HOT HALF DOZEN 4.2.24

From a first timer, Sheryl Yougblood,to a multiple Grammy nom’ed bluegrass star, Laurie Lewis, to Beyonce. this week we pull 6 out of hundred submissions and you will love them all

100 songs, albums, videos received for review.

Every Day of Your Life, single by Sheryl Youngblood .  She is a new Delmark Artist and this is her  first single, written by Jimmy Johnson. The tune was recorded live by Sheryl and the Delmark All-Star Band. It is classic, hit -your -gut blues song sung with a voice that can shatter glass or dig down real low. This is the only single she has out now, so give it a spin on Spotify.

Long Gone, single by Laurie Lewis. Great down home, banjo picking, bluegrass from a multiple Grammy-nominated bluegrass star. The way the banjo, the bass and the guitar mesh with her voice is a joy, and her voice is a double joy. She knows how to make you feel  and dance. Her newest album, Trees, just came out yesterday and I will look at it next week, but this week, stream this one on Spotify.

Boomslang, single by BINX.  A boomslang is a tree-dwelling, highly poisonous snake. BINX’s take on it is ominous, but not quite poisonous. Her chorus is as hypnotic as a snake’s stare, and the verses feature her wicked voice. Highly produced and a lot of fun. Stream on Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and Apple Music.

Live Today, single by Chicano Batman. The Batboys are at it again. Fun music, fun lyrics, and …well, just fun. Complex arrangements that look simple but keep you moving along as the rhymes flow melodiously. The addition of the backup singers gives it depth and adds to the musicality, and the fun. Stream everywhere.

Jolene,  single by Kris Angelis. I know it’s been done by everyone, but Angelis performs it with a level of angst, determination, and beauty that makes this one special. She does not try to imitate DP, but brings her own heartbreak to it. Beautiful live acoustic recording.  Stream on Spotify. And check out her new album out this week on Bandcamp, All Covered Up.

Cowboy Carter, album by Beyoncé. She certainly doesn’t need my recommendation, but I thought it was a good chance to point out , as she said herself on Instagram, “This ain’t a country album. This is a Beyoncé album”. Some of the songs are sort of country – “Texas Hold’em”, “16 Carriages ”, maybe. But this is not a country album — it is a frontal assault on the walls around country, especially country radio, and a way for her tell Nashville – and us – that the times, they are a changin’, and so is the genre. Stream everywhere .

Patrick O’Heffernan