Another week, another roundup of excellent new roots music for you to enjoy! You Gotta Hear This…

To get us started, JM Clifford premieres a performance video for “Hard Luck Man,” a contemplative song inspired by his experiences walking the streets of New York City, encountering veterans panhandling and down on their luck. It’s a song of compassion built around his observations and the idea that no one should be invisible or alone. Then, we go to Chicago, where singer-songwriter Elizabeth Moen reckons with another kind of man, “Renaissance Man” – or, as she puts it, the proverbial “fuckboy.” Anger, justice, and comeuppance ooze out of the acoustic-yet-rockin’ track. You can watch a new music video for the song below.

In bluegrass, Lindsay Lou has announced a brand new album, Bluegrass Women, celebrating the vibrant and supremely talented community of women that surround her in music. The first single from the album (which will release next month) is “All I Ever Loved Was You,” a beloved song in the bluegrass canon written by Ricky Skaggs’ mother. Tatiana Hargreaves, Laurie Lewis, Maddie Witler, Alison Brown, and Hasee Ciaccio join Lou on the track; the album boasts a star-studded rotating lineup of incredible women. Plus, Jaelee Roberts of Middle Tennessee has a new bluegrass single out today, “Memories On The Moon.” She first heard the track at a song swap at a bluegrass songwriting camp. Immediately impressed, she knew she had to record it. You’ll also immediately see why.

Rounding us out, Asheville-based folk and Americana group Rising Appalachia unveil a new track and video, “Chance at Wholesome.” Picking up on the thread laid down by Elizabeth Moen, Rising Appalachia also take big-talking men to task. As Leah Song puts it for BGS, “This is for the man who shows up all talk and no action.” Watch the brand new video below as you look ahead to their fall album, Trade My Troubles, out in October.

It’s all right here on BGS, and we hope you enjoy. You Gotta Hear This!

JM Clifford, “Hard Luck Man”

Artist: J.M. Clifford
Hometown: Allendale, New Jersey
Song: “Hard Luck Man”
Album: Things That We Can’t Change
Release Date: July 10, 2026 (video); October 16, 2026 (album)

In Their Words: “I’m an elementary school teacher in Brooklyn. I do a lot of my songwriting before my first class of the day. One morning I sat down to write and the lines, ‘Light a candle for the hard luck man/ Left his mind in the mountains of Afghanistan’ popped into my head. It felt like the rest of the song wrote itself. Living in New York City, I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen a person on the street holding up a sign that says, ‘Veteran. Please help.’ These days, it seems like we can’t agree on much, but taking care of our veterans should be something we can all get behind.” – JM Clifford

Lindsay Lou, “All I Ever Loved Was You”

Artist: Lindsay Lou
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “All I Ever Loved Was You”
Album: Bluegrass Women
Release Date: July 10, 2026 (single); August 14, 2026 (album)

In Their Words: “Written by Dorothy Skaggs, mother of Ricky Skaggs. I’ll never forget hearing Ricky and Keith Whitley sing this duet while playing in Ralph Stanley’s band. The harmonies and tenderness of it blew me away. Like many of these songs, I sang it for years before I knew who wrote it. I recall one time in particular singing it with Billy [Strings] in the kitchen at a party. Neither of us had an instrument in hand and there weren’t any around, so we just sang it. It’s such a strong harmony song it stands on its own powerfully.

“There’s nothing lacking in the instrumentation though on the Bluegrass Women arrangement of this track! The twin fiddles and harmonies by Tatiana Hargreaves and Laurie Lewis (cross-generational iconic players and women in bluegrass) and a strong groove held down by Hasee Ciaccio on bass and Maddie Witler on mandolin, give it a feeling like being in an old-time honky-tonk dancing with your darlin’. Add Alison Brown on banjo for a classic, rolling, poppy bluegrass sound and I’m not sure what more a song like this could want. When I reached out to Ricky to comment on his mama as a songwriter, he clarified that his parents had a very loving relationship, but she hit on a real good one anyway when she came up with the lyrics for ‘All I Ever Loved Was You.'” – Lindsay Lou

Track Credits:
Lindsay Lou – Guitar, vocal
Tatiana Hargreaves – Fiddle, harmony vocals
Laurie Lewis – Fiddle, harmony vocals
Maddie Witler – Mandolin
Alison Brown – Banjo
Hasee Ciaccio – Bass

Elizabeth Moen, “Renaissance Man”

Artist: Elizabeth Moen
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Song: “Renaissance Man”
Album: Fields on Fire
Release Date: July 10, 2026 (video)

In Their Words: “I wanted to write something that I’d hope people would want to sing along to real loud in the car. It’s fun, cheeky, and a song to heed the warning of or find solace in after a bad situationship. Good luck out there this summer! It’s the Renaissance Man’s (or woman’s or person’s) prime season I fear!

