Here are some of the top new releases during the month of March 2021.
All of the tracks featured here are also on our New Release Roundup 2021 playlist on Spotify, along with every other song we’ll include in this feature during the year. If you’re a Spotify user, give it a follow so you can keep up to date!
Eric Church – Break It Kind Of Guy
Start with a spoonful of hillbilly rock ‘n’ roll, pour on some classic rhythm ‘n’ blues, season with a dash of 70’s pub rock, and add just a sprinkling of the Scissor Sisters (yes, really). Bake in the studio until light and crisp, and voila! Break It Kind Of Guy really is mish-mash of influences and none the worse for it. Church’s triple disc collection Heart & Soul drops on 23rd April.
Justin Moore – She Ain’t Mine No More
Straight Outta The Country is the title of Justin Moore’s upcoming new album, to be released on 23rd April. The album will feature two versions of Moore’s most recent hit, We Didn’t Have Much, and his latest single She Ain’t Mine No More – a classic heartbreak track with a honky tonk vibe that suits Moore so well.
The Steel Woods – All Of Your Stones
Although naturally reeling from the death of co-founder Jason “Rowdy” Cope, The Steel Woods have announced a new album to be released on May 14th. Six of the album’s ten tracks were written or co-written by Cope, including this – the album’s title track.
Gabe Lee – Lyra (Reimagined)
Lyra was originally featured on Gabe’s farmland album in 2019. This new version raises the key, and the new arrangement coupled with Gabe’s vocal delivery shifts the song away from 60’s Bob Dylan and closer towards 70’s Paul Simon. Which version you might prefer maybe depends on where those two icons feature in your own range of musical tastes, but we do have a soft spot for this more rousing cut.
Marty Stuart – Ready For The Times To Get Better
A new project from Marty Stuart, heralded by this cover of a hit for Crystal Gayle. Songs I Sing In The Dark will consist of 20 tracks, a mix of old favourites, obscure rarities and original songs. Stuart’s baritone and the bare acoustic arrangement give the song a suitably dark and sombre atmosphere that lifts in the instrumental middle section.
Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall – Tin Man
Miranda Lambert announced a new album during this month. The Marfa Tapes is a collection of songs recorded raw and “in the wild” in the West Texas town of Marfa along with Jack Ingram and Jon Randall, with just acoustic guitars and voices. A ballad that’s familiar to many, and written by the three participants, here Tin Man is shorn of all its studio embellishments and given a straight up, almost camp-fire treatment – complete with a false start intro and comments at the end of the track. It’ll be fascinating to hear what else the album delivers.
Blackberry Smoke – Hey Delilah
You Hear Georgia is the suitably named upcoming album from Georgia based Southern Rockers Blackberry Smoke, and Hey Delilah is the second track to appear ahead of the album’s release, following the title track. Produced by Dave Cobb, You Hear Georgia is slated for release on 12th May.
Morgan Wade – Matches and Metaphors
Morgan Wade’s debut album Reckless has made something of a splash. Produced by Sadler Vaden, of Jason Isbel”s band The 400 Unit, it’s a showcase for a clearly talented songwriter. There’s a mix of shades and styles across the album – the more pop aspects will draw comparisons with early Taylor Swift, the rootsier cuts perhaps appropriately echo Isbell – but taken as a whole it’s a very promising opening from the Virginian.
Mason Lively – Senseless
Mason Lively’s self-titled second album is the follow-up to his well received 2018 debut long player Stronger Ties. The Texan singer-songwriter has credits on 10 of the album’s 11 tracks, which also feature diverse contributions from the likes of Ryan Hurd, Drew Kennedy, and Wade Bowen who also produced the album.
Jason Eady – Back To Normal
Mississippi born but long time based in Texas, Jason Eady is teasing a new album “later this year”, and we’re assuming that Back To Normal will feature on it. Written last June, when it was hard to imagine life returning to anything like our previously established norms, it’s a song that encourages the idea that change is a natural part of life and, no matter how disruptive it is, the best approach is usually to just go with it. A persistent, impelling shuffling rhythm serves to strengthen the idea.
Triston Marez – Where The Neon Lies (w/ Ronnie Dunn)
Triston Marez has released an impressive run of singles over the last couple of years, and he just might be ready to break through with his debut album. Triston Marez drops on 16th April , with 9 of it’s 12 tracks co-written by Marez. Having both Chris Stapleton and Ronnie Dunn on your debut is both a signal of ambition and a sign of recognition that will do Marez no harm at all.
William Michael Morgan – Please Come To Boston
Reba McEntyre, Tammy Wynette, Willie Nelson, Confederate Railroad, David Allan Coe, Wade Bowen… just some of the names who have recorded versions of this 1970’s standard, and now William Michael Morgan adds his name to the honour roll. WMM’s sonorous vocal suits both the lyric and the arrangement perfectly.
Crownover – The Coming Of Age
What can we tell you about Kyle Crownover? Well, he arrived in Nashville to pursue a life as a songwriter, became Parker Millsap’s tour manager, is now Tyler Childers’ tour manager, and he’s just released a 4-track EP. On Another Day In Our 20’s, each cut is a snapshot of some aspect of the artist’s life spent in his 20’s (we bet you guessed that already, right?), as illustrated with The Coming Of Age. P.S. He also does a neat line in satirical reworking mainstream country hits, keep an eye on his Twitter feed.
Midland – Cowgirl Blues
Midland’s self-filmed documentary film The Sonic Ranch is a fascinating look into the development of a band right at the start. The accompanying soundtrack album captures the demo feel of the sessions, with the trio working out their sound and expressions as they go. Cowgirl Blues has somthing of 50’s rockabilly about it – put some vinyl scratches over it, and it could almost pass for a vintage Sun Studios cut.