Crisper Roots

Send us Fan MailJesse Welles, whose LP 'Hells Welles' I covered last year, is in an amazing patch of creativity, and has a new album, MIDDLE.

Send us Fan MailCrisper Roots is back for season 2! With the Doohickeys' hilarious ALL HAT NO CATTLE and Jason Eady's lovely MISSISSIPPI, UNPLUGGED.The gutsiest country song ever recorded: I Don't Give a Damn About Football

Send us Fan MailLast episode of Season 1. Out of 90, more or less.(1) Samory I, Strength(2) Jesse Welles, Hell's Welles(3) Fiona Boyes, Ramblified(4) Stephanie Lambring, Hypocrite(5) Jerron Paxton, Things Done Changed(6) Elizabeth King, Soul Provider(7) Leslie Stevens, eponymous(8) The Franklin County Trucking Company, The Death-Defying Adventures of(9) Wyly Bigger, Broken Telephone(10) BadNews Barnes, Bad News Travels Fast

Send us Fan MailHudson Westbrook's eponymous EP and Ags Connolly's YOUR PAL SLIM: SONGS OF JAMES HAND

Send us Fan MailTwo fine EPs: Tyler Ray Miniard, THE COUNTY LINE and the Doohickeys, CAN'T BEAT MY OLD BEATER

Send us Fan MailTwo good late-year albums! John R. Miller, FIRESIDE SESSIONS VOL 1 and Forest Sun, NO FINISH LINE. No it's not "I'll meet you at the bar" on "America I Love You." It's "I'll meet you at the mall."

Send us Fan MailTwo unusual 'Western' items: Tyler Halverson's WESTERN AMERIJUANA (pt 2) and Corb Lund's stunning EL VIEJO (deluxe edition)

Send us Fan MailBluesman Eric Bibb's beautiful IN THE REAL WORLD and the late-arriving greatest record of cowpunk, VIVA LONE JUSTICE. I meant to say, re Bibb: J.B. Lenoir.

Send us Fan MailTradition and innovation from the great young bluesman Jerron Paxton and the budding folk-pop star Joy Oladokun.

Send us Fan MailLovely albums by two guys who with outsider personae: Gurf Morlix, IN LOVE AT ZERO DEGREES and Chris Acker, FAMOUS LUNCHSorry, I kept saying "Bill Bruckner". Bill Buckner!

Send us Fan MailFine new records this week from Franklin County Trucking Company (THE DEATH-DEFYING ADVENTURES OF) and Darrin Bradbury (FREEMAN'S TV REPAIR SHOP)

Send us Fan MailTwo surreal and beautifully-played political roots albums: Embla and the Karidotters' LP OFF LEASH and Jack Barksdale's EP OUT OF ORDER.

Send us Fan MailGreat new items by the lovely but asskicking songbirds Sunny Sweeney (STILL PROVOKED) and Hannah Juanita (TENNESSEE SONGBIRD)

Send us Fan MailReviews of fine and original albums by 77-year-old Elizabeth King, a gospel singer from Memphis, and 27-year-old Jontavious Willis, bluesman from West Georgia.

Send us Fan MailTwo quite interesting conceptual projects and two very fine singers: Karen Jonas, THE RISE AND FALL OF AMERICAN KITSCH and Layla Tucker, HOLD MY COAT (reissue from 2022?, songs of Merle Haggard)

Send us Fan MailTwo lovely and humble albums, out this week: Evan McMillian, FOR A DREAMER and the Mike Montrey Band, LOVE, TIME, AND MORTALITY

Send us Fan MailWild, eclectic, yet bluesy harmonica and excellent singing and writing: Big Harp George, COOKING WITH GAS and Son of Dave, A FLAT CITYColumn from '22: https://www.splicetoday.com/music/lucian-satan-son-of-dave-and-the-future-of-blues-harp

Send us Fan MailGreat trad country from singer/guitar player Zach Top, COLD BEER AND COUNTRY MUSIC (a little late getting to this one, out in March I think), and fine country songwriting from Elijah Ocean, LOSER'S HOLIDAY

Send us Fan MailReviews of two new albums of covers: paradigm country singer William Michael Morgan, COUNTRY CLASSICS VOL. 1 and bluegrass from rowdy, godly multi-instrumentalists The Little Roy and Lizzie Show, ALL FOR THE LOVE OF SUNSHINE

Send us Fan MailWriter writer writer. Amazing political folk and blues by Jesse Welles, HELLS WELLES and fine folky country Josh Morningstar, JOSH MORNINGSTAR

Send us Fan MailTwo albums by great repositories of musical tradition: blues rockers the Fabulous Thunderbirds, STRUCK DOWN and bluegrass legends the Del McCoury Band, SONGS OF LOVE AND LIFE

Send us Fan MailLovely country from Matt "The Cat" Hillyer, BRIGHT SKYLINE (Dallas); and rockin Sublime-style ska/rock/hiphop from the Mid-Atlantic

Send us Fan MailFine new LPs from Kayla Ray, THE WORLD'S WEIGHT (true country) and Sugaray Rayford, HUMAN DECENCY (funk blues)Oops "The Highest Point in Seven Counties" is a suicide song.

