-Tara

Hailing from Minnesota, Romantica 's fourth album, and first new release in seven years, Shadowlands, is a lovingly crafted, ambient collection of fourteen tracks that offer encouragement particularly when situations may seem dispiriting. The heartfelt “Let The Light Go Through You” opens the record engulfing the listener with its sweeping melody and uplifting lyrics, and segues beautifully into the reassuring “Harder To Hear” and the emotional “Give Your Heart A Shelter” where front man Ben Kyle sings, “All of this life is a gift that were living/All of this love is given to you.”

From there, things liven things up with the jaunty, keys-accented tribute to Gram Parsons “Cecil Ingram Conor,” touch on the loneliness of the road in the roots-based “Lonely Star,” and search for hope “After The War”

Shadowlands also includes the dreamlike “We Were Young” which reminisces about a lost love, “Blue Heart” a shuffler about wanting to heal a hurt heart, and the tug-at-the-heartstrings “Get Back in Love” which reminds us  just how easy it can be to reconnect with someone, before closing it all out with the irresistible “Shandy Bass.”
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Combining vivid, introspective songwriting with lush and memorable melodies, Shadowlands  reflects on life’s ups and downs, reminding one that even the darker times can (and should) teach us about ourselves, make us better, and ultimately, give us hope. 

Four-time winner of San Diego’s Best Country/Americana Band, Sara Petite returns with her latest, Road Less Traveled, on May 19th. The journey begins with the jaunty banjo and horn-laden title track on which the raspy voiced singer proclaims herself a free spirit even though she may have a love, “Where I’m bound heaven only knows” and leads into “It Was Just A Kiss” a classic country ballad about how a kiss frequently leads to something more. Themes of love and heartache flow throughout the record particularly on “Blackbird” a dark shuffler about desire, “Do you know what I know/That following your heart can lead you down a desperate road”, the Tex-Mex accented “Getting Over You” and “You Don’t Care At All” which captures real truth as to why leaving sometimes is better than staying. In addition to her way with a phrase, Road Less Traveled displays Petite’s ability to shift between musical styles with ease. There’s the irresistible and uplifting “Patchwork Quilt”, the truthfully somber “Sweet Pea Blues” where she notes, “Trying to smile in the pouring rain is like try to whistle in hurricane,” the rockabilly groove of “Monkey On My Back” and the sweetly sexy “Sweet Pea Patch.” Petite closes out with the bluesy anthem “I Will Rise” and a reprise of “Road Less Traveled” reminding us that the road her wandering heart loves stretches far ahead - just the way she likes it.

-Tara

California’s Moonsville Collective return with their latest EP, Moonsville II, on April 21st. The second in their four-volume series, the EP is a road trip of sorts that finds the listener traveling from London to LA and places in between with songs that continue to highlight the quintet’s impactful storytelling, lush indie-folk melodies, and sweet harmonies. Featuring Corey Adams (vocals, guitar, banjo), Matthew McQueen (mandolin), Dan Richardson (dobro, vocals), Seth Richardson (bass), and Ryan Welch (vocals, guitar, banjos), Moonsville II leads with the warmth of “Hundred In The Sun”, ushers in optimism and love on “LA County Line”, and lulls you into the Crescent City on the lovingly detailed “New Orleans.” The EP is rounded out with “Rumblin and Tumblin”, a mid-tempo tune that mixes nostalgia with hope and “Sante Fe” a gorgeous ballad about returning to home and the one you love. It’s a stunning offering that already leaves you eagerly anticipating Moonsville III.

-Harriett

On March 24th, London’s Ned Roberts released his second album Outside My Mind on Aveline Records. This highly anticipated follow-up to his critically acclaimed self-titled debut retains Roberts’ folk sensibilities but displays an unmistakable sophistication.  Relying predominately on acoustic guitar, piano and harmonica, the instrumentation is simple and the melodies beautifully arranged to complement Roberts’ crystal clear vocals and stirring lyrics.  

The ten tracks follow the stages commonly experienced after the end of a romantic relationship and Roberts employs images of water on many of the songs to convey the accompanying emotions. The opening track, “Drifting Down” deals with trying to convince yourself you’re okay as you try to avoid the “rushing waters” of sadness. The familiar stage of being in limbo is artfully relayed in clear, snow-filled images on “Through The Arches.”  (“Wiser eyes in the morning, nights are shaded blue/Why should I let my days go, spiraling out of you.”)  “Ribbon Of Water” concludes that the process of getting over someone follows an unsteady, flowing line  and in “Lights On The River” bittersweet memories begin to get further away. The album concludes with “Outside My Mind”, an ethereal reflection on what it will be like to run into your old love in the future after you have both moved on.        

