: Jeremy Cowart; Photo of Old Crow Medicine Show: Kit Wood
Artist:Helena Rose Hometown: Waynesville, North Carolina Song: “What’s Killing You Is Killing Me” Album:Girls Like Me EP Release Date: March 26, 2021
In Their Words: “Several years ago, I desperately wanted to tell someone in my family how I felt about their addiction, but couldn’t find the right words to say to get my message across. So I wrote a song about it with Deanna Walker and Rick Beresford in Nashville. Not only did I hope it would help my own situation, but I was also hoping it would help others who have friends or family members struggling with addiction. It is a very truthful song about the self-destruction that can happen on both sides, but also has a hopeful tone to signify that there can be a light at the end of the tunnel. I want people to know that they aren’t alone in this struggle and give them the right words to say.” — Helena Rose
Artist:Natalie D-Napoleon Hometown: Freemantle, Western Australia and Santa Barbara Song: “Gasoline & Liquor” Album:You Wanted to Be the Shore but Instead You Were the Sea Release Date: March 26, 2021
In Their Words: “‘Gasoline & Liquor’ came about after traveling through California’s Mojave Desert so when it came to making a video for the song the other ‘Wild West’ — that of Western Australia — seemed the perfect location. We were headed out to Joshua Tree to catch some music at Pappy & Harriet’s when we passed a sign at the side of the highway that read ‘Gasoline and Liquor.’ I pointed at the sign and said to my husband, ‘That is a song — but it’s a man’s song.’ I then blurted out, ‘You’ve gotta help me write it!’ We passed lyrics back and forth while I honed the music. A week before we were set to record the new album I started fingerpicking the song and the arrangement fell into place. We recorded the album live in an old church in the hills behind Santa Barbara and the take you hear was captured during a momentary pause between someone chainsawing trees nearby!
“I wanted to make a video that reflected the bleak desert landscape of places like Victorville and Barstow, which inspired the song. Since we’re currently in Australia we went to the western mining town of Kalgoorlie where there is no shortage of abandoned gas stations and outback pubs. One of my favorite places is the Broad Arrow Tavern, a quintessential outback pub, miles from town in the middle of anywhere with writing scribbled all over the walls giving it an edge-of-civilization atmosphere. The crusty outback characters and bar flies stared at us menacingly during the entire shoot, leaving us pondering whether we were going to get out of there alive. We almost didn’t, managing to grab our cameras and equipment and get out of there before a bar brawl broke loose. Music sure takes you down some interesting roads!” — Natalie D-Napoleon
Loretta Lynn’s new album, Still Woman Enough, not only brings a collection of new songs from the venerable artist, but also makes a point of celebrating women in country music that have come after and alongside her. Appearing on the Legacy Recordings project are pillars of country music like Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Tanya Tucker, and Margo Price. About including these all-stars, Lynn said, “I am just so thankful to have some of my friends join me on my new album. We girl singers gotta stick together. It’s amazing how much has happened in the 50 years since ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ first came out and I’m extremely grateful to be given a part to play in the history of American music.”
Steel guitar, fiddle, shuffling drums, and a story told straight are the key ingredients in “One’s on the Way,” a song about the underappreciated struggle of raising children. In a promotional, behind-the-scenes spot for their duet version, Price shared her unique perspective as a creator who had the privilege of working alongside a lifelong heroine. The song is especially meaningful to Price, who said of the collaboration, “I chose ‘One’s on the Way’ because it’s an important song. It was an important song at the time and it’s still an important song; to be able to talk about birth control and women’s rights in country music is legendary.”
Lynn carried “One’s on the Way,” which was written by Shel Silverstein, to No. 1 in 1971. It also served as the title track of her album that year. Her recording of it received a 1972 Grammy nomination, one of 18 she’s earned in her six-decade career. Still Woman Enough is the country legend’s 50th studio album.
In an interview about their duet, Price observes, “What first drew me to Loretta was, obviously I love her voice and I love the way she sings, it’s so powerful, but it is what she’s saying and how she’s saying it. ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ and those story songs, they gave me the blueprint as a country artist and just as a writer in general. Loretta said you either have to be first, great, or different. You know, she was all three.”
As an acclaimed artist who has been outspoken in her music throughout her own career as well, Price concluded, “Loretta is such an important figure to me. She’s larger than life in so many ways, and she really was this no-frills, no-BS, singing straight from her heart. And yet, men can sing about sex, they can sing about straight-up murdering someone and it was fine, but Loretta was not afraid to step on any toes. She wrote her truth. I think Loretta’s songs are timeless, and I’ve taken so much knowledge and wisdom from her, just watching how she navigated her career and motherhood. She’s one of the greatest of all times.”
Artist:DL Rossi Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan Song: “Tumbling” Album:Lonesome Kind Release Date: April 16, 2021
In Their Words: “It was great to work with Jax Anderson on the music video for ‘Tumbling.’ We wanted to create a feeling of youth and innocence while introducing the harsher realities of life. ‘Tumbling’ is a song about realizing traditional norms don’t work out for all of us, but we still have a place in this world and can still find happiness that works for us. There is a specific and beautiful journey for each individual, and while we can’t ‘opt out’ of the hurtful experiences and memories, we can share our experiences and hopefully encourage and support each other. That’s what I hope people take away from this tune and the music video.” — DL Rossi
Artist:Todd Snider Hometown: East Nashville, Tennessee Single: “Turn Me Loose (I’ll Never Be the Same)” Album:First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder Release Date: April 23, 2021 Label: Aimless Records / Thirty Tigers
In Their Words: “if you listen to jerry jeff walker’s a man must carry on record, right before he plays ‘sea cruise,’ he yells to his band ‘turn me loose, i’ll never be the same.’ and as soon as i heard it i knew the same was true of myself. i am still totally certain of it. for better or worse, bragging or complaining, it is what is. but what if it isn’t what it is? at first this was going to be for a girl in chattanooga but she was too young for me. so i changed it, it was the right thing to do. trust me, I’m a reverend. i started over by calling jerry jeff and asking him why he yelled that. he said it was something rodeo cowboys yelled when they were ready. when I think a song is ready it’s because it feels like it has a rock I can put my foot on when I sing. so i yelled put your foot on the rock, asked the cosmos to hook me up, and the next thing you know ol’ jed’s a millionaire.” — Todd Snider
Artist:CeeLo Green Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia Song: “Slow Down” Album:CeeLo Green… Is Thomas Callaway Label: BMG / Easy Eye Sound
In Their Words: “The song ‘Slow Down’ is ironic because it actually speeds up the process, pulling you closer to the climatic heights of this heartfelt album and the consumer just continues to soar from there. Recording this video with Dan was like experiencing déjà vu… surreal and exciting. To be able to get that feeling working with him on the album and then reliving it to record this live version was amazing. This album was just a thought and we turned it into a full body of work. From start to finish, to express ourselves the way we did writing this song… it was like an out of body experience.”” — CeeLo Green
Photo credit: Alysse Gafkjen
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