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South Louisiana native Rod Melancon recently inked a deal with the Blue Elan label (home of Red Guitar Music fav and Eagles songwriter Jack Tempchin). His first release for the label is a 5 track EP (available for free download) which is a taster for his forthcoming album due later this year.
Read MoreBilly Bragg & Joe Henry reunited to record a set of songs that related to the American railroad. They decided the ideal way to record the songs was to board the famed Texas Eagle Amtrak service for a trip across the USA recording tracks along the way. The result is 'Shine A Light' Field Recordings From The Great American Railroad. The album will be released September 23rd, 2016 on the Cooking Vinyl label and includes songs originally recorded by Lead Belly, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams and Glen Campbell.
Read MoreFantasy Records is proud to announce the release of COLVIN & EARLE, the self-titled, debut album from acclaimed GRAMMY® Award-winning artists Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle. COLVIN & EARLE arrives everywhere on June 10th, 2016. The album was produced by Buddy Miller and features a mix of original material and four cover songs. The first single is the dark, brooding 'You're Right (I'm Wrong)' which bodes well for the album. The full press release follows including a link to listen to the single on Rolling Stone Country.
Read MoreFebruary 5th will see the release of 'The Essential Gretchen Peters' on the Proper Records label with a UK tour to coincide. The 2 disc set showcases a singer-songwriter armed with a voice and songs that stand comparison with the most talented artists performing today in any genre. The 27 tracks include an acoustic version of 'Independence Day' and 'Wild Horses' performed with Matraca Berg and Suzy Bogguss that brings new life to the, always essential, Rolling Stones classic.
Read MoreTo celebrate Bloodshot Records’ 21st birthday, the Chicago-based label is releasing Bloodshot Six Pack to Go, a limited-edition set of six 7-inch singles on December 4th. The collection features songs with celebratory drink-related themes performed by artists on the roster (Bobby Bare Jr., Banditos, and more) and beyond (Deer Tick, Robert Pollard of Guided By Voices, and more) and comes complete in a full art, never-before-made, six-pack carrying case. Only 1000 copies will be availabl
Read MoreSeptember 2015 sees Andrew Combs returning to the UK, supported by his label-mate Barna Howard. To celebrate their joint tour, Andrew and Barna have released a special limited edition split 7” single on a white coloured vinyl and it looks very cool indeed. The single features the tracks "Nothing To Lose" and "Quite A Feelin’”. The 7" is available from Loose Music here.
Read MoreFresh out of the mountains of Southwest Virginia Black Mountain Shine have burst on to the scene with a hard rockin’ country influenced sound that shows a close affinity with such giants of classic rock radio as The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Formed by two brothers and two lifelong friends, Black Mountain Shine have a history of making music together. Band members have performed over 1,600 shows while sharing the stage with Blake Shelton, Little Big Town, 38 Special, Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, Kip Moore, Gretchen Wilson, Marty Stuart, and many others.
Read MoreBuford Pope, (a.k.a. Mikael Liljeborg) was born in 1971 on Gotland, a Swedish limestone island in the Baltic Sea. With a small population and isolated from the Swedish mainland the young Mikael discovered music, primarily Bob Dylan and then on to other greats of the singer songwriter genre such as Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and Jackson Browne. He recently released an outtake that didn't quite make his most recent, and fifth, album 'Sticks In The Throat' from 2014. Spotify users can listen to the track on the link below.
Read MoreHannah Aldridge is steeped in the music of Nashville and Muscle Shoals, the two cities where she was raised, as her father Walt Aldridge - a Muscle Shoals legend and much-honoured Nashville songwriter, musician and producer - plied his craft. Her music has an edge and her forthcoming trip to the UK is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to embrace the gritty tales featured on her acclaimed ‘Razor Wire’ album which she has tagged ‘Dark Americana’.
