So many country music fans have spent the better part of 2015 in a rage between Gary Overton’s comments that artists who aren’t on the radio “don’t exist”, Keith Hill’s assertion that the country radio should play fewer women and the gamut of new funk-pop albums coming out that are bizarrely labeled as “country”. But let’s put down our pitchforks for a minute, look around, and recognize that country music is having a banner year. Quality is everywhere. If only we weren’t so preoccupied hating what’s on the radio to notice.
And so, in the name of positivity, here are a few smaller acts (and a couple legendary artists, too) that have recently released music that country fans can rally behind and enjoy – even if they shouldn’t expect to hear them on country radio. Add these artists’ new albums to the ones I covered in my column The best alt-country albums of 2015 (so far) a few months back, and you’ve got a few hours of great country/Americana/alt-country/southern blues/whatever-you-want-to-call-it listening lined up.
Mipso – Old Time Reverie
Outfitted with a a guitar, mandolin, string bass, fiddle, and an aptidude for stunning harmonies, the North Carolina foursome Mipso is poised to be a new sort of Nickel Creek for the rising generation of folk/newgrass fans. Their melodies are sharp, as songs like Louise and Do You Want Me demonstrated on their gentle, acoustic debut album. Their second album, Old Time Reverie, out 2 October, is full of lush and moving songs that feel as fresh as a warm spring rain.
Houndmouth – Little Neon Limelight
Hailing from New Albany, Indiana, Houndmouth is a four-piece band that, like Mipso, features three guys, one gal, and countless expertly delivered moments of harmony. Their latest album Little Neon Limelight, which came out earlier this year, is a rollicking collection of garage-rocking songs with country inflections. Tracks like lead single Sedona and the humorous, hooky My Cousin Greg help to make it one of the best roadtrip albums of 2015.
Don Henley – Cass County
When the Eagles frontman announced he was recording a country album, more than a few people raised their eyebrows. Fortunately, Cass County isn’t a sad attempt to “go country” for the sake of career revitalization. Henley has crafted a fully realized traditional album that highlights his songwriting strengths (“We’ve got Space Age machinery, Stone Age emotions,” he critiques on No Thank You) and features some of country’s most dazzling performers – namely, Lucinda Williams, Vince Gill, Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert, Merle Haggard, Jamey Johnson and, on the breathtaking ballad When I Stop Dreaming, the inimitable Dolly Parton.
Lindi Ortega – Faded Gloryville
This beguiling Canadian chanteuse had a breakout moment with her stunning album Tin Star, and she’s maintained that level of quality with follow-up Faded Gloryville, which was co-produced by Dave Cobb, Nashville’s most prolific producer of the moment. Ortega delivers her latest set with a weathered coo as she reflects on her struggles as a lover (Ashes) and a working musician (the title track). It’s all glorious and ghostly, like the hanging moss in Savannah’s old knotted trees.
Anderson East – Delilah
With a soulful 1960s style and a roaring, raspy voice, Anderson East evokes the iconic Muscle Shoals blues-rock sound on his debut LP, Delilah, which was released in July to widespread and well-deserved acclaim. Impeccably produced by the aforementioned Cobb, Delilah rolls exuberantly between songs about playful flirtation (Only You), tender romance (All I’ll Ever Need), and tortured pleading (standout single Satisfy Me) while showing off East’s unbridled vocal flair.
Jewel – Picking Up The Pieces
Twenty years after her folk-pop success Pieces of You, Jewel has returned to her roots with her latest record, Picking Up the Pieces. Enriched by a spare, coffeehouse production that typically features little more than a plucking acoustic guitar or a piano, Pieces thrives because it places Jewel’s agile croon and her poetic lyrics right at the center of the listening experience. And when both your voice and lyrics are as impressive as Jewel’s, that’s a smart move. Whether she’s discussing her divorce (on Everything Breaks and the breathtakingly beautiful Pretty Faced Fool) or considering the bright side of her rough upbringing alongside Dolly Parton (My Father’s Daughter), Jewel captures magic at every turn.
