Every Friday, BGS shines a light on some of our favorite new tracks in bluegrass, folk, Americana and beyond. Then we ask the artist about the inspiration behind the music and pass their wise words along to you.

This week, we have sibling trio BAILEN, whose magnetic harmonies pull you right in with “Kansas Tornado.” London singer-songwriter Jack Browning found writing inspiration in Kentucky and offers an acoustic rendition of “Muhlenburg County Stars,” while Texas musician Dallas Burrow turned to Joseph Conrad’s classic novel, Heart of Darkness, for a line in “Let It Shine,” along with added sparkle from Kelly Willis on harmony. For Mac Cornish, writing “Wayfaring Woman” helped her get recentered after some ups and downs. You’ll find that this Nashville artist possesses a genuine warmth and country tinge to her voice that is all too rare these days.

In addition, fiddler Hillary Klug incorporates the sounds of her impressive footwork into her music with superb results, as evidenced by “Little Sadie.” Meanwhile, Joy Oladokun blends folk music and African music in “Sage,” a song about self-assurance with a feature from Nigerian superstar Adekunle Gold. Concluding our roundup, acoustic ensemble Ethan Setiawan & Fine Ground reimagine Connie Converse’s “The Clover Saloon,” and bluegrass guitarist Jesse Smathers refreshes a deep cut from Miss Dixie Hall titled “Sally in Poor Valley.”

As we say every week, You Gotta Hear This!

BAILEY, “Kansas Tornado”

Artist: BAILEN
Hometown: New York, New York
Song: “Kansas Tornado”
Album: SWIM!!!
Release Date: September 25, 2026

In Their Words: “If you were to ask me what my favorite song I’ve ever written is, lately my answer has been ‘Kansas Tornado.’ Singing this song takes me to the place I’m always searching for as an artist. These days it sometimes feels like the word ‘artist’ has become interchangeable with content creator. In a world of endless social media posts, emails, news, messages, and the constant stream of information thrown at us every day, it’s easy to get swept away by other people’s lives and distractions. They pull us away from noticing the cicadas humming at dusk in Fort Greene Park, a hummingbird tapping at the window, the smell of rain rolling in… or even a tornado on the horizon.

“To me, ‘Kansas Tornado’ is about surrendering to something bigger than yourself. Sometimes that’s the whirlwind of nature. Sometimes it’s the whirlwind of falling in love with someone who suddenly appears in the porch light and carries you away. Either way, it’s about letting yourself be overwhelmed by wonder instead of noise. There’s so much richness we can miss in the constant chatter of modern life. I recently read that people are actually happier when they regularly experience awe, and that idea has really stuck with me.

“We recorded the song in Marlboro, New York, in the Hudson Valley with our friend Lee Falco. Lee’s studio is this old chapel that they converted and we sang the song into one mic and left all the doors and windows open so you could hear the breeze and the birds.

“A few months ago we played a show in Flagstaff, Arizona. After the concert, an astronomer had set up a few powerful telescopes on the concert grounds. He pointed one toward what looked like a faint, hazy patch of the night sky. Through the lens, I saw two galaxies merging right before my eyes. What blew my mind wasn’t just what I was seeing—it was realizing I could have spent my entire life looking at that same patch of sky and never known that incredible dance was happening overhead.” — Daniel Bailen

Jack Browning, “Muhlenburg County Stars (Acoustic)”

Artist: Jack Browning
Hometown: London, England
Song: “Muhlenburg County Stars (Acoustic)”
Album: Painted Skies
Release Date: September 16, 2026
Label: Too Fine Records

In Their Words: “In 2024, I went to Kentucky for the first time on my first-ever US tour, and immediately fell in love with the place and its wonderful people. It was my fiancée and I, and we rented a vehicle that was promised as a ‘Toyota Corolla or similar vehicle’…and received a 3.5 litre Dodge Charger! I guess they both have four wheels, sure! That whole week was a fever dream – I got to befriend some musical heroes of mine, played sold-out shows on a different continent, nearly wrapped the car (and us) around a tree driving through the worst storm I’ve ever witnessed, and more importantly, I was in awe at the lengths my soon-to-be wife would go to supporting me and my career. I always felt too precious and too pressured when trying to put that love for her into words, and this song spilled out and said more than I could ever have if I sat down to consciously write it.” — Jack Browning

Dallas Burrow, “Let It Shine”

Artist: Dallas Burrow
Hometown: New Braunfels, Texas
Song: “Let It Shine”
Album: Modern Day Vagabond
Release Date: September 25, 2026
Label: 40 Below Records

In Their Words: “‘Let It Shine’ wasn’t my song to begin with. An old friend of mine who was kind of a street performer had the first verse and chorus and brought it to me a couple years back. I added the second verse and bridge, and after we worked on it, he said I could have the song and asked that I not give him credit. Pretty gracious really. It’s got this soul country pop gospel thing that is just super catchy. Within the context of the album, we also expand on the idea of having a light to shine that gets introduced in the title track.

