It’s another edition of our weekly collection of new roots music! You Gotta Hear This…
To get us started, singer-songwriter Jenn Grinels is giving us a preview of her upcoming single, “Always On The Run,” which will arrive next week. The track combines Californian indie twang with straight-ahead country & western and a gothic twist. While Grinels is an accomplished songwriter herself, in this instance she composed the music while the evocative, text-painting lyrics were penned by Alfred Howard, a poet and musician. We’re also very excited for new music from River Shook, who you may know from their prior project, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers. Their new roots-folk single, “Wildlands,” is actually a song begun more than 10 years ago – and in a completely different set of circumstances. Shook completed the song channeling feelings from their recent shift from the Disarmers to this new era, performing and releasing music solo, under their own name. With this track, we’re certainly looking forward to what comes next from Shook.
In bluegrass, Lonesome River Band pull a song seen performed by Stringbean (David Akeman) on The Porter Wagoner Show for their new single. “Pretty Little Widow” is hilarious and first rate, even employing an all-too-rare traditional bluegrass instrument, the Telecaster. Its twangy punctuations are a perfect addition to the single, out today. Acclaimed guitarists Bryan Sutton and Kenny Smith also launch a track today, “Three Star Hornpipe,” from Sutton’s upcoming album of six-string duets. Sutton and Smith’s decades-long friendship is easy to hear on the relaxed and loping modern fiddle tune.
There are a couple of great cover songs included today, too. Nashville-based artist Sweet Megg shares her new video for her most recent single, “Come On Up to the House,” her interpretation of the Tom Waits classic. She was inspired by her own family homeplace, a literal and figurative refuge where she grew up in New York City. Plus, after a lifetime of playing sets of cover songs, Jessie Wilson finally releases a cover – and it’s none other than Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” A failsafe choice for a first cover release, Wilson’s take on the iconic favorite has a deep pocket, head-bobbing feel changes, and bluegrass instruments tucked into every one of the track’s nooks and crannies.
We hope you enjoy these songs as much as we have. You Gotta Hear This!
Jenn Grinels, “Always On The Run”
Artist: Jenn Grinels
Hometown: Originally Cupertino, California; currently working out of New York City
Song: “Always On The Run”
Release Date: April 10, 2026
In Their Words: “This song is a collaboration, with lyrics by Alfred Howard and music by me. I’ve always admired Al’s poetry, spoken word, and lyricism, so when he first reached out about collaborating, I was thrilled. These were the first lyrics he sent me – of many songs we ended up working on together – and when I read them, I was instantly inspired. The songwriting process was so quick, which definitely doesn’t always happen, and that ease ended up inspiring and setting the tone for the rest of the record.
“The imagery in Al’s writing naturally leant itself to this western feel that carries throughout the album – and a lot of that is rooted in the desert landscapes of Southern California that inspire him.
“At its heart, the song is about endless ambition – and the exhaustion that can come with it. We’re always reaching for our dreams, both of us having spent so many years in this business, constantly chasing that setting sun – and to metaphorically walk into it. It’s special to work with someone who’s in a similar place in life. He can write something deeply personal that I immediately connect to, and that sparks something in me musically.” – Jenn Grinels
Track Credits:
Jenn Grinels – Vocals, acoustic guitar, composer
Alfred Howard – Lyricist
Mike Butler – Guitars, lap steel, percussion, producer, engineer
Jason Littlefield – Bass
Jake Najor – Drums
Lonesome River Band, “Pretty Little Widow”
Artist: Lonesome River Band
Hometown: Floyd, Virginia
Song: “Pretty Little Widow”
Release Date: April 3, 2026
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “Jesse [Smathers] brought this song to our attention from a video of Stringbean on The Porter Wagoner Show from the 1960s. We all love Stringbean’s music, and it was a song I had not heard before. He was backed by Porter’s country band and the electric guitar had a great part in the song. So it was an obvious choice of tunes for this project. Rod Riley on the Tele captures the vintage sound of that era of country music.” – Sammy Shelor
Track Credits:
Sammy Shelor – Banjo
Jesse Smathers – Acoustic, lead vocal
Mike Hartgrove – Fiddle
Adam Miller – Mandolin, harmony vocal
Kameron Keller – Upright bass
Rod Riley – Electric guitar
Bryan Sutton, “Three Star Hornpipe” with Kenny Smith
Artist: Bryan Sutton with Kenny Smith
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Three Star Hornpipe”
Album: From Roots to Branches
Release Date: April 3, 2026 (single)
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “I met Kenny when I first moved to Nashville. He had been there already a few years and was living down there near Wartrace, Tennessee, doing some work with Gallagher. And I forget exactly where I might have met him, but I was probably around the Station Inn or one of the music stores in Nashville. I went down and hung out with him. I had a guitar that I had some questions about and wanted to show it to him – you know, some structural issues – and he took a look at it and we played a little bit and I’ve just known him ever since. This is the early ’90s, over 30 years ago, and I just maintained a friendship with him all through these years.
