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"This is a group of songs I've written over the last few years that loosely fell into the basket of love songs," says Sharp. "All of these tunes are tied to specific moments and places; for me, it almost reads like a photo album through the past decade or so. Most of these tunes fit nicely onto the banjo, so the bluegrass setting seemed like the obvious choice. Living in Western NC, I’m lucky to have some of the finest bluegrass musicians anywhere as neighbors. This group had never played together as a band, so we had a lot of fun putting these little songs together." The band here includes Lindsay Pruett, Tommy Maher, Casey Driessen, and Jerry Douglas, and it is indeed more in a bluegrass direction than his debut solo album, 2021’s Truer Picture. We look forward to sharing it with you!

With 20+ albums under his belt, a Grammy in hand, more than 33 Blues Music Awards lining his path, and a good six decades in the business, Musselwhite’s voice and musicianship continue to deepen—like the roots of the music he so passionately embodies. The blues may be timeless, but Charlie Musselwhite is the man who keeps it breathing, one note at a time. His unique mix of Delta, Chicago and Memphis Blues is strong here once again, thanks in part to his long-time touring band here, comprised of guitarist Matt Stubbs (GA-20), drummer June Core (Robert Lockwood Jr.) and bassist Randy Bermudes (James Cotton), along with guitarist Kid Andersen, who hosted some of these recordings.

We’ve got a double-shot of Blues for New Tunes at 2 this week, though Samantha is known for blending hers with Rock & Soul. Produced by longtime-collaborator and Detroit garage-rock luminary Bobby Harlow (The Go), this one includes some collaborating with Anders Osborne; The Kansas-bred Fish now lives in New Orleans, where Osborne has certainly made a great name for himself. She tracked Paper Doll in Austin and LA in the midst of a grueling touring schedule, recording with her touring band for the first time: Ron Johnson (bass), Jamie Douglass (drums), and Mickey Finn (keys). It was this environment that helped shape the album’s vivacious but nuanced sound, with its “road-worn chemistry and raw, electric charm” (Blues Rock Review). As for the album name, “It’s about rebelling against other people’s expectations of who you’re supposed to be, which feels pretty relevant for the times we’re living in right now.”

She established herself as one of her generation’s best songwriters in the 1980s, and after a bit of a hiatus following a long string of great albums, she’s back with her first album of new, original material in 11 years. Vega worked on Flying With Angels with her longtime music director and guitar player Gerry Leonard, also the album’s producer, at GB’s Juke Joint in Long Island City. They began with Vega’s lucid, inimitable folk rock sound but soon incorporated R&B, punk, prog, and rock, along with a Dylanesque number and an Irish folk ballad. “Any preconceived notion of what I thought this album was going to be went flying out the window,” Vega says of this eclectic collection. The subject matter is equally diverse, with songs addressing conflict, sickness, angels, witches, and dreams. “There’s this otherworldly element that is at odds with the real world,” Vega explains. “There are images of flying and wanting to transcend the world we’re in. There’s real life, but also, what’s beyond it? How are we surviving?”

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.”

Here is some of Luther Dickinson’s description of this special new Allstars album: “Still Shakin’ is a celebration of our life-changing first album, Shake Hands with Shorty, which we released 25 years ago, and a love letter of appreciation to everyone who supported us and kept us in the game all these years. Touring this album cycle into 2026 will mark thirty years since we started North Mississippi Allstars, and we couldn’t resist by commemorating both of those anniversaries. Rather than focus on the old material, we decided to record new music in the spirit of our debut.

We’re pleased to present this set of 15 new originals by O’Brien and Fabricius, many of them in co-written with the great Tom Paxton. A West Virginia native who burst on the scene with Colorado bluegrass group Hot Rize in the late 1970’s, O’Brien has since earned renown with a solo career built on his soulful songs, heartfelt vocals, and collaborations with everyone from Steve Earle to Steve Martin. The multi- instrumentalist started dating Kansas native Jan Fabricius in 2011. A cardiac ICU nurse and single mother, Jan grew up singing in church and school, playing mandolin and singing informally around festival campfires on weekends. Moving to Nashville in 2013, she took a crash course in the music business as tour manager and bookkeeper for Grammy winner O’Brien. It wasn’t long before she started joining him onstage, in the studio, and in the songwriting room. (Coincidentally, Tim’s sister and brother-in-law Mollie O’Brien & Rich Moore have a new release this week, too!)

We have a relatively personal album from the Nigerian Afrobeat legend -- and son of the original Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti -- with this year’s release. Femi balances his signature “sweet music with a bitter message” with introspective reflections on family, life, and personal growth. Revisiting old tracks with fresh perspectives and producing entirely on his own for the first time, the album captures his journey as an artist, activist, and father.

It’s the Soul Queen of New Orleans herself! And one of the city’s coolest bands ever, with this new collaboration on Galactic’s own Tchuop-Zilla Records. The band’s core instrumentalists – Ben Ellman (saxophones, harmonica), Robert Mercurio (bass), Stanton Moore (drums), Jeff Raines (guitar) and Rich Vogel (keyboards) – usually feature a variety of guest vocalists, but this time it’s all Irma, 83 years young and leading them on all 8 new tunes written specifically for her, plus a new take on Nancy Wilson’s “How Glad I Am.”

This Brooklyn singer has a tight band, that burst on the music scene as regular performers at Levon Helm's legendary Midnight Rambles in Woodstock, New York. On this new album of songs about filled with love, encouragement, truth, despair, and even humor, they aim to elevate your mood in every way. Suter explains, "Our writing journey began during the pandemic, at a time when we knew we needed to stay on the path of conscious creativity, spending many days collaborating and brainstorming to make our dream come to life. 'Just Stay High' is exactly what we did, and now through our gifts of music bring a message of consciousness for the world to heal."