“The second verse also includes an allusion to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, a favorite old book of mine, but ultimately, it’s this song’s repeated references to salvation, being a blessing, not dealing with the devil, letting your light shine, that make it kind of a gospel song without saying so, if you ask me. And it just feels good, almost Motown style. I play nylon string guitar on this one, with the great Kelly Willis singing harmonies, Katie Shore on fiddle, Kullen Fox on trumpet, Will Sexton on electric guitar, Mike McClure on steel string acoustic, Adam Odor on bass, Cameron Martin on drums, and we did some fun stuff in production / postproduction with some Rick Rubin-style single-note stuff on grand piano, gang vocals, and of course, the hand claps.” — Dallas Burrow

Mac Cornish, “Wayfaring Woman”

Artist: Mac Cornish
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee and Bay Area, California
Song: “Wayfaring Woman”
Album: Wayfaring Woman
Release Date: September 25, 2026

In Their Words: “‘Wayfaring Woman’ is the title track off my second record and is definitely my favorite song to come out of the album sessions. The instrumentation and groove of the song really captures my love of blending country, folk, and rock, and I think is a perfect example of the direction I’m moving in musically. The lyrics encapsulate where I was at when writing this record, feeling lost within the lifestyle of touring, going out to bars every night, and just constantly moving.

“I wrote it without knowing it would be a sort of letter to myself that something had to change. I needed to find my way home, or back to myself, so I could move past what I was seemingly running from. This desire for balance in my life between the night life, that seems ever entwined to my work life, and the rest of my life I think is a theme of the record. I’m still trying to find a balance where I can be truly centered in myself while pursuing this career and putting myself out there, careerwise and socially/romantically. Any musician knows it’s a hard balance to strike.” — Mac Cornish

Hillary Klug, “Little Sadie”

Artist: Hillary Klug
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Little Sadie”
Album: Dancing Fiddler
Release Date: August 25, 2026
Label: Fiddle Feet Records

In Their Words: “‘Little Sadie’ is one of my personal favorites from Dancing Fiddler because it really captures the idea behind the album. I’ve spent years performing as both an old-time fiddler and buck dancer, but on my previous recordings, the dancing was mostly something audiences experienced visually in videos or at live shows. With this record, I wanted my feet to become part of the music itself.

“On ‘Little Sadie,’ the footwork you see in the video is also part of what you’re hearing on the recording. My dancing provides percussion throughout the track, so rather than dancing to the music, I’m creating music with my feet. My feet are actually one of the instruments in the arrangement. I love the contrast between the dark story of this old traditional song and the rhythmic energy of the dancing. I also really enjoyed finding the vocal character for this one. It ended up becoming a track that represents what I do as a whole—singing and playing old-time music while using my feet as an instrument.” — Hillary Klug

Joy Oladokun, “Sage” (Ft. Adekunle Gold)

Artist: Joy Oladokun
Hometowns: Casa Grande, Arizona, and Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Sage” feat. Adekunle Gold
Album: Hope Is a Heavy Thing
Release Date: September 25, 2026
Label: Concord Records

In Their Words: “‘Sage’ is the sonic marriage of the music that raised me. African music and folk music have been two of my favorite genres my entire life. From Paul Simon and King Sunny Ade, to I’m With Her and Tems, both genres have been foundational to me navigating the world and finding my own artistic voice. Adekunle and I wrote ‘Sage’ at the height of the pandemic about needing to shake off the weight of things we couldn’t control. It’s so easy to rush to want to make a change without being able to acknowledge the grief of things not being as we think they should be. Collaborating with him feels like such a full-circle moment for me.” — Joy Oladokun

“Joy is one of those rare artists who tells the truth so beautifully that you feel it from the first listen. Being part of ‘Sage’ was an honor. This song has been a long time coming and I’m grateful she invited me into her world.” — Adekunle Gold

Ethan Setiawan & Fine Ground, “The Clover Saloon”

Artist: Ethan Setiawan & Fine Ground
Hometown: Portland, Maine
Song: “The Clover Saloon”
Album: Little Storms
Release Date: October 2, 2026
Label: Adhyâropa Records

In Their Words: “I came across this song when looking for an uptempo song to round out this record. If you’re familiar with Connie Converse’s version, you know it’s not generally played like this! But I heard it working in this manner, tried it with the band, and the rest is history. I think the subject matter lends itself well to the occasionally frenetic nature of bluegrass, and that’s one of the big things that caught my ear and made me think this could work. Everyone sounds so great and it’s so fun to sing this with Brittany. I’m so stoked about the video that Jeff Liu did for this song, I love his animation style and he did a great job bringing both the story and our band to life!” — Ethan Setiawan

Jesse Smathers, “Sally in Poor Valley”

Artist: Jesse Smathers
Hometown: Floyd, Virginia
Song: “Sally In Poor Valley”
Release Date: September 25, 2026
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “I thought immediately when first hearing ‘Sally In Poor Valley’ years ago that it would lend itself to a full stringband rendition. Iconic songwriter Dixie Hall wrote a lyric that fits the bill to a T with its tongue-in-cheek mountain poetry. It’s full of humorous and romantic imagery of ‘Sally’: a true, hard-working mountain girl who is eager to win the heart of the narrator by cooking, keeping the house warm, and even whispering sweet nothings to his mule. Its lighthearted lyric encourages a smile and its forward-driven melody will likely keep dancers on their feet. I hope everyone enjoys ‘Sally in Poor Valley.'” — Jesse Smathers

Photo Credits: Carley du Menil (Dallas Burrow), Graham Tolbert (Joy Oladokun)