Quick Picks
Album | EP | Single
The Sound Cafe Rating
5 star = essential, 4 star = excellent, 3 star = good, 2 = fans/collectors, 1 = for completionists only
Total Freedom: Kathleen Edwards makes her long-anticipated return to music with 'Total Freedom' her fifth album out August 14 via Dualtone / eOne. Written and recorded in Canada and Nashville with long time collaborator / guitarist Jim Bryson and Grammy-winning songwriter / producer Ian Fitchuk , Total Freedom is both a return to form and a "hard reset", one that empowered Edwards to write and perform entirely on her terms.
Previous album Voyageur (2012) reached #39 at US Billboard , #2 Canadian Soundscan and was Polaris Music Prize short-listed. Edwards is a five-time JUNO Award nominee (each of her previous albums were nominated for 'Album of the Year' and three 'Songwriter of the Year' nominations) and winner of the SOCAN Songwriting Prize .
The World Is Ending: Brent Cobb has a GRAMMY nomination under his belt and two major label albums to his credit, Brent is going back to where it all began with the reissue of 2006’s No Place Left to Leave, the independent record that launched his career.
Cobb has secured cuts with Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, and Lee Ann Womack, and toured with artists like Chris Stapleton and Margo Price. He received a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album for 2016’s Shine On Rainy Day
Pretty Lady: Tash Sultana is an explosive live artist who has commanded global attention since homemade videos went viral. Tash was soon selling out major arenas globally and playing at the world’s biggest festivals – no mean feat for an artist who just a year before was recording songs on a go pro in a bedroom.
Since Tash’s grandfather gifted a guitar at the age of three, the self-taught artist quickly developed a unique style that has seen Tash breaking record attendances around the globe. Tash has mastered over 12 instruments, has a vocal that shines with a magical quality and a live show that needs to be seen to be believed.
The one-person powerhouse started out playing open mic nights on a fake id and busking on the streets of Melbourne, Australia. Recent accolades include over 1 Billion combined streams, an ARIA award for Blues and Roots Album of The Year with ‘Flow State’, smash single ‘Jungle’ coming in at #3 in triple j’s Hottest 100, achieving platinum sales for the Notion EP, double platinum sales for ‘Jungle’ and platinum sales for ‘Notion’ along with numerous gold certified singles. Tash’s live show has seen her become the only artist to sell out 3 Brixton Academy shows before their debut album along with selling another 500,000 tickets worldwide which recently culminated in a sold out performance at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre, with noted stand out sets at Coachella & Lollapalooza.
Tash’s brand new single ‘Pretty Lady’ is available worldwide
Home: Billy Strings has been hailed as the future of bluegrass, transcending tradition and genre with his high velocity, flat-picking guitar technique and intense, confessional songwriting. HOME, Strings’ remarkable second studio album, is undoubtedly the Michigan-born, Nashville-based artist’s bravest excursion thus far, completely rewiring bluegrass with elements of punk, country, folk rock, and genuine psychedelic exploration to fashion something altogether his own. Strings has infused the aesthetic with his own experiences and inspirations, adopting traditional sonic and lyrical idioms to confront contemporary social truths.
With guest appearances from the likes of Jerry Douglas and Molly Tuttle and produced by Glenn Brown (Greensky Bluegrass, Marcus Miller), HOME marks a landmark on Billy Strings’ ongoing creative journey, its fearless songs and freewheeling approach recasting string-based American music in his own inimitable image.
The Night You Wrote That Song, The Songs Of Mickey Newbury: Gretchen Peters releases 'The Night You Wrote That Song', an album that asks for your undivided attention.
Song connoisseurs won’t need any such instruction, because they know that the name Gretchen Peters is a guarantee of listening excellence. Over the course of a dozen albums, her luminous voice and brilliant songwriting have earned her a devoted following.
Along the way, she has given us enduring gems – “The Chill of an Early Fall,” “Independence Day,” “The Secret of Life” and the like – that have earned her induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. But with this new collection, Peters pauses the series of albums that have made her a “songwriter’s songwriter.”
Instead, she is introducing herself as an interpreter of someone else’s work. In this case, it is the stunning output of her fellow Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member, the late Mickey Newbury (1940-2002).
Not A Word: Billy Sutton is an award winning Multi-Instrumentalist/Producer/Recording Engineer from Hr. Grace, Newfoundland. He currently resides in St. John’s. His musical ability is evident in the impressive roster of musicians with whom he has worked.
A member of the multi-award winning band The Fables, he also has toured, and recorded with such groups as Ron Hynes, ShanneyGanock, The Irish Descendants, The Ennis Sisters, The Matthew Byrne Band, Cordeen, Rum Ragged, and has recently been recruited to join one of Ireland’s most famous traditional bands, Danú.