“This character song is written in the perspective of the many individuals who inspired it. Though the epidemic of f*ckboy is not constricted to the confines of Chicago’s city limits, there seemed to be, especially in my 20s, a considerable amount of them in town. The one time they admitted the truth was when they’d say, ‘I’m a bad idea for you, really.’ Lesson learned that if someone says that to you, run.” – Elizabeth Moen

Track Credits:
Elizabeth Moen – Nylon-string guitar, lead vocal
Tristan Huygen – Electric guitar
Gus Martini – Bass
Spencer Tweedy – Drums
Gus Martini – Background vocal

Video Credits:
Alexa Viscius – Photographer
Grace Coudal – Assistant photographer
Anika Ladero – Stylist
Kelsey Denvir – Assistant stylist
Grace Makuch – Graphic design

Rising Appalachia, “Chance at Wholesome”

Artist: Rising Appalachia
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Song: “Chance at Wholesome”
Album: Trade My Troubles
Release Date: July 10, 2026 (single/video); October 2, 2026 (album)

In Their Words: “This is for the man who shows up all talk and no action. Says you are his queen and then buckles his knees once the chase is over. The one who speaks the game, but doesn’t have the backbone to show up and do the work. For the man that still sees a woman as a second-class citizen. For the narcissists, the broken poets, the dreary addicts who will gladly drag you down with them before they will lift you up and see you shine. Oh the wounded masculine (and thank God they aren’t all wounded). This one is for you.

“Heartbreak is timeless and we have all danced its messy dance. Shattered and stoic. Unkempt and wildly alive. The battered soul doing its best to revive after the storm comes through. I fell in love with a man who was a weathervane in a tornado – a broken man who toted his scars as trophies and would rather spin into patterns of harm than simply lean into care; a chaos worshipper at the altar; mercurial and magical in his fire and poetry. What else can we do but turn the page and sing?” – Leah Song

Video Credit: Earthbased Media

Jaelee Roberts, “Memories On The Moon”

Artist: Jaelee Roberts
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Memories On The Moon”
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
Release Date: July 10, 2026

In Their Words: “‘Memories On The Moon’ is honestly one of my favorite songs that I’ve ever recorded. Last year, I was at Donna Ulisse and Jerry Salley’s songwriters’ workshop – all of us sitting in a circle sharing songs – when ‘Memories On The Moon’ co-writers Keith Barncastle and Rebekah Speer played a song demo (sung by third co-writer, Billy Droze) through a little speaker in the room. From the very first listen, I knew I had to record it. I didn’t know when I’d get the chance, but I remember looking at them and saying, ‘I want this song.’

“The lyrics hit me immediately. What makes this song so special to me is how deeply personal, yet universal, it feels. It was originally written from the perspective of losing a partner and learning how to live with that kind of heartbreak and absence. But I think it can also speak to anyone who’s experienced loss in any form – a breakup, distance, change, or simply missing someone you love. To me, that’s what makes a truly great song: when people can hear it and find pieces of their own story inside of it.

“When we got into the studio, it honestly felt like magic. Tony Wray on acoustic guitar, Alan Bartram on bass, Justin Moses on mandolin and Dobro, and Ron Stewart on banjo brought so much heart and depth to the track. Zack Arnold added harmony vocals that elevated everything even further – his voice and ideas were truly the finishing touch. I have fallen completely in love with this recording, and I’m beyond grateful that I got to be the one to bring this song to life and share it with all of you. I truly hope that it touches your hearts the way that is has mine.” – Jaelee Roberts

Track Credits:
Jaelee Roberts – Lead vocal
Ron Stewart – Banjo
Tony Wray – Guitar
Alan Bartram – Upright bass
Justin Moses – Resonator guitar, mandolin
Zack Arnold – Harmony vocal

Photo Credit: Lindsay Lou by Sawyer Gieseke; Rising Appalachia courtesy of the artist.