Category: Americana

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (October 10, 2025)

As we get closer to the end of the year the music starts heating up.

Shiraz Lane is out front with this scorcher ahead of their soon-to-be-released record In Vertigo.

Chrissie Hynde has a new album coming soon with some stellar guests, first up Chrissie and Rufus Wainwright slaying “Always On My Mind.”

And, last and probably best, The Belair Lip Bombs, Melbourne’s secret weapon, has a new record coming that is pre-determined to be among the best of the year.

And that is not all. Here are five cool ones to savor this week.

Hollow Souls – Hollow Souls

With a new line up that brings Kris Barras back to his blues-rock roots while at the same time creating a heavier sound than was on display with the Kris Barras Band, the debut record mines Stevie Ray territory with aplomb.

Fronted by Phoebe Jane with pipes that would make Beth Hart blush, the new band is joined by current hot shots Monster Truck, Chris Tapp of The Cold Stares, and Elles Bailey on a debut record that certainly sets the stage for great things to come.

“Burn It To The Ground” is a scorcher with assistance fro Elles Bailey, “Shotgun” just flat out rocks, and the opener “Borderline” introduces the listener to Phoebe’s back of the barroom pipes. And yes, there is cowbell.

Another example of why rock is not dead.

Liam St. John – Man Of The North

Nashville-based Pacific Northwest-bred, Blues rocker Liam St. John blends rock influences with just a bit of Cadillac Three country twang to keep him authentic with a timber in his voice that brings Lukas Nelson to the mind’s ear.

“Devil in Disguise” with an ample assist from Houndmouth veers into Chris Stapleton territory, “Trouble” is a blues-rock stomper, and “Greyhound Bus Blues,” a duet with Molly Tuttle, might be one of the best Americana songs of the year.

Even at a stout 53 minutes long this one seems to end too soon.

Amanda Shires – Piece Of Mind

Singer, songwriter, and fiddle player Amanda Shires turns her divorce from Jason Isbell. “A Way It Goes” into her personal salve and provides the first indication that the breakup did not go well,

We hear the breakup play out in real time “Piece Of Mind” making Alanis look tame, and “Lately” has Shire finding solace in listening to Billy Joel’s Stranger album.

Straying a bit from her folk roots on this one, this mostly sparse affair showcasing some of her best songwriting to date with “Friendzone” a stellar example where she gets high and watches Tombstone and gets higher watching Rambo.

Far from maudlin, this might be Amanda Shires’ best effort to date.

The Third Mind – Right Now!

Three albums in this supergroup of sorts formed by Dave Alvin, Camper Van Beethoven bassist Victor Krummenacher and vocalist Jesse Sykes seem to be basking in the sunshine of nuggets-style rock and roll with an ear towards psychedelic folk.

The Youngbloods “Darkness Darkness” is turned into a Jefferson Airplane-worthy monster ode, “Reno, Nevada” with Alvin and Sykes duetting would have been a monster hit in the hands of Nancy and Lee, while “Pretty Polly” is murder ballad mojo at its finest.

There something to savor in every groove. Come for the Otis Rush mojo of “Reap What You Sow,” but stay for the silky vibe of the Delines evoking “Before We Said Goodbye.”

The Prize – In The Red

With the hot at balloons set to ‘80s rock atmosphere, In The Red, the latest mini-masterpiece from Melbourne’s The Prize, shades of Cheap Trick, Blue Oyster Cult, and Thin Lizzy blast from every speaker.

They just don’t make rock and roll records like this anymore. If juke boxes were still a thing, mine would be loaded with these gems. “Down The Street” is Early Cheap Trick by way of late-era Ramones, “Static Live Affair” is right from the listenable Stooges canon, and even the closer requisite ballad -adjacent “Silver Bullet” has a certain Night Ranger vibe about it.

We are calling our shot now, this is the best rock and roll record of the year.

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (June 6, 2025)

The heat is on as the summer is in full swing. The planes are circulating and ramping up to land some real rock and roll bombshells over the next couple of months.

