Monday, October 16, 2023

Fall 2023 New Music Roundup

The upcoming weeks will see both groundbreaking veterans and cult heroes featured on new audio titles. Here is a roundup of some of the most anticipated rock and Americana releases.



Artist: 
The Rolling Stones
Title: Hackney Diamonds (Geffen Records)
You might like if you enjoy: The Rolling Stones
Tell me more: The wait is almost over. The Rolling Stones return on Friday, Oct. 20 with their eagerly-awaited full-length studio album Hackney Diamonds. As of the writing of this preview, the British troupe has released two advance tracks from the disc (the signature rocker "Angry" and soulful gospel-tinged "Sweet Sounds of Heaven") that have added to the collective hopes of classic rock fans that the 12-track Hackney Diamonds will join the celebrated heights of some of the band's most beloved album titles. In addition to the late Charlie Watts, other notable artists featured on the Rolling Stones' first new album of original material since 2005 include Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Elton JohnLady Gaga and founding Rolling Stones bassist Bill WymanInformation: rollingstones.com.



Artist: 
Simple Minds
Title: New World Dream  Live From Paisley Abbey (BMG)
You might like if you enjoy: U2, Simple Minds
Tell me more: Beloved Scottish rock troupe Simple Minds returns this month with New World Dream  Live From Paisley Abbey, a one-off live performance of the band playing their 1982 masterwork New Gold Dream. The performance was captured a short distance from the band's hometown of Glasgow in the picturesque 12th century Paisley Abbey. Among the classic cuts revisited by Simple Minds (singer Jim Kerr, lead guitarist Charlie Burchill, acoustic guitarist Gordy Goldie, bassist Ged Grimes, drummer Charisse Osei and vocalist Sarah Brown) on the title are 
"Promised You A Miracle," "Glittering Prize" and "Someone, Somewhere (In Summertime)." Recorded in 2022, the recording is part of Sky Arts' "Greatest Albums Live" series, which captures iconic artists playing classic albums from their illustrious careers. The collection will be released via vinyl and audio CD on Oct. 27. Information: simpleminds.com. 


Artist: 
Jimi Hendrix Experience
Title: Jimi Hendrix Experience: Hollywood Bowl August 18, 1967 (Legacy Recordings)
You might like if you enjoy: Jimi Hendrix, Ten Years After
Tell me more: Jimi Hendrix was relatively unknown when he took the stage at the Hollywood Bowl on Aug. 18, 1967. Indeed, the Jimi Hendrix Experience  whose debut album Are You Experienced had not yet been released  was serving as the opening act for headliners the Mamas & The Papas. In front of a sold out audience of 17,000 concertgoers, Hendrix (guitar and lead vocals), Mitch Mitchell (drums) and Noel Redding (bass, backing vocals) blew away the crowd with fiery takes of songs by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters as well as soon-to-be original classics "Purple Haze," "Foxey Lady" and "The Wind Cries Mary." 
Jimi Hendrix Experience: Hollywood Bowl August 18, 1967 is set for release on Nov. 10. Information: jimihendrix.com


Twenty-five years after its initial release, Tim Easton's
celebrated Special 20 will be reissued on Oct. 20, 2023. 

Artist: 
Tim Easton
Titles: Special 20; Not Cool (Black Mesa Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Tim Easton, Peter Case
Tell me more: Acclaimed singer-songwriter Tim Easton is the focus of two reissues. Black Mesa Records will release both Special 20 and Not Cool 
 both long out of print  on vinyl and audio CD on Oct. 20. The songs on Special 20 (the original album was released in 1998) cover a number of themes pulled from real life as well as the world of fiction. Fifteen years later, Easton went into Nashville's famed Alex the Great studio to record Not Cool. Enlisting the talents of Joe Fick, JD Simo, Jon Radford, Megan Palmer and Sadler Vaden, the fast-moving sessions resulted in one of Easton's most beloved discs. "Not Cool is the record, from start to finish, that I call my best album," Easton says in recent press notes. "Any one of the 20 songs on these two albums still rings a bell in my book. No disrespect to any of my albums, but these two are my favorites." Information: timeaston.com


