Today, the international cultural arts and media outlet, PopMatters.com, exclusively premiered bluegrass powerhouse Balsam Range‘s new song, “Franklin County.” A staple of the Mountain Home Music Company roster, Balsam Range’s upcoming album, Moxie & Mettle, officially releases worldwide this Friday, September 17, 2021 (pre-order through 9/16, or STREAM/BUY on/after 9/17). Of the song, PopMatters’ Jonathan […]
Marking his foray into both the bluegrass and traditional gospel genres, Billy Ray Cyrus takes a small departure from his recent “Old Town Road”/”Mama Said Knock You Out” flavors and returns to his Kentucky roots—along with a Cyrus family collaboration—on “Roll That Rock” (Pinecastle Records, 8/13/21). This new gospel-infused, alt-country acoustic song was co-written and […]
Bluegrass songs about bluegrass seem to be turning up everywhere these days, but while there are plenty of single songs name-checking the music’s pioneers and all-star collaborative albums honoring generational legacies, a full-length tribute by one working band honoring another working band from days gone by is still a rarity. That makes Singing Up There: […]
Throughout her career, Anya Hinkle has been recognized for her vivid storytelling, vibrant musicianship and arresting honesty as she explores the beauty of song craft through the lens of the Appalachian string band tradition. She’s won the MerleFest Chris Austin Songwriting Competition and was a finalist in the Hazel Dickens Song Contest for her song […]
Eden And Her Borderlands includes six critically acclaimed prior released singles. These include the collaborative effort “What’s It Gonna Take” featuring Graham Sharp (Steep Canyon Rangers), “Hills of Swannanoa” which spent multiple weeks on the Bluegrass Today Grassicana Chart, and the recent “Why Women Need Wine.” Eden and Her Borderlands is a journey articulated in […]
JOKIA releases new single “Let Him In” on the heels of 2020’s “Yahweh,” which garnered Billboard airplay and indicator chart #1s for multiple weeks in addition to amassing #4 in Billboard gospel digital sales. Following the same successful formula, “Let Him In” is an equally evoking, powerful tune that stirs the soul as the track […]
It’s been a long, hard road to success for North Carolina songwriter Aaron Burdett. Although he has an extensive catalog of critically-acclaimed recordings—not to mention his share of national songwriting competition honors—it took the recent success of his bluegrass-flavored “Rockefeller,” which climbed the charts and lingered there for most of 2020, to repay his persistence […]
It’s been a while since he last flexed this particular musical muscle in the studio, but Chris Jones has long had an affinity for acoustic swing music. That—and the song’s roots in his personal history—makes “Riding the Chief,” the new Mountain Home Music Company single from Jones and his band, The Night Drivers, a bit […]
Imperial (Cambridge, UK) drops off another soulful, funky instrumental beat with new single “Aurora” (releasing July 9, 21). It’s trademark Imperial with those good, chill vibes you’ve come to expect from the English producer/DJ, who’s certainly making a name for himself on the global scale. Through his own creations, plus additional and continual collaborations with […]
This quirky, little instrumental jam employs the best of lo-fi, hip hop, and funk. Buzzing about your ear drums, soulful bass guitar hints undergird a trippy, bounciful beat that begs the listeners attention and subsequent head-nod. The Canadian emcee/producer, best known for his skills in flow, is definitely making more than a mere footnote with […]
About the focus track, “Alright” | The recently formed tandem of staple Illect Recordings emcees Cas Metah and Sintax the Terrific are due to drop their anticipated full-length Mere Mortals (July 2, 2021), similarly named for the project’s debut hit single, “Mere Mortal.” Focus track “Alright” showcases the duo—in collaboration with DJ Sean P (also […]
Following the somber yet inspirational mountain sounds of “Like a Songbird That Has Fallen,” the first single from his upcoming roots-centered follow-up to the GRAMMY-nominated Beautiful Day, Christian singer-songwriter Mark Bishop returns with “Across the River,” a self-penned reflection on the promise of eternal life that leans more deeply into the project’s Celtic side. Co-produced […]