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Listen NowWe hope you have some room left over after Thanksgiving, as we have another buffet of new music releases we’re squeezing in just before November’s end! Tune in to WWCF to hear the new additions to our broadcast, and follow the links below to learn more about the music.
Album Releases
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James Taylor Before This World Legendary singer/songwriter and five-time Grammy Award winning artist James Taylor presents his first collection of original recordings in over 13 years! On Before This World, Taylor continues to explore many of the themes that have absorbed him throughout his career. “My sort of self-expression and the autobiographical aspect of my work is a thru-line that links all my albums together,” he explains. “I think I have grown musically, and I think people can hear it in what I played in ‘68, and you can hear it in what I’m singing about now. It is ongoing, it’s still me, but it’s still evolving.” |
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Neil Finn and Paul Kelly Goin’ Your Way Two of Australia and New Zealand’s best-selling and most revered singer-songwriters, Neil Finn and Paul Kelly, toured their home country together in 2013. Their performance at the Sydney Opera House was recorded and released there as Goin’ Your Way later that year to acclaim, reaching the Top 5 on the charts and being certified Gold. Unfortunately, it was only available as a high-priced import outside of Australia & New Zealand. Omnivore Recordings is proud to share this incredible document with the rest of the world. |
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Squeeze Cradle To Grave Cradle To The Grave, Squeeze’s first record of new songs in 17 years, is the sound of the group going backwards to go forwards. It marks the complete and, frankly, triumphant reintegration of the masterful songwriting axis of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, in a beautifully-observed series of fond vignettes about childhood, growing up and the absurdities of the ride through life we’re all on. |
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Steve Martin & Edie Brickell So Familiar Comedian, actor, author, playwright, and musician Steve Martin joins up with his fellow Texas native Edie Brickell on their second studio album collaboration. The Grammy-winning duo showcase an organic, evolving relationship that continues to bring out new creative strengths. This new collection’s stirring, sublime set of jointly written compositions match Martin’s inventive, expressive five-string banjo work with Brickell’s distinctive vocals and detail-rich lyrics. |
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Glen Hansard Didn’t He Ramble Didn’t He Ramble is acclaimed singer songwriter Glen Hansard’s second solo outing and his first in over three years and follows 2012’s solo debut Rhythm & Repose. The album, which was recorded in New York, Dublin, Chicago and France, is Hansard’s most intimate and elegant record since his work in Once and features guest appearances by John Sheahan (Dubliners), Sam Beam (Iron and Wine) and Sam Amidon. |
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Sam Amidon But This Chicken Proved Falsehearted Originally released in 2007, the long out-of-print debut body of work by Sam Amidon will now be available on CD and digital, and for the first time, on vinyl, on December 4th. Recorded in 2005 at Amidon’s then-home in Harlem, NY, with friend and collaborator Thomas Bartlett (aka Doveman), But This Chicken Proved Falsehearted introduced the world to Amidon’s unique talents as a composer/arranger, singer and musician; talents which have, in recent years, garnered praise from The New York Times, The Guardian, NPR and more. But This Chicken… features Amidon’s reimaginings of traditional American folksongs as well as a diverse array of covers, including Tears for Fears “Head Over Heels” and Mississippi John Hurt’s “Louis Collins.” |
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The Grateful Dead Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years Of Grateful Dead In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Grateful Dead, the “core four” original members – Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, and Bob Weir – reunited at Chicago’s Soldier Field on 4th of July weekend for one of the most anticipated concert events in recent history. Joined by Trey Anastasio, Jeff Chimenti, and Bruce Hornsby. Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years Of Grateful Dead is the original members’ last-ever performance together nearly 20 years to the day of the last ever Grateful Dead concert with Jerry Garcia, which took place at the same historic venue. |
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Eric Bibb and J.J. Milteau Lead Belly’s Gold Spicing up Lead Belly’s repertoire with a handful of their own compositions, Eric Bibb and J.J. Milteau pick up where the original songster left off, addressing everyday issues with a freshness, candor and poetic sense that contribute to the circulation of a message of peace, hope, tolerance, and non-violence. As a result, their rare musical understanding makes Lead Belly’s Gold one of the most exciting recordings of their respective careers. |