Read MoreThe Academy and Grammy Award nominated singer-songwriter Allison Moorer is set to release her Proper Records debut, Down To Believing, on March 16. Produced by long-time friend and collaborator, guitarist Kenny Greenberg, the album was recorded over two years in Nashville while Moorer commuted back and forth from her home in New York City. Her eighth studio recording since her 1998 debut Alabama Song, Down To Believing is her most personal collection of songs to date as it deals with her separation from Steve Earle and their son John Henry’s diagnosis of Autism.
Read MoreJanuary 26, 2015 is the date for the new album 'All These Dreams' from acclaimed musician, songwriter and performer Andrew Combs on the Loose Music label. The first single from the album ‘Foolin’ is out December 15 and is inspired by the digital age we live in.
Read MoreC2C is proud to present the Country Music Association (CMA) Songwriters Series, in London on Friday 6th March 2015 at Indigo at The O2, with host Kix Brooks and featuring Brandy Clark, Sam Palladio, Jessi Alexander and Jon Randall. This is great news for country fans and the ideal appetiser for the C2C Festival as the CMA Songwriters Series will once again take place on the evening before C2C, a huge two-day music festival extravaganza at The O2 featuring an outstanding line up of music stars from across the Atlantic.
Read MoreDecember 1st 2014 will mark the release of the second full album from Boston native Michelle Lewis. The self-released album is the belated, but very welcome, follow up to her 2004 debut ‘This Time Around’. Once again Lewis has worked with producer and multi-instrumentalist Anthony J Resta (Duran Duran, Collective Soul, Shawn Mullins etc.) with whom she had previously worked on her ‘Broken’ and ‘Paris’ EPs. The album includes two superb songs written with Nashville songwriter Robby Hecht.
Read MoreFresh off her induction into the prestigious Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Gretchen Peters has confirmed the 9th February release of her new album 'Blackbirds.' Co-produced with Doug Lancio and Barry Walsh and recorded in Nashville, the album features a who's who of modern American roots music: Jerry Douglas, Jason Isbell, Jimmy LaFave, Will Kimbrough, Kim Richey, Suzy Bogguss and more.
Read MoreAmericana Folk duo The Black Feathers are excited to announce that their video ‘Strangers We Meet’ which was shot in Nashville earlier this year is now available to watch online. This follows the release of their critically acclaimed debut EP of the same name in February 2014, which gained plays on BBC Radio 2 and saw them appear in The Telegraph’s 51 Best Folk Albums of 2014 list, as well as a feature in Sunday Times Culture.
Read MoreTexan singer Sam Baker returns to the UK this November in support of his 2013 album 'Say Grace' The tour kicks off with a London show at Dingwalls on November 10th. Baker will be touring with Carrie Elkin and Chip Dolan so it should be a great night out.
Read MoreRod Stewart’s studio LPs originally released between 1969 and 1974 are brought together in a boxed set for the first time. Each LP will have exact reproductions of original artwork to retain authenticity, and will be pressed in 180 gram heavyweight audiophile vinyl and contained in a rigid slipcase box.
Read MoreMinnesota based Chastity Brown enjoyed critical acclaim with her 2013 album ‘Back-Road Highways’. The album was the perfect showcase for her take on a range of musical styles with gospel, country, folk, soul and blues influences moulded to form her unique and captivating sound.
Read MoreCountry rock act Darkhorse have been busy these last few weeks and today released a new single and video for ‘You Were The One (I Waited For)’. The video was directed by Matt Leaf (Hedley, K-OS, One Bad Sun) and produced by Brass Tacks Films (Steel Panther, Airbourne, Hedley). The track is from their excellent debut album ‘Let It Ride’ (review here). An acoustic version of the track will be available soon via ITunes and Amazon.
Read MoreOld Dominion features Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers, Geoff Sprung and Brad Tursi. Avid readers of sleeve notes, or those of us old enough to remember such things, might recognise the names here. Over the last few years they have had songs recorded by a number of acts including ‘Chainsaw’ by The Band Perry and the excellent ‘wake Up Lovin’ You’ by Craig Morgan. The band will step into the limelight with the EP in October and tour dates with Chase Rice on his ‘Ignite The Night’ tour.
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