THROUGH THE LENS: Seven of the Summer’s Coolest New Country and Blues Releases

We are in the midst of a flood of new roots music releases right now, and invariably some extraordinary ones will slip through the cracks. This week’s column seeks to correct that a bit by featuring short takes (and of course, photos!) on two albums, two EPs, two vinyl reissues, and a single that have been on constant rotation in my home. I think you’ll also enjoy them.

ALBUMS

Alice Wallace — Here I Am (out now) 

On this album, Wallace turns back the clock to the last great decade of country music, the 1980s, when folks like Lyle Lovett and Nanci Griffith were considered to be both artistically and commercially viable. With a crack team of indie Nashville session players, nearly all of songs on Here I Am would have been hits on country radio back then. They also have a noticeable sense of spontaneity that’s often lacking these days, sometimes even in the roots world. When I asked Wallace about this last week she told me that no one who worked on the album, not even the producer, had heard the songs before recording them during a two-day marathon session. It was a high-wire act that paid off like a royal flush in poker.

But all of that would have been for naught if the songs were not as strong as they are, and if the vocals weren’t perfection. The big hit from the album should be its opening track, “Imposter,” about the fear of being found out: “I worked damn hard for this epic fall from grace / Just like I was … taught.” I’m also a sucker for heartbreak songs, and there are several that would make even Patsy Cline envious. Notably, “I Was Wrong” (“Maybe I always knew you’d break me in two / But god I hoped was wrong”) and “I Love the Way” (“I wasn’t supposed to love you / I wasn’t supposed to fall / For everything you’ll never be / And for everything you are / But I love the way you break my heart”). Do not let this one pass you by, it’s one of the two or three best of the year.

Rory Block — Positively 4th Street: A Tribute to Bob Dylan (out now) 

From albums covering the songs of her mentor/teacher the Rev. Gary Davis to Bessie Smith, with originals thrown into mix, Block has cut a wide swath during the past 40+ years in what could be called a one-woman quest for keeping the masters of the acoustic blues alive. This time, armed with only her signature Martin OM40 guitar, she stakes her claim on the present-day master, Bob Dylan.

The definite highlight is “Not Dark Yet.” With alternating moans and growls, Block takes what was most likely conceived as a rumination on one’s mortality into an existential journey into the fate of all humankind. The other standout is the 20-minute opus “Murder Most Foul.” Closing the tribute album, as it does on Dylan’s, it makes clear that what has led us to where we find ourselves today began on Nov. 22, 1963. 

EPs

Bella White — Five for Silver [EP] (Aug. 16)

As a follow-up to her much acclaimed 2023 album Among Other Things (ND story), which was my favorite of the year, White takes a deep dive into five of her favorite songs by other writers. But this is not your run-of-the-mill collection of covers; they demonstrate how in tune she is with the great writers that came before her.  The most notable track is her take on Lucinda Williams’ “Concrete and Barbed Wire,” which becomes a ballad, a mournful lament on lost connections. The other thing I noticed is how White’s phrasing of a lyric is similar to that of Townes Van Zandt, that short hesitation, then holding a note half a beat longer. It’s almost imperceptible at first, but once noted it’s a mark of genius.

Tiffany Williams & Dalton Mills — Wasted Luck [EP] (Aug. 2) 

For a followup to her well-regarded  2022 release, All Those Days of Drinking Dust (ND review), Williams teamed with Dalton Mills, and two other Kentucky pals, for this 3-song EP with variations on the theme of complicated romance. Two were co-written with Mills, who shares vocals and plays guitar, and the third is a cover of “Gold Watch & Chain.” While the gem is “Worst of Both Worlds,” taken together they are homespun, unpretentious country songs reminiscent of bygone days. Short, yes, but oh so sweet.

VINYL UPDATE 

As noted in the Feb. 27 edition of this column, the first two albums in Craft Recordings’ Bluesville reissue series were to be Skip James’ Today! (Vanguard 1966) and John Lee Hooker’s Burning Hell (Riverside 1964). Both are out now, and they sound fabulous. As they are a contrast in styles they serve as a timely introduction to classic blues. Hooker was prolific in his incessant touring, numerous recordings, and the way he approached the hell-raising, down-and-dirty brand of the blues. Whereas James, who captivated the blues world in 1931 Paramount 78s with his eerie, ghost-like vocals, had not recorded in decades. He was older during this recording, with a style that had mellowed, but that high falsetto and introspective voice remained. The blues revival is real and we are extremely fortunate to have these cornerstones available again.

SINGLE

Rachel Brooke — The One Who Got Away (July 19) 

Brooke, whom I’ve called the Queen of Honky-Tonk, turns the one-who-got-away theme on its head. Yes, it’s a sitting-on-a-bar-stool tear-jerker, but the “one who got away” turns out to be the protagonist herself: “I used to be happy, I used to be free / But now that bottle, it’s got it’s ice cold grip on me / So I’ll keep drinking ’til I forget about the one who got away.” Complete with pedal steel, it’s country gold.

Click on any photo below to view the gallery as a full-size slideshow.