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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.

The Atlanta blues legend has a raw, edgy, self-produced acoustic set of 13 original compositions. The spirits of Son House, Skip James, John Lee Hooker and others can be heard here. Tinsley has visited Studio B numerous times in the past, bringing along his songs and stories that chronicle over 50 years playing the blues, with nearly 40 of them being with the revered Alligator label.

The album is a celebration of city life and community, even when the music is investigating hard truths. As Funn explains, “Baltimore’s jazz scene has always been steeped in the blues, a groove and feeling. Performances are interactive experiences, where the artist and the audience are equally essential.”

This new album authentically reflects Appalachia. She sings about Hurricane Helene, her grandmother slipping into dementia, a cash-only saloon full of characters, and gratitude for life, despite its hardships.

Langhorne Slim’s music has always been full of diverse influences and surprise turns. This time, he’s plugged in more than before: “"I love acoustic music. I love folk music. But those aren't my only loves. Rock & roll has always tickled the same place in my soul as great singer-songwriter music, and I wanted to explore those influences. Raw songs that make you feel something: that's the stuff I'm after." This ninth album of his comes out on January 16th. He plays the Grey Eagle in Asheville on Saturday, February 7th.

“When Tyler Ballgame starts singing, people listen. He’s got one of those voices—indescribable but unforgettable, it bounces from deep baritone to airy falsetto like the Viking ship ride at your local carnival.” (Will Schube, Magazine)

Based in Nashville, Cordovas have often drawn comparisons to the Band, Grateful Dead, and Crosby, Stills & Nash; see what influences you hear on this fifth strong album of theirs. One track, “Wings,” features a surprise appearance by saxophonist Kamasi Washington!

We kick off Black History Month with this powerful one from Queen Esther. Blackbirding is a reclamation-driven Black country soul album that roams the Gettysburg battlefield to create songs that dismantle myths and assumptions about what happened there -- and to explore the reasons why, like slavery, the Civil War has never really ended.

We bookend our New Tunes at 2 series this week with two releases out of Seattle that capture the mood of today’s world, in heartfelt ways. This first one happens to also have some of the tightest, catchiest, FUNNEST songs of the year so far!

This is not to be confused with his 2014 release of the same name, and there’s not a whole lot of info out yet on this, other than JD has expressed some extreme praise over the original versions of these tunes from Art Neville, Big Al Downing, Iggy Pop, and The Pixies.