Send us Fan MailJust one this week: Swamp Dogg, BLACKGRASS: FROM WEST VIRGINIA TO 125TH STREET. Great album by the 80-something American surrealist, Afrofuturist, soul man, country singer, genius.https://www.splicetoday.com/music/music-and-memoryhttps://www.splicetoday.com/writing/it-s-not-that-far-from-memphis-to-nashville

Send us Fan MailTwo fine new records. Memphis blues pianist Wyly Bigger, BROKEN TELEPHONE and Soul/funk/rock combo Pimps of Joytime & Sophia Urista, DON'T BELONG 

Send us Fan MailReviews of lovely new roots albums: Martha Spencer, OUT IN LA LA LAND and BLUE COLLAR GOSPEL FROM THE PEN OF RICK LANG (various artists, including Donna Ulisse, Alecia Nugent, Darin and Brooke Aldridge, Becky Buller)

Send us Fan MailThe rocking, funny blues and country of Chris BadNews Barnes, BADNEWS TRAVELS FAST (feat. Jimmy Hall, harmonica) and Jay Gavin, ROAD READY + TylerHalverson's lovely EP WESTERN AMERIJUANA (Pt. 1)

Send us Fan MailThe shattering, beautiful album HYPOCRITE by Stephanie Lambring. What if a songwriter resolved on rigorous honesty? A bonus episode, as it were. 

Send us Fan MailReviews of by Miko Marks, FEEL LIKE GOING HOME (reissue, "deluxe version"), and the astonishing Aboriginal Australian roots artist Emma Donovan, TIL MY SONG IS DONE

Send us Fan MailReviews of coming commercial acts Walker County, PAINTED PONIES and Sean Stemaly, 4 WHEEL HIGH

Send us Fan MailReviews of two new albums that give you three chords and the truth: Jenna Paulette, THE GIRL I WAS and Matt Koziol, LAST OF THE OLD DOGS

Send us Fan MailThe astonishing voice of Josh Langston, Tastes Like Sin and the sweet retro of Kimmi Bitter, Old School

Send us Fan MailReviews of Taylor Hunnicutt, ALABAMA SOUND and Keller Cox, GOOD AGAIN, AMEN

Send us Fan MailOn Wonder Women of Country (Kelly Willis, Melissa Carper, and Brennen Leigh) and Armchair Boogie, Hard Times & Deadlines

Send us Fan MailReviews of Lisa Bastoni, ON THE WATER and Sean Riley and the Water, STONE COLD HANDS. And don't forget Sunpie Barnes! Replacement for a messed-up episode file.

Send us Fan MailTalibah Safiya, BLACK MAGIC and Cory Henry, CHURCHartsy new blues by a memphis queen and wildly traditional gospel by a master of the keyboardhttps://www.splicetoday.com/music/gospel-music-as-liberationJust realized that Cory Henry is features early and often in the PBS Gospel series.

Send us Fan MailCrisper Roots 10: Leslie Stevens, LESLIE STEVENS and Omar Coleman, STRANGE TIMES

Send us Fan MailEnthusiastic reviews of  two new EPs: Lola Kirke, COUNTRY CURIOUS  and Emily Ann Roberts, CAN'T HIDE COUNTRYhttps://www.splicetoday.com/music/ep-ingenues-of-country-music

Send us Fan MailGreat fresh readings of the archive this week: Corey Ledet Zydeco, MÉDIKAMEN and Ellis Bullard, HONKY TONK AIN'T NOISE POLLUTIONPlus a little Dallas Wayne

Send us Fan MailReviews of the Montvales, BORN STRANGERS and Taylor McCall, MELLOW WAR

Send us Fan MailMatt Mitchell Music Co, OBVIOUS EUPHORIA and Calvin Keys and Terrace Martin, THE NEAR NORTH SIDEHalfway through, I might have figured out how to pronounce 'Spokane.'

Send us Fan MailBJ the Chicago Kid's delightful, early-'80s style funk and r&b on GRAVY, and Lizzie No's new roots synthesis on HALFSIEShttps://www.splicetoday.com/music/resounding-delightful-funk-of-the-interregnum

Send us Fan MailLilli Lewis, ALL IS FORGIVEN and The Prairie States, TROUBLE ISNo two 'Americana' albums could be more different. That's why they go to together.

Send us Fan MailCrisper Roots 3: Chris O'Leary, THE HARD LINE; Samory I, STRENGTH

Send us Fan MailTurning back to two of my favorite albums of 2023: Duane Betts' Wild and Precious Life , showing us all what 'southern rock' means. And Grey DeLisle's She's an Angel, funniest country you ever heard (also she's a great singer).

Send us Fan MailReviews of two lovely new guitar-and-vocal albums: Theo Lawrence's Pickin' and Singin'  and Fiona Boyes's Ramblified