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Fairground Saints Fairground Saints Mason Van Valin, Elijah Edwards and Megan McAllister met by chance. “We gelled quickly and started making music together right away,” says McAllister, “It was almost like we were already family.” In making Fairground Saints, the band shook off all inhibitions in their creativity, taking a playful approach in writing and recording. This allowed them to hold true to their vision of creating what McAllister calls a “very love-driven album.” |
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Shovels & Rope Busted Jukebox: Volume 1 Shovels & Rope’s Busted Jukebox: Volume 1 is a collaborative effort between critically acclaimed duo Shovels & Rope and their close friends. The ten song collection finds the band covering well known songs or tracks they have written or performed with other artists in the past. Album features collaborations with Shakey Graves, Lucius, J. Roddy Walston, Butch Walker and more. |
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Various Artists A Blues Christmas A Blues Christmas is a brand new vinyl release featuring the best of Alligator’s two holiday CDs: 1992’s The Alligator Records Christmas Collection and 2003’s Genuine Houserockin’ Christmas. Neither title was ever released on vinyl, so this the first LP to ever be graced with the genuine holiday-rockin’ music of Koko Taylor, Charlie Musselwhite, Shemekia Copeland, Elvin Bishop, Marcia Ball, Michael “Iron Man” Burks and more. All tracks have been remastered to sound even better than the original releases. |
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Various Artists Indie for the Holidays Indie for the Holidays is the second annual collection of christmas originals and covers assembled by online retailer Amazon. The playlist includes performances by an array of indie artists, including Rogue Wave, The LeeVees, Moon Taxi, Langhorne Slim and more. |
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John Driskell Hopkins & Atlanta Pops Orchestra In The Spirit John Driskell Hopkins of Zac Brown Band brings his signature baritone voice to Christmas favorites in both a new and timeless setting with the help of Atlanta Pops Orchestra and some very special guests. Tap into a beautiful and nostalgic world, complete with soaring arrangements, expansive harmonies, and even humor! Iconic friends Indigo Girls help to light up the classic “Do You Hear What I Hear?”, bluegrass trailblazers Balsam Range bring the Appalachian mountains into view on “What Child Is This?”, and Laura Bell Bundy and JDH take “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” for a new spin. Enjoy the ride! You’re sure to find yourself “In The Spirit!” |
Single Releases
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The Zombies “Moving On” Still Got That Hunger is the Zombies’ first new album in four years, after 2011’s Breathe Out, Breathe In. “Moving On” was the first single from the LP, which released this October. A bluesy, piano-riddled song, it was originally penned by keyboardist Rod Argent shortly after the passing of Elvis Presley in 1977. “I love the way it’s turned out all these years later,” says Argent. “It’s no longer about Elvis, and the month in the song is now April (instead of August), but that was its genesis.” |
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Peter Noone “I Can’t Imagine (A Tribute To John Lennon)” “I Can’t Imagine” was recorded in Nashville in 2012, when Noone was brought on board for a session to record “Something Old, Something New” for the Tribute To Eddy Arnold album. Producer Don Cusic presented the song he had written to Noone, which had resided on a shelf since 1980. It seemed a perfect fit to have a fellow musician of the British Invasion perform the song. Noone jumped at the opportunity. “It took a long time,” concludes Cusic, “but the time was right.” |
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Pressing Strings “Going To California” Pressing Strings is a soul stirring trio based out of the musically fertile scene of Annapolis, Maryland. The group recently covered Led Zeppelin at Harbour Cafe as part of their Tiny Cafe concert video series. |
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Hidden Charms “Dreaming Of Another Girl” / “Long Way Down” There can be few modern bands that could tempt a legendary producer like Shel Talmy, (the man who produced some of the greatest hits of the 1960s and 70s, among them The Who’s “My Generation” and The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”) out of semi-retirement to work with them. “We were listening to a lot of records at the time, and all our favourites seemed to be produced by Shel. So to then have him contact us was just amazing, unreal”. They spent 10 days in Los Angeles in the company of a legendary producer, watching, listening, learning. Together, they recorded a handful of songs, amongst them the band’s first single, “Dreaming of Another Girl”, its fantastic spidery guitar line and Ranald’s throbbing vocal ache the perfect introduction to a band with so many abundant sonic thrills. |
