Put A Record On: Album catch-up edition!

There is simply so much good music out there!! Here's a tiny slice of it.

Welcome back to Don’t Rock the Inbox! Here’s this week’s music recommendation post and playlist, which are for paying subscribers only. Subscribe to get access to all our new (and old) music picks and pans, and so much more — including new playlists weekly, which are always at the bottom of this email (paying subscribers — make sure you don’t miss them!). If you’re interested in paid content but not able to afford it, shoot us an email.

Leyla McCalla

The Good

***Incredible Albums That I've Been Putting Off Writing About*** (because I wanted to find new profound words to describe them and haven't been able to)

Sun Without The Heat, Leyla McCalla: Is it country? As we always say in this newsletter, does it matter? McCalla has been a fixture of the roots scene for years now, and this release is a triumph of thoughtful, lovely fusion — bringing folk/country sounds in conversation with the African diasporic styles in ways that showcase their shared DNA. It's just plain great listening. — NW

hummingbird, Carly Pearce: If you missed our feature on Carly and this record, I spoke about how it’s an excellent, very country-sounding record that’s full of whip smart songwriting (“I might be in Oklahoma, but I’m not OK” is pretty gold). But it’s also a really lovely and potent look into life as a woman in her thirties that’s pretty honest and refreshing in a sea of wellness-tinged pop albums:  relationships end, life is messy and sometimes there’s so magic solution other than picking yourself up and moving on. Maybe my favorite one from her yet, honestly. - MM

Strange Medicine, Kaia Kater: Ambitious, bold and clearly imagined; there's no relying on cliché here. A release that raises the bar! — NW

Petty Country, Various Artists: I’m a sucker for this kind of concept, and I think this is really well-executed, especially the Margo Price and Rhiannon Giddens covers. I also really love the Cadillac Three and Breland doing “Free Fallin’!” - MM

All My Friends, Aoife O'Donovan: Full disclosure: Some of my brilliant friends, The Westerlies, are on this album — adding a brassy warmth to its sweet, compelling songs. An album about women's rights in America and specifically the 19th amendment, it's an imaginative and ultimately optimistic call to action that couldn't have come at a better time. — NW