One of the best known contemporary progressive bluegrass jam bands, Yonder Mountain String Band has helped showcase the great music scene coming out of Colorado for some 26 years now. Ben Kaufmann, Adam Aijala, Dave Johnston, and Nick Piccininni are now joined by fiddler Coleman Smith, as well as dobro great Jerry Douglas on three tracks here.

You aren’t alone if you’re a bit surprised, or perhaps skeptical, about this project. But then Lucinda is known for taking songs – including ones rarely if ever covered or popular standards – and making them entirely her own. As she’s done with this 12-song collection from the Fab Four, recorded at their famous London studio. Joining her are Butch Norton, drums and percussion; David Sutton, bass; Doug Pettibone, electric guitars, pedal steel and backing vocals, Marc Ford, electric and acoustic guitars; and Richard Causon, Hammond B-3. Siobhan M Kennedy, wife of co-producer Ray Kennedy, sings backing vocals.

Check out Warren Haynes' latest studio album, which he’s put a lot of heart and soul into. Case in point, the song “Real, Real Love”: “This was a song that was started but never finished by Gregg Allman. He had showed it to me and we had talked about it, and I completed it after he died. I finished it in a way that’s reflective of the way Gregg wrote and then invited Derek Trucks to be part of the recording process, which really took it to the desired next level. I wanted to write it as if Gregg were singing it. Even in the way we approach the song as a band, and in the way I approach it as a singer, I had his presence in mind the entire time.” And there’s the song that sounds like it was written just for Election Day, “Day of Reckoning”.

David Lowery and Johnny Hickman wanted to introduce new fans to the band Cracker, but discovered that algorithmic streaming playlists put too much emphasis on just their ‘90s alt-rock hits. As great as those tracks are, there’s so much more to them, as many of us WNCW listeners know! Licensing issues made rereleases of their catalog challenging, so they’ve decided to re-record a lot of songs, and release them along with demos, outtakes, collaborations, and live tracks. Thus we have a 2-CD and 3-LP release with Cracker, Leftover Salmon, Drive-By Truckers, and others. “’Cause what the world needs now…”

Young Atlanta soul singer Brooks Mason is Eddie 9V, a powerhouse performer who packs more energy than what mere 9-volt batteries can muster. He and his band play The Grey Eagle in Asheville on the 24th with Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, and The Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte on the 26th.

Punjabi folk pop is fused with funk, disco, bossa nova, and psychedelia for this wildly eclectic release from this band now in their 14th year together. “Beta” means “son” in Hindi, a reference to drummer Karan Singh recently becoming a father. The band was formed in New Delhi, India around 2010 by the singer Suryakant Sawhney, and they’ve rotated various genres in and out of their sound. As their bio states, “A cat may have nine lives, but Peter Cat Recording Co. has a multitude of dimensions. Just remember, unlike a cat, you’ll never put them in a box.”

One of our favorite music representatives of coastal South Carolina kicks off our New Tunes at 2 series this week. He’s known for his work with Sol Driven Train, Sally & George, Lover's Leap, and most recently Maya DeVitry, so we’re especially excited about Joel’s debut solo album! 'Psychedelic Surf Country,' arrives February 7 (CD, vinyl, and digitally). DeVitry, Cary Ann Hearst of Shovels & Rope, and Joel’s wife Shelby “Sally” Means (bassist with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway) are among the others joining him.

January 10th marks the official release of this singer/songwriter’s 45th album. Guests here include Carrie Newcomer, bluegrass great Claire Lynch, Tim O’Brien, and the vocal ensemble Windborne. Those who have followed John describe this as the best of his career. John himself says “My engineer claims it’s the best album we’ve done together. And being as we’ve done albums together since the 1990’s, I paid attention.”

You may not have heard of them, but you know Elvis Costello and T Bone Burnett, right? They portray their long-time alter-egos, Henry and Howard Coward, in the new scripted Audible Original series “The True Story of the Coward Brothers,” with accompanying 20-track album that we’ll feature. The Costello-scripted, Christopher Guest-directed, three-part audio series and its accompanying album are arriving right on the heels of an expansive boxed set that includes a substantial portion of the 40 years of collaborations between Costello and Burnett. The six-CD “King of America and Other Realms” includes a remastered version of the masterpiece that is 1986’s “King of America,” along with B-sides, outtakes, live tracks and selections from the projects that Burnett has produced for his “brother” in the nearly four decades since.