Category: Singer Songwriter

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (February 27, 2026)

The year is just starting to buzz a bit with an underbelly of dissent in the air. As always, we have music to sooth our soul, brighten our days, and cure what ails us. Molly Tuttle, when she is not putting out a Grammy-nominated record with Grace Potter, is showing plenty of sass on her latest single, “Old Me (New Wig).”

Rocker James Bruner is starting to get a bit if a buzz, look for a proper record later in the year.

And with “We Rise” the mighty 80’s AOR band Tyketto delivers their first new music in eight years, and it’s glorious.

So, let’s not mess around any longer. Here are five new platters to tickle your ear holes this week.

Bonerama – So Much Love

Check those time capsules, but it has been 25 years since Bonerana has released a proper record, and boy is this one a scorcher. This is massive and funky and about as New Orleans as it gets.

Known in recent years for reimagining classic rock tunes including pretty much the entire Led Zeppelin catalog, the Bones Boys don’t disappoint here with a soul-shattering rendition of “Ohio” featuring Trombone Shorty along with Cyril and Ivan Neville, along with “Meters Medley, a song that features newcomer Omari Neville.

With two tracks with Stanton Moore behind the skins, this one will be sure to cure your winter woes, if only for an hour.

Van Morrison – Someone Tried To Sell Me A Bridge

With his latest, Someone Tried To Sell Me A Bridge Van Morrison proves once again that he is incapable of generating a bad record. With the possible exception of the mildly political bent of the title track, this time out Van delivers a platter of deep cuts and need-to-be-heard classics digging into the archeological ruins of songs you forgot that you loved.

The best song of the litter might be the Junior Wells stomper “Snatch It Back And Hold It” with a greasy organ, sneaky riff, out front back up singers, and snarling vocals, this one is prime Van Morrison.

At 20 songs this one should, but does not feel bloated. How could it with epic collaborations featuring the likes of Elvin Bishop on “Play The Honky Tonks,” Buddy Guy slaying “Rock Me Baby,” and the mighty Taj Mahal on “Betty And Dupree.”

“Delia’s” Gone” is likely the most upbeat version of the song that you will ever hear, Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That A Shame” is stripped down and reimagined, and the Blind Willie McTell penned “Deep Blue Sea” is vintage Van.

Van is back and he never really left. This one is an ears-down leader in the clubhouse for the album of the year.

Tyler Ballgame – For The First Time, Again

Tyler Ballgame delivers a soul-retro sound of ‘60’s crooner, 70’s singer songwriter. Produced in Nashville under the mentorship of Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado, Ballgame’s voice floats across the ether as the devil spawn of Rufus Wainwright and Roy Orbison.

“Down So Bad” could have been an Elvis B-side, “Waiting So Long” as a retro AOR vibe, and “Matter Of Taste” is a bit of a country rocker that would have been a nice fit in the canon of New Riders Of The Purple Sage.

With Tyler Ballgame it is the voice that carries the Day. The vintage analog recording captures the texture of the early ‘70s that is hard to replicate in today’s sterile studios.

This one rewards the listener with with artichoke leaves peeling off to reveal new surprises with each subsequent listen.

Sky Valley Mistress – Luna Mausoleum

The second full-length from psych-stoner rockers Sky Valley Mistress has Kaylie Davies and Max Newsome branching out as a duo in the wake of the 2020 covid induced departure of most of their band. Stoner desert rock in the Queens of the Stone Age mold with the most ferocious sound coming from two people this side of Meg and Jack White.

Cathy grooves, melodic hooks, and thumping bass lines are perfectly complemented by the dynamic vocals of Davies and the pulsing rock swagger delivery of a band in a scorched earth mission.

“Thundertaker” is Black Sabbath if they were fronted by a bad-ass rock chick, and “Blue Desert II” is an epic, sprawling masterpiece.

Luna Mausoleum is the leader in the clubhouse for rock album of the year.

The Sheepdogs – Keep Out Of The Storm

The Classic Rock spirit is alive and well with the release of The Sheepdogs’ 11th album and their first in the last four years.

Listening to a Sheepdogs album is like digging through crates of of old vinyl and coming across that perfect mix of ‘70’s rock swagger, up-to-date production techniques, and old-school analog mixing techniques that you forgot you missed. “Nobody But You,” the first single released, hooks you like an episode of Dangerous Catch, and “Playing All Night Long” could be the first cousin of The Band’s “Up On Cripple Creek.”

Released a bit early for sure, thus one should have the legs to be your summer jam once the hot weather rolls around.

Cover Song of the Day: Paul Weller – Lawdy Roller

Hear he hear ye, an important announcement from Paul Weller’s camp, the Modfather is set to tease Find El Dorado, a covers record that will feature songs from the likes of Richie Havens, the Flying Burrito Brothers, The Bee Gees, and The Kinks among others. This one, “Lawdy Roller,” was originally performed by French band, The Guerrilas. The record is set to see the light of ear on July 25.

