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The New Mastersounds’ guitarist and bandleader Eddie Roberts has his first album apart from that great band, thanks to the Southern Rock-infused funk project The Lucky Strokes. Mississippi-based guitarist and vocalist Shelby Kemp is joined by sisters Ashely Galbraith on bass and Taylor Galbraith on drums.

It’s another great alt-country/folk-rock collection from Miller, with producers Andrija Tokic and John James Tourville (Alabama Shakes and Sunny War). Miller says, "My hope is that there’s some universality in there, and that people find comfort in knowing that someone else feels the same way they do.” We’ve been especially taken by songs like “Nobody Has to Know Your Mind”, “Smokestacks on the Skyline” and “Conspiracies, Cults & UFOs.”

The Redheaded Stranger turning 90 was certainly cause for celebration this year, and they held quite the party on April 29th and 30th at The Hollywood Bowl. Various audio and video recordings of the soiree have been released (LP, CD, Blu-Ray, etc.), with guests ranging from Billy Strings, Bobby Weir, Charley Crockett, & Dwight Yoakam, to Margo Price, Tyler Childers, Warren Haynes, and Ziggy Marley.

It’s “Cosmic Mountain Music from Santa Cruz, California”, as the band themselves describe it. They mostly stick around the West Coast, but they’ve also played the Albino Skunk Music Festival in Greer, and plan to return there in the Fall. Front-man Chris Jones is joined by long-time musical collaborator Jon Payne on drums, Duncan Shipton on bass, Will Fourt on dobro/guitar, and Laura T. Lewis on vocals/percussion on this 2nd album of theirs.

It’s been three years since we last got a full album from Galax, Virginia’s Dori Freeman. Her follow-up to Ten Thousand Roses is a wonderful blend of pop, folk, and old-time, with songs that ponder the rockiness of relationships, the injustices inherent in a divided society, and the yearning for self-acceptance.

From the soulful singer Kevin: “It’s not easy for me to explain the impact that music has had on my person. It’s not easy for me to single out one artist that has influenced how I think about stories and song with the exception of Bill Withers. Listening to Bill Withers tell a story or sing a song for me is one and the same. It instantly attaches itself to my soul. Mr. Withers told me in a roughly two-hour conversation we had many things that (pardon the pun) lean on today. One of those nuggets of insight was to “tell the stories that make me feel most vulnerable, that’s what people connect with”. His story relates to my story. His songs relate to different points in time in my life, like no other as an artist, I hope to someday have an impact on, someone else’s world, the way Mr. Withers has had an impact on mine.”

Psychedelic Afro-Funk and Voodoo Soul from this Los Angeles band, on a blazing hot album out February 9th. Jamie Allensworth, Terin Ector, and Mermans “Mofaya” Mosengo trade lead vocals, weaving through assorted instrumental sonic voyages of multiple rhythms, layers, and moods. Produced by Sergio Rio (Neal Francis, Say She She), it’s named after a fire-breathing female monster from Greek mythology with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.. To quote their promotional bio, “Orgone’s newest LP feels like a sustained hypnagogic hallucination – the place between waking and sleep where reality is fluid and anything feels possible.”

Introducing a new front-man whose new album is a melting pot of American roots music, thanks in part to GRAMMY-winning producer and Los Lobos member Steve Berlin, who makes room for soul, Tex-Mex, R&B, Americana, jazz, honky-tonk, and heartland rock & roll sounds that Jordan draws from. Raised by a high school music teacher in San Mateo County, CA, Jordan has played guitar, piano, and Hammond B3 organ with icons like Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, and Peter Rowan. The album will be released on March 8th, and includes contributions from harmony singer Carrie Rodriguez and accordion player Josh Baca (the protege of Norteño icon Flaco Jiménez).

Mylie Durham IV, known to friends and associates as Lee, started on drums in Hyattsville, MD punk and jazz bands in high school, and then getting serious with soul/hip hop/Mid-Atlantic funk outfit, The Mighty Heard. He’s become known as a terrific collaborator and sonic curator in the DC area, and you have likely heard snippets of his work in sound beds on NPR. It’s an impressive convergence of diverse instruments, moods, and guest artists on this all-instrumental collection from Honest Lee (his DJ name), certain to appeal to fans of the Menahan Street Band and Adrian Quesada, and fellow DC act Thievery Corporation.

One of the most talked about releases around here the past couple of months has been this heartfelt recreation of Bob Dylan’s famous 1966 concert in which he plugged in for an all-electric 2nd set, stunning the audience and prompting cries of “Judas!”. Cat Power (Chan Marshall) has had the honor of meeting with Mr. Dylan a time or two, and we now have the pleasure of enjoying this faithful recreation of music history. Fun fact: Dylan didn’t actually perform this concert at the Royal Albert Hall, though! He was at Manchester Free Trade Hall, but the famous bootleg was mislabeled.