spring fever

spring is finally here in the midwest, and it is time to update your music libraries with some new music. in this post i will share with you some things that came out this year, and a couple others from last year that deserve a second look. again, these are in no particular order.

brandy clark, ‘your life is a record’ – this came out about two weeks past, and it is really growing on me. when the producer took a look at the songs she had brought to the table, he said ‘this is a breakup album’, and he was right. she had recently ended a relationship, and she had some things to say about it. don’t let that turn you off. if you like kasey musgraves, you will love this. i think this is better than kasey’s last one.

john moreland ‘lp5’ – his fifth album, once again showing that he is one of the most talented songwriters in america. as i have mentioned before when i reviewed his last album, his voice comes across as a hybrid of tom waits and ‘nebraska’ era springsteen. never one for a lot of instrumentation, this one is stripped down even more.

aubrie sellers, ‘far from home’ – this is her second album, and the songs are diverse in styles. she swings from southwestern americana to a few songs she labels as garage country. coming from a musical family (her mother is lee ann womack), singing and songwriting seems to be in her genes. keep an eye on this young talent.

drive by truckers, ‘the unraveling’ – another good outing from one of the better rock bands in the country. as with their last album, this has plenty of political commentary, but the songs are good and the playing is great. they do not try to hide the fact that they consider themselves to be at the forefront of the musical ‘resistance’. i will have more to say about that when jason isbell’s album comes out next month.

blackberry smoke, ‘homecoming’ – recorded live in atlanta after a european tour, they seem really at home with the crowd, and vice versa. they play a lot of their road tested standards, plus a few covers. a good introduction to the band if you are not familiar with them.

nathaniel ratliffe, ‘and it’s still alright’ – a solo album from him, without most of the ‘night sweats’. the songs are mostly melancholy in nature, due in large part to the end of a divorce and losing one of his close friends recently. if you are expecting more of ‘sob, give me a drink’, you won’t get that here. but there are a few really good songs on the album.

allison moorer, ‘blood’ – this came out last year, as did the book she wrote that accompanies it. actually the book came first, and then she thought there was some good song material. the topic of the book is not a pleasant one. she and her sister (country artist shelby lynne) were orphaned at an early age when her father and mother died in a murder suicide incident in their front yard. again, don’t let the subject matter turn you off. both the book and the album were her way of dealing with emotions she had pent up all her life, and at the end of the day it is really a message of hope. one track – ‘i’m the one to blame’ – uses lyrics of her father that she found in an old briefcase and put it to music with her sister. i had the opportunity to see her do much of the material live about a month ago, before she had to suspend the tour she was doing with her husband, hayes carll. it just happened to be the day after the tornadoes in nashville, where they live. it was a rather emotional show.