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Pastures doesn't sound like the work of a Gen Z songwriter. Instead, its songs are poised and pastoral, filled with acoustic instruments — including the 1930s banjo she inherited from her grandfather — that evoke a landscape far more remote than Southern California. Some songwriters make music that reflects their surroundings, but Del Carmen takes a different path, turning herself into a musical world-builder. At just 24 years old, she's chased down an Americana sound of her own making.

This might be the most musically adventurous and ambitious album of the blues man’s long and storied career. The album contains thirteen original songs written by him or co-written with his Grammy-nominated producer Glen Scott, plus a cover of the title track, written by iconic singer-songwriter Janis Ian - whom Bibb has known since they were at high school together in New York in the ’60s - and Fred Koller. The album was recorded and mixed at Scott’s in Uppsala, Sweden, and features a stellar cast of musicians, including UK-based guitar virtuoso Robbie McIntosh (Paul McCartney, John Mayer). Eric Bibb has been nominated for a Grammy three times… Might this be the one that nets him a win? Released on January 30th.

Our favorite Travelers Rest/Northern Ireland duo is back with their 2nd album, this time as new parents. It’s another warm, rich blend of bluegrass, Celtic, and songwriting roots, with longtime bandmates Julian Pinelli on fiddle, and Nate Sabat on bass. “Hearing The Foreign Landers for the first time immediately landed a huge smile on my face and for a moment allowed escape from all the negative noise in the world. Tabitha and David simply sound like two people who are meant to make music together. The playing, singing, and arrangements are all so wonderful—I’m a fan!” –Sierra Hull

Harrisonburg, Virginia’s Steel Wheels are constantly redefining their acoustic sensibilities over an ever-changing folk/rock landscape, as heard on this new one. The release date for this self-titled album is Friday the 16th, the same day they play the Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte! The group — Trent Wagler (vocals, banjo, guitar), Eric Brubaker (fiddle), Jay Lapp (mandolin, guitar), Kevin Garcia (drums, percussion), and Jeremy Darrow (bass )— celebrates their 20th anniversary this year.

“B” is for…Bluegrass? We’ve got some great new singles coming in, including these three. Saluda’s Aaron Burdett has one about Boone clog dancing legend Arthur Grimes, who’s been a big inspiration to Aaron and many others. Asheville native Bryan Sutton conceived this wild new interpretation of Charlie Daniels’ classic hit, which tells the tale of a guitarist from Deep Gap named Arthel, and how he came to be called Doc… And the Brothers Comatose are a bluegrass/Americana band that formed in 2008 in San Francisco, but now feature a new singer named Addie Levy from southwest Virginia.

This Colorado band has made a name for themselves with their fresh blend of funk, soul, rock, jazz, and hip-hop. Perhaps you’ve caught a live set of theirs in our area the past few years, including a live set from Sierra Nevada Brewing’s amphitheatre last year that added a fun finale to our latest Crowd Around the Mic compilation. In addition to cooking up their music since forming in Boston in 1992, the band has recently launched a Berklee College of Music scholarship, two new wine lines called Red Crush and Orange Crush, and a cooking series titled Lettuce Cook. They’ve got aprons for sale, too…

This is the duo’s second collaboration, following a trio work with the late Peter Cooper (a Spartanburg native), who passed away in 2022. The theme of this album centers around creativity: As they roam the world strumming and singing, the two always make time for art, and seeing Diego Rivera’s murals in Detroit sparked a song, as did Max Beckmann’s powerful paintings in a museum in The Hague. American painter Thomas Hart Benton’s final work, “The Origins of Country Music,” gets a close look in a song Thomm wrote with the great Shawn Camp. The album will be released on Red Beet Records on Friday, the 16th.

England’s James Hunter provides tight, timeless R&B and Soul with his band; we love each and every album of his! A former guitarist and backup vocalist for Van Morrison, James has a track on this new one featuring his former boss, on this, his first album on Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound record label.

Alexa is back living in the Asheville area, and has a new album out, following 2019’s Medicine For Living, and 2021’s Headwaters. Joining her on this are electric, acoustic guitar: Ryan Gustafson on guitar, Dom Billet on drums, Jeff Ratner on bass, Hilary James on cello, Mat Davidson on pedal steel and fiddle, Helena Rose on banjo, and Josh Oliver on vocals.

She’s 72, she’s a recent stroke survivor, and this is her 18th studio album. And it’s one of her most powerful, spirited ones yet! This is mostly a collection of modern-day protest songs, as she addresses corruption, oppression, division, and women bearing witness to all of this. But it’s also multi-layered, and poised to stand the test of time along with other gems in her catalog like Car Wheels on a Gravel Road and Essence. Lucinda’s band, both on this record and when on tour, back her up well, plus she’s joined here by Mavis Staples, Norah Jones, Brittney Spencer, and Mickey Raphael among others.