Thunder guitarist Luke Morley is prepping for a proper record later in the year with this Mellencamp banger.

Sweet Desire comes to us via a 70’s time machine.

And, believe it or not, there has never been a video for The Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer.” until now that is.

The Cold Stares – The Southern Part 2

8 records in, Evansville’s own The Cold Stares have carved out a religion as one of the best Blues Rock outfits in the game today.

There is a whole lot of Johnny Lang by way of ZZ Top buried in the DNA of “Evil Eye,” Stevie Ray ghost haunte the moody “Hurting Side Of Love,” and “Can’t Call That Love” slides into the moody side of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

With this, a follow-up to last year‘s The Southern, it is inspiring to see a band striking while the iron is hot, releasing an album every year with groovy singles in between.

This one will be in the top half of rock record of the year lists when December rolls around.

Jesse Daniel – Son Of San Lorenzo

With a dedication to the Bakersfield sound, this time coming to your ears from San Lorenzo, California, Jesse Daniel weaves a blend of Western Ballads, Bakersfield Swing, Buck Owens swagger, and Merle Haggard songwriting on his latest record, Son of San Lorenzo.

Having been homeless and recovered from addiction Daniel mixes personal reflection, most notably on the title track, ” Son Of San Lorenzo,” ruin and redemption on “One’s Too Many (And A Thousand Ain’t Enough),” along with addiction on “Crankster,” a bit of a rocker that delves into the darker sides of self-destruction.

Finally, with “Jodi,” a love letter to his wife, we get the sense that there is a rainbow at the end of the tunnel, the demons have been exorcised, and we the listeners are all the better for taking the ride with an artist that is not afraid to be vulnerable on what might be a breakout record for Jesse Daniel.

Monkey House – Crash Box

Monkey House, a Canadian band with a name inspired by a Kurt Vonnegut book, plays in the gene pool of Jazz Pop very much in the Steely Dan mold.

With sophisticated jazz rock melodies and a breezy vibe that would make Christopher Cross come back from the sea, the production value along with the musicianship on this record are both best in class.

“Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘em” could have been the B-side of “Dr. Wu,” “Sundaying” is the perfect cure for what ails you on a lazy, breezy weekend, and “Friday Night Jam” is another yacht rock adjacent breezer that displays the tight as the skin of the skin on an apple synchronistic cohesion of the band in fine fashion.

Do your ears a solid and crate dig deep into the back catalogue of this band that has been doing business since 1999.

The Doobie Brothers – Walk This Road

Clearly a money grab to have some new songs to drag out during their supporting act gig with ELO this summer, there is not a real reason for this record to exist.

With this watered down mostly Michael McDonald, (who has ruined more doobies than wet rolling papers) led ensemble the band that brought you the splendor of “China Grove” has somehow morphed into Hootie and the Blowfish and The Little River Band right before our very ears.

Credit should be given for uniting core members Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons, and John McFee for one last trip around the song, and the title track “Walk With Me,” with an assist from the mighty Mavis staples, would be almost listenable were it not for the previously mentioned Michael McDonald chipping in on vocals.

For those of you that are fans of Toulouse Street era Doobie brothers, your ship has hit an iceberg. For those that are fans of Michael McDonald, seek help.

Pulp – More

Incredibly, More, the last record for Jarvis Cocker and the boys, is Pulps first proper record in 24 years since their breakup in 2002, and it’s a banger.

The opener, “Spike Island” provides a David Bowie background against classic Jarvis Cocker vocals, “Got To Have Love” is a disco treat that comes the closest on this set to rolling out vintage Pulp, “Grown Ups” is a throwback to the Brit Pop glory days, and “My Sex” is Barry White shag-funk.

Sure, Jarvis Cocker’s solo efforts have been good, sometimes great, but what the hell man, where have you been, and welcome back to a band that we didn’t realize we sorely missed. Until now, that is.