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In addition to his work with brother Chris and “brother” Jano Rix in the Wood Brothers, and his previous time fronting King Johnson, Oliver Wood has done some solo work, and this is his newest one since his 2021 debut. He recruited some familiar names to help, like Seth Walker, Ric Robertson, Katie Pruitt, Tania Elizabeth, and Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin. Jano co-produced this one with him, with a good bit of spontaneity. “I wanted to get outside my box and embrace the uncertainty of what’s out there. I wanted weird guitar tones. I wanted more percussion and less drums. Once we began experimenting and doing whatever inspired us, the pressure melted away and I felt liberated.”

We got to know this supergroup-you-haven’t-yet-heard-of in 2022 with their debut, “The Very Best of Fantastic Cat.” This one’s even better! Individually, each member boasts their own impressive resume along with appearances everywhere from the New York Times and the Tiny Desk to Bonnaroo and Cayamo. NPR said Anthony D’Amato “sings and writes in the tradition of Bruce Springsteen or Josh Ritter.” Paste declared Don DiLego's latest album a "stunner.” Rolling Stone called Brian Dunne’s new record “the sleeper album of the year” and praised Mike Montali’s band, Hollis Brown, as “the soundtrack for a late night drive through the American heartland." As their press package says, think CSNY if none of them were famous, or The Traveling Wilburys if none of them were famous, or the Eagles if they really didn’t get along.

Introducing some soul-jazz-funk musicians that may need no introduction: guitarist Eddie Roberts (The New Mastersounds), organist Robert Walter (The Greyboy Allstars), bassist Chris Stillwell (The Greyboy Allstars), and drummer Zak Najor (Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, and formerly Greyboy Allstars). They first met in the UK in 1996, and have played with each other in various formations over the years since. Now we have this official collaboration of 8 great grooves, courtesy of Color Red Records, released on July 26th.

It can be a workout trying to keep up with Americana’s most prolific songwriter! But for those who’ve lost count this is his 37th, and it’s filled with 11 wonderful new originals, performed by the band he’s been out on tour with lately. That tour recently included MerleFest (his “Favorite Place”?) and SkunkFest in our area. This new one is out on Sky Crunch Records, and destined to be an Americana favorite at year’s end.

Do you remember Madeleine Peyroux’s wondrous 2004 classic Careless Love, which evoked the Parisian streets where she came of age as a singer, and seamlessly blended originals alongside sublime covers from the likes of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen? Well she’s back with her 9th studio album, and back in top form, with themes on this album ranging from the confessional to the political, from whimsy to yearning. In every note, Peyroux digs deep, making for another sensuous, sinewy, deeply rich release.

Jeff Tweedy and Wilco are big fans of the LP: the “long play”, full album release of a dozen or so songs that capture some semblance of where they’re at at the time of recording, whether with an actual theme, or just a vibe. So it’s a bit unusual to see a new EP of just 6 songs, which are previously unreleased tracks from the Cousins sessions. There’s a bit of a summertime theme here. Enjoy!

With her honest, emotional lyrics, here equally honest, emotional vocal delivery, and her wonderful band of Matt Smith (pedal steel and electric guitars), Rick Cooper (bass/vocals), Evan Martin (drums/vocals), and Kevin Williams (keys/vocals), it’s no wonder Amanda Anne Platt has kept Asheville in the national music spotlight these past dozen or so years. Get to know this new one on Mule Kick Records, which will be officially released on August 9th.

It’s just Steve and his acoustic instruments on this live album recorded while on tour last year. He’s currently on a similar tour this summer of 69 shows, including one for WNCW fans last month here at Isothermal Community College’s Foundation Performing Arts Center.

Get to know this great new bluegrass band if you haven’t already! They formed out of jamming together at Grass Valley, the annual Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival held in California’s Sierra Nevada foothills. Mandolinist/singer AJ Lee and guitarist Sullivan Tuttle had been in a band together from ages 8 and 10, respectively, and guitarist Scott Gales and Lee first shared the stage when he was 11 and she was 4. City of Glass, is a California affair, through and through. Lee & Blue Summit brought in Lech Wierzynski, of the California Honeydrops, to produce; they tapped Bay Area steel guitarist Mikiya Matsuda for a couple of tracks; plus they had Californian banjo player, and instructor, Luke Abbott lend five-string to a number. Their next show in our area is on August 31st, at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival.

This Seattle-based R&B and jazz-rooted band has their fourth album now. Expanding on the album’s theme, frontman Tom Eddy notes “These aren’t ‘Love Songs’ in the most obvious sense. They deal with the middle stages, the hinterlands of love and life together - figuring someone out and what they need, learning how to communicate, and examining your own faults. We set out to write music that felt more grown, a little wiser. The songs that emerged all pointed in the Love Direction.”