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (March 7, 2025)

Wow, what a week is in store for your ears to enjoy, one week just gets better than the last.

The Baboon Show are percolating their wild vibes with their latest single “Forward In Reverse.”

Aussie legend shares “New Day,” a song that shares DNA with Tom Petty’s “Learning To Fly.”

And, Brian D’Addario, the youngest of The Lemon Twig boys is out with a sublime single ahead of his upcoming full length.

But, don’t push all of your chips to the center of the table just yet. Here are five freshly minted morsels to savor.

Neil Young – Oceanside Countryside

A previously “lost” record that was recorded in an earlier time but took 40 years to see the light of ear, Oceanside Countryside culls songs from Neil’s ‘70s American Stars ‘n Bars era.

Many of the songs represented here were previously released on Rust Never Sleeps, Hawks & Doves, or Comes A Time but in different versions. With two distinct sides, side 1 features only Young and his guitar while side 2 was recorded additional musicians.

Not that we needed a reminder, but listening to the versions here of “Dance Dance Dance” and “Pocahontas” reminds us of what a national treasure Neil Young really is.

Jason Isbell – Foxes In The Snow

Recorded in five days with just voice and guitar in Electric Ladyland studios with this, his tenth solo album, we see Jason Isbell coming out of the other side of the tunnel reflecting on a failed marriage, and the pitfalls of stardom following his brilliant star turn on Killers of the Flower Moon, and his battle with dangerous memories.

Every song presented here is good bordering on great with the elegantly sparse arrangements providing the backdrop to some of the best songwriting in Isbell’s career.

One of the few artists whose solo work is on par with the music that they make with their band, now that he has gotten a few things off his chest, most notably on “Eileen” and “Good While It Lasted,” despite the loneliness that permeates the record, the future looks very bright. Talent always wins the Day.

Sorrows – Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Self-described by guitarist and front-man Arthur Alexander, Sorrows is an intoxicating blend of The Who, The Kinks and The Easybeats with a touch of early-era Rolling Stones thrown in for good measure. Just listen to the opening bombast of “Have You Seen Your Mother Baby, Standing in the Shadows,” and tell us we’re wrong.

“What A Boy” is pure My Generation with a dose of Elvis Costello, and “Somethin’ Else” could have been an Eddie Cochran monster hit, because, of course, it was.

Mike Farris – The Sound Of Muscle Shoals

Returning to his roots as a rocker and a soil singer, Mike Farris lays down a solid set of Muscle Shoals adjacent songs that resurrect the souls of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding and preach on the alter of Al Green.

Chris Stapleton comes to mind on “On The Humble, while “Slow Train” is Al Green Gospel bliss. A solid well crafted listen.

Hotwax – Hot Shot

Meant to be played loud, this Hastings via Brighton post-punk band rocks like some devil hybrid of Deborah Harry fronting Nirvana.

The opener, “She’s Got A Problem” sets the stage for a Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride adventure down a careening bobsled track.

“Dress Our Love” has Chrissie Hind Pretenders on 78 vibes, and “Lights On,” a song that features Stella Mozgawa, is a burner of a gem.

This is the type of band that would headline CB GB’s one night and play Coachella the next without missing a fret.

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (January 24, 2024)

The year is careening along and there are plenty of gems to savor this week, but don’t sleep on the one-offs.

ZZ Ward lays down some bone-rattling down home blues on her latest single.

Rock is the New Roll favorites Sunset Strip rockers Crazy Lixx are back and better than ever.

And, Lake Street Dive is releasing selective singles live from the road. “Walking Uphill” is spectacular.

But don’t put away those head phones just yet, it is a stellar week for new releases.

Larkin Poe – Bloom

With a consistently morphing sound, this time into the world of country-rock, the sisters Poe might be the best band you never listen to, but should.

“Pearl” is a proper country-glam rager, “Bluephoria” dips their toes into soul territory and “Bloom Again” is a tender ballad showing off their versatile chops.

If these descendants of Edgar Allen Poe are not your cup of musical tea, seek help pronto.

Matt Berry – Heard Noises

More widely known as the vampire Lazlo in the hit series What We Do In The Shadows, Matt Berry is more mostly known as a musician and has 13 Albums under his vampire belt.

Known for his 60’s influenced jazz-tinged beats and an Austin Powers esthetic, this record is set somewhere squarely in the late ’60s, early ‘70s

“Sky High” has a spooky vibe that would fit in perfectly in a remake of the X files, the hipness of “Stay on the Ground” comes across like a slightly stoned David Byrne, and “I Gotta Limit” soars in the Box Tops “Cry Like A Baby”Mold.”

