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Led by prolific Austin songwriter Kevin Dehan, Cactus Lee reflects a deep love for Texas country songwriters, interwoven with the bold spirit of outlaw and outsider influences. Fans of Tom T. Hall and John Prine will appreciate his/their sound and songwriting style. Bandmates here are Russell Hymowitz on bass, John Bush on percussion, and Adam Amram on drums. Then there’s accordion, saxophone, pedal steel, strings, and on one song, cowbell! As the Austin Chronicle describes it, “fuller production with some new instrumentation fills out Cactus Lee's hippie folk sound – more Gene Clark than Gene Autry, more Jackson C. Frank than Alan Jackson. Which is to say, the music is more inspired by the dirty realism of Seventies Americana-makers than country counterparts.”

Jesse Welles grew up in rural Arkansas, and picked up the guitar and songwriting at age 12. You can hear how his first loves were folk artists like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, as well as the folk revival artists of the ‘60s, like Joan Baez, Judy Collins, and of course Bob Dylan. Fearless, he reports from the frontlines of a divided country on the brink, addressing inequalities and injustices around us. As Rolling Stone says, “There’s nothing “middle” about Welles: he’s unflinchingly addressed hot-button topics like the war in Gaza, capitalism, and the U.S. healthcare system.” He’s been an internet sensation this past year with his solo videos on Instagram and TikTok, and we’re excited he’s now got this official, well-produced album. We also appreciate Jesse’s general desire to inspire: “If my music helps you believe you can make art, and that you should make art, there would be nothing better…Get those paints out…[and] fill up that journal."

Brevard singer/songwriter Sarah Siskind has this solo, acoustic-oriented album coming out April 18th, appropriately called Simplify. It highlights well the intimacy and honesty with which she writes and sings. The North Carolina native has had covers by Alison Krauss, Wynonna, Randy Travis, Bon Iver and many others. Over 20 of her songs were featured on the hit TV series Nashville including the unofficial theme song “A Life That’s Good.” Upcoming shows for her include the Flat Rock Bistro Cinema on April 16, the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in Asheville opening for Bonnie Raitt on the 23rd, and the Purple Onion in Saluda on May 1st. And not to be overlooked: Live in Studio B on Tuesday April 29th!

It’s the 10th album for MMJ, but for the first time, they’ve handed the reins to an outside producer, the accomplished Brendan O’Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam.) This is a solid, mostly straight-ahead rock album, getting quite positive reviews so far. As London music critics Mystic Sons writes, “There’s a tension between chaos and clarity, between abandon and control. The band leans into their psychedelic tendencies without losing sight of emotional core, each song anchored by Jim James’ lyrical introspection and unmistakable vocal glow.”

Just what is the “Red Dirt” sound? Think traditional country, without the modern Nashville sound, and with elements of Southern rock, Americana rock, and just plain ole’ rock n’ roll. It grows out of the musically fertile soil of Texas and Oklahoma, the latter of which Boland hails from. This is their 11th album, and it was produced by Lloyd Maines, who also produced their debut.

The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble is a 9-piece heavy, instrumental funk band from San Diego, CA. Their influences are vast and include Hip Hop groups like Wu-Tang Clan and De La Soul, as well as funk and soul masters like Isaac Hayes, The Meters, and James Brown. But in reference to the name of this album, the two genres they meld together most here are funk and jazz. Dig this great new release of instrumentals, out this week via Colemine Records.

This 6th album of Lilly Hiatt’s, produced and engineered by her husband Coley Hinson, explores some of her inner thoughts about intimacy and expectations, with at times a pretty raucous rock foundation. On the making of this new one, Lilly says, “After scrapping about 20 songs or so I had written the last few years, I wanted to get to the heart of things. I had a great talk with a friend on the phone and she mentioned she just wasn’t sure where I’d been. I realized I wasn’t really certain of that either. It’d been a foggy few years after 2020, and the pieces seemed to just be starting to be picked up. …For a bit, I felt like an outsider watching myself stumble though everything, and was constantly critiquing myself, to the point where I could hardly leave the house for a bit. But then I realized my life was passing me by, and the love I was living in required presence to accept.” “Time is flying, and I want to be here for it all rather than lost in my thoughts all the time. My love is forever. When I was a kid I used to say to my mom and dad “I love you forever and always” then neurotically changed it to “I love you forever and always and it’s true and I mean it”…because I wanted to make sure they knew how much I wasn’t messing around! I still feel that way when I say “I love you” to anyone and hope it comes across on this record.” Join us as we wrap up Women’s History Month with this one.

Following his 2023 breakout full-length album Family Ties, comes this 7-song EP. It’s a bit more subdued and stripped down, though it’s not short on great production, or collaboration with the likes of Scott Avett on the Jason Molina song “Hammer Down”. A more prominent collaborator here is producer Al Torrence, who also contributed drums, bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, piano, Hammond B3 organ, synthesizers, Mellotron, and background vocals. Speaking of Avett Brothers, he’ll be on tour with them this month out west; he’ll also be part of Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival this summer, including Charlotte July 26th.

Ten years (and 13 albums!) into his career, Charley Crockett has shared a lot about his life through his songs, not to mention his frank interviews. His life experiences are rather frank and direct in this straightforward release, too, and it’s bound to be another one of his to rank high in our Top 100 at year’s end.

You say you know a bunch of songs of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band… But do you know them played by outlaw country/Americana-rock band Ward Hayden & The Outliers? Well you will this year, as this Massachusetts act, formerly known as Girls, Guns & Glory, has plans to release TWO albums’ worth of The Boss’s songs in 2025. The two-year recording process for these 16 covers also inspired an album of original tunes, which they’ll be recording this summer. This first one includes songs like “Dancing in the Dark”, “Two Faces Have II”, and the lead-off track, “Promised Land”.