Artist: 
Robert Rex Waller Jr.
Titles: See The Big Man Cry (Have Harmony, Will Travel Productions)
You might like if you enjoy: I See Hawks In L.A., Carla Olson
Tell me more: Robert Rex Waller Jr. (the frontman of Americana collective I See Hawks in L.A.) and Carla Olson (the Textones) have been collaborating on stage and in the studio for years. On Waller's upcoming 
See The Big Man Cry the acclaimed artist revisits classic tracks from the far-flung likes of Bobby Rydell, Bruce Springsteen, Charlie Louvin and Gene Clark on the ambitious Olson-produced 13-track project. Olson and Waller assembled an all-star cast of Los Angeles' finest America players to work on the recordings, including Olson (guitar, harmony vocals), John York (12 string guitar), Benjamin Lecourt (drums), Skip Edwards (piano) and many othersSee The Big Man Cry will be released on Oct. 20. Information: robertrexwallerjr.com


Artist: 
Jon Byrd
Title: All Your Mistakes (Longleaf Pine Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings
Tell me more: Jon Byrd writes and records "what they used to call country music." Fans of authentic country will be able to hear the 
Birmingham, Alabama native's fifth full-length album All Your Mistakes when it is released on Oct. 20. Armed with his strong baritone vocals and acoustic guitar work, the album also features the talents of pedal steel guitar player Paul Niehaus, guitarist Joe V. McMahan, drummer Bryan Owings and bassist Chris Donahue; harmony vocals are provided by Shannon Wright, Amelia White and Andrea ZoneInformation: jonbyrd.com


Artist: 
The Lunar Laugh
Title: In The Black (Big Stir Records)
You might like if you enjoy: The Lunar Laugh, Jason Falkner
Tell me more: Oklahoma-based power pop quintet The Lunar Laugh returns next month with their latest studio LP In The Black. I absolutely loved 2021's Nighthawks! and look forward to digging my ears into the trio's fourth full length effort. The album featuring the bona fide talents of singer-songwriters 
Connor AndersonJared LekitesCampbell Young will be available on audio CD and via streaming on Nov. 11. Information: bigstirrecords.com


Artist: 
Shooter Jennings
Title: Shooter Jennings and the Werewolves of Los Angeles Do Zevon (BCR Media)
You might like if you enjoy: Shooter Jennings, Warren Zevon
Tell me more: Based on the strength of the first advance tracks ("Excitable Boy" and "Lawyers, Guns and Money") from the forthcoming live album 
Shooter Jennings and the Werewolves of Los Angeles Do Zevon, the tribute to the late great singer-songwriter Warren Zevon will be an essential addition to any music lover's permanent collection. Three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer Shooter Jennings recorded the full-length set with a top-tier band at the "Rebels & Renegades Music Festival" in Monterey, CA in late 2022

“This last year we had a blast doing two separate shows paying tribute to one of my favorite artists of all time, Los Angeles legend Warren Zevon,” says Shooter Jennings in a recent media release. “When Zevon was picked to be potentially inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year we, along with millions of Zevon fans, were hoping that he would finally get his due in the halls of Rock & Roll History. Unfortunately, Zevon didn't make it in this year and won't be honored on November 4, 2023, in New York City at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony. Upon hearing this news, the Werewolves of Los Angeles gathered in our Wolfcave to discuss what we could do about it. We decided that even though Warren wasn't going into the Hall of Fame, we could take a special trip up to New York City that weekend and do our own celebration of Warren's bad-ass music.” 

Shooter Jennings and the Werewolves of Los Angeles Do Zevon will be released on Nov. 3. Information: shooterjennings.com


Robert Kinsler


No comments:

Post a Comment