With the hippy beats and unicorn song textures this one is the leader in the clubhouse for party recording of the year.

Jeannie Piersol – The Nest

A card-carrying member of the San Franciso psychedelic scene of the ‘60s Jeannie was a Grace Slick-adjacent singer and a founding member of the enigmatic band The Great Society.

And now, High Moon Records has released an anthology of her work that includes demos, outtakes, and performances.

With a quick listen it will become auditorially apparent why Piersol never reached the heights of her fellow scenesters Grace Skick and Janice Joplin, but since beauty is in the ear of the beholder there is a lot to savor here with a few spins of this record. The title track is worth the price of admission alone.

Rose City Band – Sol Y Sombra

If Poco, The Pure Prairie League, and a Grateful Dead cover band merged together they would sound suspiciously like Rose City Band. A self-professed space-aged country jam band their latest effort Soul Y Sombra would have been a ‘70s country rock fm radio fixture back in the day.

Opener “Lights On The Way” lives and breathes Grateful Dead’s “Sugar Magnolia showcasing Barry Walker’s stellar pedal steel guitar, “Open Roads” might be the driving tune of the year thus far, and “Seeds Of Light” is a hippy-dippy mellow wonderment.

Stop taking life so seriously for a minute and bathe yourself in this one Grateful-Dead style.

C Duncan – It’s Only A Love Song

Lush, atmospheric, and it couldn’t be more beach boy adjacent and without fighting with Mike Love, the latest fom C Duncan, the love child of Todd Rundgren and Brian Wilson is a smooth ride down a river of rose petals.

The opening title track introduces the piano-centric artist in all his Barry Manilow meets England John and John Ford Coley glory.

The understated vocals along with the lush orchestration will meander your ears back to a timeless era when pop was king and Carole was Queen.

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (January 17, 2025)

With the new Eric Clapton, Rose City Band, and Delines records in the hopper, 2025 is shaping up to be a boffo year.

The Waterboys have a Dennis Hopper themed record ready to be released soon.

Swedish rockers The Hellacopters have a new record out on January 31. Overdriver.

And Frontier Records own, Perfect Plan delivers the AOR goods on their latest “We Are Heroes.”

And here, in an abundancy of riches, here are five new records that saw the light of ear this week.

David Gray – Dear Life

On his 13th album and first since 2021, David Gray gets a bit more sparse and introspective than we are used to from the artist that first hit our ears with the mega-hit “Babylon.”

Recorded mostly in his home London studio, this time out Gray reflects on things getting old on “Plus & Minus,” on “I Saw Love” he is heavily influenced by Raymond Carver short stories, and “Leave Taking” with its horns and intricate production is worth a headphone listen.

The Weather Station – Humanhood

With Humanhood Tamara Lindeman and Weather station doubles down on the jazz-inflected pop sound version of the band that she brought to our ears going back to the 2021 release, Ignorance.

“Body Movement” has a certain Joni Mitchell element to it, while “Neon Signs” will float you on a Suzanne Vega cloud.

The instrumentation on this record with bass, sax, and flute delicately dispersed throughout the record is next-level quality. Listening to this one while chemically induced will take you back to the ‘70’s sitting under a tree deep in a forest.

20/20 – Back To California

Think of the spawn of the Flying Burrito Brothers and The Little River Band and you will have a bit of an idea of what this band is all about.

In business under various configurations going back as far as 1979 and their eponymous record, these guys are all Laurel Canyon all the time.

The opening title track has an R.EM. bent to it, “The End Of Summer” could have been a Bodeans B side, and “Laurel Canyon” is pure power pop.

If you are looking for a record full of melodic nirvana wrap your ears around this one.

Mick Clarke – Bad Whisky Blues

Recorded entirely in his Surrey, UK studio Bluesman Man Mick Clarke delivers up a set of whisky-drenched songs that run the gamut from stone-cold classic covers to self-penned tumblers.

“Killing Floor” and “Smokestack Lightning” are adequately covered and “Watch Your Step” is a ZZ Top worthy jam.

This one is the perfect soundtrack for that next bender, but make sure that you cleanse the palette with a nice single malt before extinguishing the flame.

Ex Void – In Love Again

A behemoth of an Indie Rock record, everything that you thought of the genre is wrapped up for you in one tight package.

My Bloody Valentine, check. The Smiths Check, The Cranberries, Dinosaur Jr., check, check, check. Cobbled together from several indie-pop U.K. bands of stirling quality including Joanna Gruesome and The Tubs, the dual frontpeople consisting of Lan McArdle and Owen Williams take center stage on this one that is sure to be top 10 contender.

And, if you don’t believe us have your ears take a gander at the Lucinda Williams cover, “Lonely Girls.”