“I’ve always loved the way Kenny is reverential towards fiddle tunes when he plays. He really finds that sweet spot of his guitar artistry, but you hear the melodies – he’s playing the tune and presenting the melody. I found this old song, ‘Three Star Hornpipe,’ that I’d heard from a fiddler named Roger Howell here in Western North Carolina. Tommy Hunter had recorded it years and years ago. I found an original recording and sent it to Kenny and went like, ‘What do you think? Here’s a tune that neither of us have ever played.’ Again, I didn’t necessarily want to do an obvious, low-hanging fruit kind of fiddle tune. So here was a newer tune and he was game to do it. That’s how we got into that tune, and I just love what he did with it.” – Bryan Sutton
Track Credits:
Bryan Sutton – Acoustic guitar
Kenny Smith – Acoustic guitar
River Shook, “Wildlands”
Artist: River Shook
Hometown: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Song: “Wildlands”
Release Date: April 3, 2026
In Their Words: “I started writing ‘Wildlands’ when I was seeing a deeply controlling, scary person. One summer day, I snuck out of the house and went to the Haw River to clear my head. I sat writing at the water’s edge, feeling brave for the first time in years, and when I got back home, I hid the piece of paper with the lyrics deep in my closet. Nothing came of the song for almost a decade.
“Last year, when I decided to end my band (Sarah Shook & the Disarmers) and start over under my new name (River Shook), those old feelings came rushing back – fear, bravery, clarity, strength – and I remembered ‘Wildlands.’ I kept the original first verse, reworked the other two, and wrote a new chorus. Releasing this song is such a beautiful full-circle moment in my life. I feel so lucky to share ‘Wildlands’ with you.” – River Shook
Track Credits:
River Shook – Vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, songwriter, producer
Blake Tallent – Drums, bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, pedal steel, harmonica, percussion, producer
Video Credits: Samantha Kniskern
Sweet Megg, “Come On Up To the House”
Artist: Sweet Megg
Hometown: New York City; based in Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Come On Up To the House” (Tom Waits cover)
Album: Massive Negroni
Release Date: April 1, 2026 (single); May 1, 2026 (album)
In Their Words: “When I heard this song, it reminded me of home – not just a place, but a feeling. My family came from Ireland in the 1920s and settled in the house where my mother grew up and where I grew up too. That house holds so many memories of family and friends. It’s a sacred space.
“When the world feels like it’s on fire, I can step inside and enter another dimension of peace and tranquility. That’s what home can be. This song by Tom Waits carries that feeling for me. It’s an invitation, a prayer I offer to others: when the world is getting you down, come on up.” – Sweet Megg
Track Credits:
Sweet Megg – Vocals
Hunter Strasser – Guitar
Norbert McGettigan – Bass
Chris Gelb – Drums
Video Credits: Filmed and edited by Matthew Farrell.
Jessie Wilson, “Jolene”
Artist: Jessie Wilson
Hometown: Phenix City, Alabama
Song: “Jolene”
Album: Rebel & Reverie (EP)
Release Date: April 3, 2026 (EP)
In Their Words: “As a girl who has played hundreds of cover shows in my lifetime, I’ve never actually released a cover song. I play ‘Jolene’ frequently at my live shows and we perform it a bit different. We play the choruses in double time and the verses in a half time, giving it our own spin.
“I recorded this version after jumping in a session with musicians I hadn’t met yet, who all happened to be monster musicians. We recorded at Station West in Nashville with Ilya Toshinskiy (acoustic guitar), Steven Sinatra (drums), Jimmy Nichols (keys), Kris Donegan (electric guitar), and Rob Cureton (bass). It surpassed my expectations and the session felt so natural and easy despite being in a room filled with all musicians that I was meeting for the first time. Sometimes, you just feel so ‘at home’ with a song, it feels like it gives you no choice but to release it.” – Jessie Wilson
Track Credits:
Jessie Wilson – Lead vocal
Nicole Boggs – BGVs
Steve Sinatra – Drums
Ilya Toshinskiy – Acoustic guitar
Jimmy Nichols – Keys
Kris Donegan – Electric guitar
Rob Cureton – Bass
Andy Ellison – Dobro
Photo Credit: River Shook by Jillian Clark; Bryan Sutton courtesy of the artist.