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Dylan Leblanc “Cautionary Tale” Cautionary Tale is the new record from Dylan LeBlanc, his third full-length LP, scheduled for release January 15, 2016. “This record is about me getting honest with myself,” says Dylan. “I had to let the guilt about the past go and find a new truth within myself. This time, I felt like I really had something to say.” |
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Billy Gibbons and the BFG’s “Treat Her Right” ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons released his solo debut, Perfectamundo, earlier this month. The album mixes Gibbons’ blues guitar with Afro-Cuban instrumentation and other latin influences. The first single from the album is a cover of rockabilly singer Roy Head’s soulful 1965 hit “Treat Her Right.” |
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Jeff Buckley “Everyday People” This pared down acoustic version of Sly and the Family Stone’s 1968 classic anthem for equality “Everyday People,” comes from a new album of posthumously released material by Jeff Buckley. Recently discovered in the Sony Music archives during the research for the 20th anniversary edition of Buckley’s Grace album, the performances on You and I are an intimate portrait of the artist performing a variety of cover songs and original music expressing a range of emotion channeled through his singular sensibility. |
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Robbie Robertson “Hiawatha and the Peacemaker” Born of Mohawk and Cayuga descent, musical icon Robbie Robertson learned the story of Hiawatha and his spiritual guide, the Peacemaker, as part of the Iroquois oral tradition. Now he shares the same gift of storytelling with a new generation. Best known for his work with The Band, Robertson offers a beautifully retold version of this tale. Accompanying the song is a new children’s book, crafted by both Robertson and illustrator David Shannon that will both educate and inspire readers of all ages. |
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Chris Isaak “Please Don’t Call” From his newest LP, First Comes The Night, “Please Don’t Call” was written by both Chris Isaak and Nashville songwriter Natalie Hemby. “I write lyrics really fast and so does Natalie, but I won’t settle for something just because it rhymes, and she has that same dedication to getting every song and every word right.” |
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Dion and Paul Simon “New York Is My Home” Rolling Stone, Dion said he originally wrote the tune as a solo recording, but soon realized he’d like to bring Simon into the fold. “I knew Paul would get this song. And he did. Soon after I sent it to him, he called and said he’d become obsessed with it. He added his own distinct touches to the production. He’s from Queens; I’m from the Bronx. We’re both at home in New York. What a trip, a labor of love for us.” |
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Dar Williams “Slippery Slope” Earlier this year Dar Williams released Emerald, her ninth studio record. Williams recruited Nashville’s Jim Lauderdale for “Slippery Slope,” a duet firmly focused on marriage without the gloss. “Jim Lauderdale and I have been writing songs for a long time,” says Williams. “I wanted to write a love song that wasn’t overstepping, just honest and taking it one step at a time, like Jim. It was a joy to make music with him. He is a charmer.” |
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Tom Jones “Elvis Presley Blues” Beloved singer and recording artist Sir Tom Jones has a new 13 song CD, Long Lost Suitcase on S-Curve Records. The record is a companion to his recently released autobiography, Over the Top and Back. The album’s first single, “Elvis Presley Blues,” is about the man who would become Jones’ friend in the 1960s. “This song means a lot to me,” says Jones. “It’s not at all about Elvis’ death. It’s about what he did for music when he was first starting out. What he was like, and how he did it.” |
Additional Single Releases
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Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats “Look It Here” |
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The Decemberists “Why Would I Now” |
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Leon Bridges “Smooth Sailin'” |
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Coldplay “Adventure Of A Lifetime” |
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Jason Collett “Song And Dance Man” |
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Alicia Witt “I’m Not Ready for Christmas” |
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Josh Ritter “Getting Ready To Get Down” |