Listening to Outside My Mind  is akin to spending time at an art gallery for a talented painter’s latest exhibition. Ned Roberts’ words and music paint lovely pictures worth taking time to gaze on and reflect upon. You can find out more about the artist as well as a link to purchase this excellent release HERE     

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North Carolina’s Sarah Shook & The Disarmers - Eric Peterson (guitars), John Howie Jr. (drums), Aaron Oliva (upright bass) and Phil Sullivan (pedal steel) - unapologetically deliver truth, grit, and a brazen, no-nonsense attitude on their Bloodshot debut, Sidelong. The twelve-song set (originally released in 2015)  begins with the rousing “Keep The Home Fires Burning” and hammers through to “The Nail” whose rockabilly melody provides the backdrop for a clever look at a couple pretty much ready to call it quits, “When I think about the end and boy I think about it often/I can’t decide which one of us will be the nail in this here coffin.” Proving hard living and drinking aren’t just for the boys, Shook fearlessly gives us snapshots of damaged women who don’t fit the mold, particularly on “Heal Me” a shuffler which tells of heartache unhealed by the bottle, “There’s a whole in my heart ain’t nothing here can fill/But I just keep thinking surely the whiskey will”; “Misery Without Company” which amplifies despair and loneliness this time while finding comfort in alcohol, and the ballad “Dwight Yoakam” which finds her alone after being left for another (who happens to look like the title’s namesake).

The themes of heartbreak and loneliness can also be found on “Solitary Confinement” which begins as a tear in your beer ballad but quickly morphs into a spirited tune about that familiar feeling of drinking away the loneliness before giving  into it “I wish I could forgive you as quickly as it seems you can forget me” and on the title track where being alone is deemed the better option over a deceitful relationship, “I don’t need no one to set my world on fire/I rather die all alone than settle for a liar.” The album is rounded out with “Fuck Up” a song that bluntly conveys a feeling that’s all too universal. “I can’t cry myself to sleep so I’ll drink myself to death…. Ain’t a thing that I can change to get my luck up/God never makes mistakes He just makes fuck ups” and the darkly alluring “No Name” whose mythical outlaw’s identity is only found in the devil’s book, before closing out with some light on the buoyant “Road That Leads To You” a tune whose hint of vulnerability offers some hope.

On Sidelong, Shook conveys a world-weary honesty told through the eyes of one who has lived the drunken nights at the bar, suffered through the less than ideal relationships, and felt many a broken heart. Delivered with candor and conviction, it’s a (totally badass) record for the one who might be broken in love, but isn’t down for the count. 

-Tara

​After studying and working in Denver as a veterinary technician, singer-songwriter Gwyneth Moreland returned to her hometown of Mendocino finding inspiration for her latest album, Cider. Produced, engineered, and mixed by David Hayes (Van Morrison) and mastered by Karl Derfler (Tom Waits), Cider is a largely acoustic collection of ten tracks all written or co-written by Moreland and features Gene Parsons (The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers) on pedal steel on the title track and banjo on both “The California Zephyr” and “Danny Parker.”

Sweeping the listener off their feet with lead tune “Movin’ On” a harmonica-laden track with a swingin’ retro feel, the disc continues with the travelling theme on the airy “Broken Road” and searching for a love on “Little Bird” which reveals an often surprising “freedom in the pain” of losing someone.
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Highlighted by delicate strumming, the jazzy “Farmhouse” puts forth an old-time front porch feel; “Eloise” considers complicated emotions and “Your Smile” is lovingly romantic. The collection is rounded out by the title track and the spacious “Summer Song.” There’s nothing not to enjoy on Moreland’s Cider which immerses you in sweet harmonies, poignant lyricism and sweeping melodies. For more information visit HERE.

