Listen to my favorite tracks off each album on my Spotify playlist! Updated weekly with all the best new country, Americana, and whatever else I feel like — this is music like your life depends on it.
Ella Salter — Trailer Trash
Ella Salter and the Sunday Sinners know what they’re about on their EP Trailer Trash. If I had one critique, I wish it was longer. Salter has a brash swagger that would fit right at home on a bill with Ashley Monroe, Caylee Hammack, or Kasi Ashton. She’s got the pipes to match, be it on the declarative title track or the mournful ballad “The Whiskey,” which brings new emotional impact to an old story. Salter shared “Try Jesus” with us a few weeks ago and the rest of the EP is similarly self-assured and well-crafted. If I ha done complaint, I wish Trailer Trash had another five to six songs on there — maybe we’ll get lucky in 2025.
Song People — Like Somebody Calling Your Name
There’s a beautiful intimacy to Song People’s Like Somebody Calling Your Name. The songs lope forth with elegance and a feverish power. Even as the Philly supergroup declaims on subjects as disparate as faith, breakups, and the comfort of old friends, the alienation inherent in these strange, mystical songs is softened by the deep friendship the bandmates share having worked on various projects for almost a decade. The prophetic nature of these songs feels akin to Jason Molina; there’s a deep mystery to these observations of everyday life, and only repeated listens can begin to scratch the surface.
Cecilia Vacanti — Earth’s Dark Shore
Cecilia Vacanti proves to be a fearless explorer of her craft on Earth’s Dark Shore. A staple of the New England folk scene, Vacanti brings a deep knowledge of traditional music to her original compositions — I’m shocked “Sword Games” is a contemporary piece. Her work with Jessye DeSilva is breathtaking, and on her own Vacanti blends jazz and pop into these pieces. There’s a lyricism here that demonstrates her synergy with her instrument; these could just as easily be sung. But by the end of the piece, Vacanti lets us down gentle with “A House in Medford,” a homey composition that helps us feel we’re exactly where we’re meant to be.
Stelth Ulvang and the Tigernips — Self-Titles
Stelth Ulvang and the Tigernips create “weird” Americana that is warm and inviting. There’s a lot of Dylan in there, but also hints of The Band as well as some quirkier influences like The Gourds — befitting of the album’s New Orleans birthplace. Ulvang is the piano player for The Lumineers, and he’s quick to inform readers that he’s got nothing against them, but he wanted to branch out. However, I certainly have no problem with commending Ulvang for wanting to branch out of the safe and formulaic, and there’s certainly a liberatory current under the slacker folk anthems of good hangs and anti-capitalism. This is a sharp album from a tight-knit band and I certainly hope it’s not a one-off.
Medium Build — Marietta
Now I know I’m getting old; Medium Build uses the word “cringe” in one of his songs and it…actually works? Honestly, though, he can sell pretty much anything with the intensity of his performances and his piercing songcraft. Whether it’s the ballad to his parents on “John & Lydia” or the rapid fire delivery of “Dad’s 4Runner,” Medium Build knows who he is and where he comes from — the genesis of this shorter project. Julien Baker’s duet on “Yoke” softens the cutting observations therein. The songs here
You can check out tracks by these artists and more on the Adobe & Teardrops playlist — on Spotify.