people often ask me, ‘where do you find all of this music?’. i might write a whole blog post someday to help answer that question, but suffice it to say that i get inspiration from an awful lot of places. i keep a wish list of artists that have caught my ear, and then every couple of weeks or so i spend some time reviewing who is on that list, and then order three or four cds at a time. i am not sure where i first heard of rosie, but there must have been sufficient evidence to add her to the ‘buy’ category, and i waited for it to come out a couple of weeks ago. february 15th was a big release day, including this one, and so rosie – an artist i had never heard of before- had to wait behind the two previous posts i did on that day’s release list (tedeschi trucks and hayes carll) to get some consideration. as good as those two albums are, i can easily say i am enjoying this one maybe just as much. it is just a fun and fresh sound, a culmination of a career in the trenches and a great back up team of musicians and producers. as she says in the video below, she wants people to listen and be happy. it is hard not to.

this album showcases three of her obvious strengths. first, she is a top rate vocalist. not in the sense of the prima donnas from the tv talent shows, but in her seasoned and sexy contralto that can switch easily through all the styles that are presented here – rockabilly, western swing, classic soul, and memphis blues. second, she is an outstanding guitarist. she can shred. third, due to her long and respected career and her tremendous connections, she has put together an amazing supporting cast.  there is not a wasted note here, it is all so immaculately played and produced. it just has a wonderful feel to it. co-produced by kenny vaughn (marty stuart band), charlie sexton (bob dylan), and dave roe (johnny cash), it was recorded in austin and nashville. those three also lend their hands in playing on the album, most notably kenny vaughn trading guitar licks with rosie on many of the cuts. flores co-wrote three of the songs, and the rest are covers with a wide variety of styles. being a big rolling stones fan when she was young, the first song she learned how to play was their cover of wilson pickett’s ‘if you need me’, and so she includes that here to close out the set.

so check her out, and maybe take a flyer on her like i did. if you do like it, look her up and see about her career. she seems like a pretty remarkable person. she has been a staple of the texas bar scene for over thirty years, and she has bottled all that up for you here.

it has been three years since hayes released ‘lovers and leavers’, an album that explored his recent divorce, self medication, and fatherhood. ‘what it is’ finds him returning to his earlier work, including more character songs, his trademark self deprecating humor, and a few roadhouse country rockers. all bookended by a couple of love songs, inspired by his new fiancee, allison moorer.

carll’s career seemed to be on the brink of stardom after his 2011 release, ‘kmag yoyo’, but his unhealthy habits on the road and the collapse of his marriage seemed to derail him, unfortunately. i thought ‘lovers and leavers’ was good, but i am really enjoying this one. this is his sixth studio album – i have all of them – and i think this ranks with his best work. one of the things i noticed on this one is his sharing of songwriting credits with other writers, a trend that is becoming much more common in his new hometown of nashville. foremost among them is moorer, who co-wrote half of the twelve songs (she also co-produced the album). the songs about relationships seem to have a theme of being honest about themselves and to each other, possibly reflecting their recent divorces (allison had recently left her ex husband steve earle).

maybe the best example of the power of co-writing is ‘jesus and elvis’, a song set in lala’s, a dive bar carll used to frequent in north austin.

written by carll, moorer, and matraca berg in 2016, it was originally recorded by kenny chesney on his #1 country album, ‘cosmic hallelujah’. it may be the best song on the album, along with the title cut.

the two songs that have the least appeal to me are near the end, ‘fragile men’ and ‘wild pointy finger’. here he enters into some political musings, and i think he doesn’t quite seem to get his point across, although his polemics are more subtle and sly than what i seem to hear today.

as he mentions in the title track, ‘what it was is gone forever, what it could be god only knows, what it is is right here in front of me, and i’m not letting go’. he seems to be in a good place for now, and this is a great addition to your collection, whether you are a long time fan of his work like i am or a newcomer to his material.

well, it’s early, but this is the best thing i have heard this year. their first studio release in three years, ‘signs’ is chock full of song material that is destined to be part of their live repertoire for years to come. they opened up their shows this weekend playing the album in it’s entirety. this is a must see tour this year. i saw them in november and hope they come this way again later this fall. they are simply one of the best touring acts in the country. this album seems to try and capture that magic in the studio, but that is a high bar to reach. my only complaint is that the twelve piece band sometimes sounds a bit compressed, but you can only fit so much raw power into a digital disc. my solution to this was to just turn it up louder, which works for the most part. this is a selection for your drive home from work on a friday afternoon. it also doesn’t hurt that warren haynes and doyle bramhall are guest guitarists.

sadly, the album was released last friday, the same day they learned of the death of longtime multi-instrumentalist kofi burbridge. he finally succumbed to the heart issues he had been dealing with over the last few years, but luckily he is featured quite prominently on many of the tunes, including songwriting credits. trucks had played with him for twenty years and he was a founding member of this band. he was an amazing talent and human being, and he will be missed.

as soulful and uplifting most of the material can be, there is also an undercurrent of grief and loss on many cuts. much of the recording had been done while dealing with the loss of gregg allman, and then butch trucks – derek’s uncle and one the the allman brother’s drummers. the final song, ‘the ending’, is about bruce hampton, longtime mentor and musician. he collapsed on stage at his 70th birthday concert (trucks and tedeschi both performed there), and then died shortly thereafter. but, as always, music has tremendous healing qualities, and this album is all about that. you have two homework assignments: buy this now and then go see them live as soon as you can.

here is ‘midnight in harlem’ from last night’s show. go ahead and try to tell me that derek doesn’t have kofi on his mind…..

following the band’s april 2018 release of ‘find a light’, they decided to go back into the studio and film themselves performing a couple of the tunes acoustically, mostly just to release on their website for the enjoyment of their fans. it went so well they decided to invite a few friends and add some more tracks. instead of just posting them online, they decided to release it as an ep. that project seems to have inspired them to take it on the road. although they are currently still touring in support of ‘find the light’ in their

electrified southern rock style, they will transition starting in about a month or so to the ‘break it down’ tour, where they will do their entire show in an acoustic fashion.

i have both of these albums, i can tell you that i prefer the shorter acoustic set. the songs translate well from their previous arrangements, and they added a bonus track with amanda shires joining them on tom petty’s ‘you got lucky’. amanda is joining them for some of the road dates as well, and i hope she is at the one i am attending on st. patrick’s day at the kent stage.

this is greensky’s seventh studio album, and by most accounts it might be their best. known more for their free form live performances, this release captures the band’s string band ensemble abilities with the crisp acoustic lines you would expect from a quality studio session. for those not familiar with the band, they play all acoustic traditional bluegrass instruments, and are known for pushing the boundaries of the bluegrass genre. much like their musical brethren trampled by turtles, they are the first to admit they are more likely to play rock and roll songs with a bluegrass delivery system.

i can see all of these songs being great launching pads for further exploration in a live setting. if all of this piques your interest, then this is a good album to introduce themselves to you, and then go catch them live out there, as they are currently touring to promote the material. for my local followers, they are playing at the house of blues on february 5th. i hope to see you there.