-Tara

Recorded at Memphis’ High/Low Recording throughout 2016, the Dead Soldiers latest The Great Emptiness is an amalgam of Folk, Americana, Bluegrass, and Punk that is both raucous and reverent. The album catapults out of the gate with the mosh-pit ready, morbid “When I Die” and continues with nine other tracks that while driven by strings, fiddle, and horns in largely danceable melodies, paint sometimes dark, bleak portraits of life including the rollicking “White Collar Blues” and “Teddy Bears” which blends desolation with a jaunty, bohemian chorus. Things slow down, yet still retain a realness on the harmony-laden “Old Time Religion,” the dramatic “Still Climbing the Mountain” and the jazz-flavored “A Love Song.” The Great Emptiness is rounded out with the perceptive “The Smartest Man in the World” and the barnburner “Prophets of Doom” before closing out with the biting “Cheap Magic” an ode of sorts to an old love. Filled with stories and characters written with heart and honesty, The Great Emptiness offers interesting perspectives and distinctive melodies that will surprise you with each listen. For more information visit HERE.

-Tara

Illinois native Ashley Riley returns with Can't Let You Go, a self-penned EP which contains seven tracks that while unable to find a home on her other recordings, fit together in perfect harmony here. Riley’s smokey whisper delivers a heartfelt, ambient collection that begins with the gentle, yet revelatory “Lonely” and continues with the honest emotion of the title track through to the despondency of “Tell Me Why.” Whether dreamlike (the retro “Lovers”), delicate (“Leaving Nashville”), or jaunty (“Wait A Minute”), Riley puts forth relatable songs about the human heart that grab your attention. She’s a distinctive female voice who needs to be on your musical radar. For more information visit HERE.

-Harriett

Alabama native Andrew Pope is set to release his full-length album, Stoned On The One on May 5th via Alacob Music.  Produced by Pope, the 13 track collection centers around life after the end of a relationship, the struggles of an artist navigating the early years of a music career, and the search for the way forward.  

If you spend a few minutes reading online reviews and other commentary on country music, you’ll no doubt run up on discussion of what is and is not country.  That discussion will not be necessary with this album. Pope has given us a stone cold, flat out country release from start to finish. Steel guitars and harmonicas, solid storytelling and compelling, earnest vocals combine for the perfect storm of traditional country goodness.  Whether it’s the slow burning honky tonk heartbreak of the title track, the stripped down acoustic quiet surrender and acceptance of “Whiskey Gets Me There” and “Even Ramblers Get The Blues” or the road-weary humor found in “Honky Tonk Tragedy” and “Wish I Was In Austin”, Pope delivers. 

The writing is solid on every track but showcased perfectly on the album’s lead single “Stormchaser”, released in 2016, with its vivid description of a person who is always rushing head-first into doomed relationships.   

“Radar flashing lipstick red, goodbye hanging on by a thread, in my head. I see the wall cloud overhead, let a man tell me this instead. Is she still lying in his bed? Who cares anyway?/Bring on the thunder, I’m addicted to the sound. Hit me with a lightning strike, I’ll ride it all the way to the ground.”
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Fans of Jamey Johnson and Chris Stapleton are sure to find a lot to like with Stoned On The One.  Find out more about Pope and his upcoming tour in support of the album at www.andrewpopemusic.com      

-Tara

Following up their critically acclaimed self-titled EP from October 2016, UK based outfit Curse of Lono are prepping to deliver their full-length debut, Severed, on April 7th. The five-piece continue with their cinematic-gothic sound this time around expanding it with stronger elements of Folk, Americana, Indie Rock and 70’s like harmonies. 

Opening with the airy “Five Miles”, the collection features ten tracks, including current single, the bouncy “Pick Up The Pieces”, that - whether dealing with infidelity, jealousy, death, or front man Felix Bechtolsheimer’s struggles with heroin - have a beautifully ambient and intimately personal feel.

“Each Time You Hurt” is as delicate as it is honest “Dreams only let you down/Truth turns it all around”; “London Rain,” with its jazzy backdrop, emits an ominous vibe, while the folky “He Takes My Place” offers a sexually charged despondency. The album  is  rounded out with the infectious foot-stomper “Send for the Whiskey,” the intense "All I Got," and “Don’t Look Down” which closes out the album on a melancholy note, accepting the end of a relationship. “If that smiles not all you’re faking/We were cheating from the start.”

With Severed, Curse of Lono bring an edge to Americana, crafting a record that cuts into the darker aspects of life, yet somehow making them just as beautiful as the happier ones.