Five Cool Ones: Five New Records Released This Week (March 15, 2024)

The rock continues to roll this week with plenty of prime choices. Rock is the New Roll favorite Blues Pills is out with their Fleetwood Mac meets Black Keys single, “Birthday.”

London-based rockers The Karma Effect deliver on a cloud of Foreigner with a sprinkle of Blackberry Smoke,

and, the best thing to happen to Southern Rock since Lynyrd Skynyrd is front and center with Blacktop Mojo and “As The Light Fades.”

And, on top of all that here here are five all killer no filler records released the week.

Wesley Fuller – All Fuller No Filler

With is his second proper record, Wesley Fuller announces himself with a solid set of Psych-Power Pop Aussie style.

The opener, “Back To Square One” has a definite Beatles flair, and “Jacandara” could have been a long lost Elvis Costello B-side. “The House of Love” is a boogie down banger, and “Look No Further” could have been the theme song for a 70’s sitcom.

This one is an overall feel-good record that will get your feet moving and your soul soaring with subsequent listens.

The Black Crowes – Happiness Bastards

The first set of new songs since 2009’s Warpaint, their latest, Happiness Bastards has the Robinson brothers and the rest of the Crowes performing at their absolute best, so much so that several Crowe’s aficionados are calling this one their best output since The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion released in 1992.

From the Stones doppelganger opening salvo of “Bedside Manners” next to the urgent festival-ready anthem “Rats and Clowns” the message is clear, The Black Crowes, despite their absence, might be the best guitar band in the game today.

Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well

A redemptive record coming out of a divorce chronicled on 2021’s Star Crossed, with Deeper Well, Musgraves may have just painted her Masterpiece.

From the hushed Americana undertones to the next level songwriting the entire effort represents the maturation of an artist that continues to be genre defying.

Whether it’s the poignant retelling of a recently deceased friend visiting her in the form of a cardinal, and calling out getting rid of the people who are wasting your time, this record is best consumed with a single malt and a lyric sheet.

Tucker Woods – Sunshine Blues

A rock and rollover, Tucker Woods applies their trade alongside the Likes of Oasis, The Who, The Kinks and Tom Petty. And with this their sophomore release, the should be about to slip into the mainstream.

With pop-centric melodies and Americana-tinged landscapes particularly on the Oasis evoking “Somersault.” “Are You Glass” takes on the shapeshifter of a Jesse Malin single, has a Whiskeytown flair.

A in all, this is one of the most enticing roots-rock record of the year so far.

Armchair Boogie – Hard Times And Deadlines

We likely have Billy Stings to thank for our recent foray into banjo-based Americana and the New Grass phenomenon. Here, with the latest from Armchair Boogie a solid set of clever songwriting, exquisite musicianship, and old-school sawdust dancehall tunes is presented with accesible flair.

The title track is not your grandpa’s Hee Haw where all you have is a cheap old car and a bottle of gin, and “Liquor Store” goes emotionally deep in describing one too many visits to the Liquor store.

Having been dragged to this release kicking and screaming we have moved all of our chips into the middle of the table in support of Armchair Boogie and Hard Times & Deadlines.

Video of the Day: Tuk Smith and the Restless Hearts – Glorybound

The second single from his carefully curated release strategy in advance of his new record set to see the light of ear later in 2024. Tuk Smith is almost single-handedly carrying the torch for Rock and Roll the way it is meant to be played.

Five Cool Ones: Five New Records Released This Week (March 8, 2024)

The rock is beginning to roll in fine fashion as the freeze starts to thaw and summer is right around the corner. Rock is the New Roll Favorite Tuk Smith has released a freshly minted video from what his upcoming record that is certain to be a candidate for rock record of the year.

The mighty Gems have released a new video in support of their debut record, Phoenix.

And, The Quill delivers on a soundscape of Black Sabbath – Adjacent riffage.

But, that’s not all. Here are five more ear pleasing morsels to savor this week.

Sawer Brown – Desperado Troubadours

With their first proper record since 2011, Sawyer Brown, under the tutelage of Blake Shelton, is back and better than ever with Desperado Troubadours.

This time around with a bit more swagger and a lot more honky Tonk in their vibe, the band has morphed from an ‘80s love ballad band to a proper outlaw country force of nature in the blink of a decade.

From the opening driving – tune worthy “Under This Ole Hat” the stage is set, this is not your daddy’s Sawyer Brown. “Nashville Cat” is yet another ode to the music city and the closing title track is a perfect night cap to a solid effort from a band that had forgotten we missed.

Norah Jones – Visions

It seems to be ear-boggling that it has been over 20 years since Norah Jones released the stellar Come Away With Me. And now, with her L.P. Visions Jonesbhas somewhat distanced herself from her standard piano-driven love ballads having replaced them with a mix of folk, Americana, pop, and psychedelic soul vignettes.

Written and produced with collaborator Leon Michels, this 12-song cycle seems to be nostalgic while at the same time demonstrating the firm hold that Norah Jones has on her career. “Staring At The Wall” has a Jenny Lewis flair to it, “Queen of the Sea” is vintage Norah and highlights her delicate vocals, and “I Just Wanna Dance” sums up all of her emotions released with this effort quite nicely.

The Northern Belle – Bats In The Attic

The band Northern Belle is part of the growing Nordicana scene. Taking inspiration from letters she found after 60 years in her grandmothers attic, Stine Andreassen, singer and songwriter for the band, crafted the new record around transcontinental missives between her grandmother and grandfather separated during the war.

Their is a distinct cardigans and First Aid influence throughout the record and virtually every song has the misty ebb and flow of the sea with “Japanese” a highlight detailing a particular letter her seafaring grandfather wrote to her grandmother.

Nordic Americana doesn’t get much better than this.

Dion – Girlfriends

Dion is one of the few legacy acts that seems to be enriching instead of diminishing his legacy with each subsequent release. Maintaining the perfect vocal range fitting for a singer in his age bracket, his latest song set pairs him with female singers across multiple genres ranging from Country, Soul, Blues, and beyond.

Susan Tedeschi lends a fret on the opener, “Soul Voice,” Carlene Carter assists on the somber, made-for-these-times “American Hero,” and Joanne Taylor Shaw helps to scorch the earth with the closer “Just Like That.”

There is nothing not to like about this record, and that says a lot coming from an artist who has been applying his trade for this long and is still going this strong.

The Hanging Stars – On A Golden Shore

With a sound that Channels The Birds, Big Star, and The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Hanging Stars just might be your new favorite band.

Their latest single from their fifth album, On A Golden Shore, blends pedal-steel and Lou Reed guitar into a smooth Americana oasis, “Happiness Is A Bird” is Lately Canyon wonderment backed by The Beach Boys, And, the opener, “Let Me Dream Of You” takes the stage like a redux version of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

This one is an infectious joy from stem to stern.