Will Hoge has a career whose milestones include Number One hits, Grammy nods, majorlabel record deals, and hard-won independence. Years before Americana music received its own category at the Grammy Awards, Hoge was on the frontlines, helping to pilot and popularize the genre's blend of American roots music. In the current digital era dominated by influencers seeking shortcuts to stardom, Will Hoge proudly treads the scenic route, immersing himself in the journey rather than fixating on the destination. Unapologetically contrarian, an insurgent of authenticity, Hoge takes the helm with his fourteenth studio album, 'Tenderhearted Boys,' where he breaks new ground by producing and playing every instrument himself.

Joe Pernice has been writing for a long time - most of his life, in fact - and has crafted a remarkable catalog that boldly reinterprets and recasts classic American pop. Who Will You Believe may be his most moving and nuanced album yet; it’s certainly his timeliest. “These songs were all written during the same time period,” he says, “and they all seemed to tap into a mood I was in at the time. I go through spells where I’m a certain way for three or four months. I might be more reticent than usual, or more outgoing. With all of my records—and especially with this one—the songs all feel like they belong together, probably because they all arrived during the same stretch of time.”

After an impressive 2010s run of albums that earned him a devoted fanbase, accolades from outlets like The New York Times, Fresh Air, and Pitchfork, and a place in the upper echelon of modern Americana singer-songwriters, John Moreland has already taken two unexpected turns this decade, both of which highlight his fierce artistic independence. First, he released a brilliant and sonically layered folk-electronica meditation on modern alienation, 2022’s Birds In The Ceiling, that took some of his fans by surprise.

Acclaimed Americana duo Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams have been called "the first couple of Americana" by Mojo Magazine, while American Songwriter declared: "They have created a sound that is spirited, stirring and timeless". Initially Larry and Teresa made their marks separately: Larry as indispensable multi-instrumentalist with Bob Dylan, kd lang, Sheryl Crow, Keith Richards and Emmylou Harris among others, and Teresa as a stage actor in productions like Keep On the Sunny Side where she portrayed Sara Carter and Always…Patsy Cline where she starred as none other than Patsy herself.Their performing partnership, however, was born when recording and touring with Levon Helm, iconic drummer and voice of The Band.

It’s obvious listening to Sarah Shook and the Disarmers’ clear-eyed, biting, and unafraid songs that integrity is the most important thing to the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, country-punk outfit. “A lot of artists are in this industry for fame, recognition, and money but those things don’t mean anything to me,” says bandleader River Shook. “Songwriting is it for me. It’s the only real healthy coping mechanism I've ever had. It’s life-saving. I don't care about any superficial things when I’m making a record.” On their resonant fourth album Revelations, produced by Shook and out March 29 via Thirty Tigers, these raw and resilient tracks come first. Throughout, Shook’s deft storytelling documents regular people getting by and keeping on, all presented without filter or pretension.

Over the last couple of decades, Charlie Parr has crisscrossed the world on tour more times than one can count. He also has released over a dozen albums of his songs, acclaimed for their poetic simplicity. Little Sun, his most ambitious album to date, was recorded with Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens, My Morning Jacket) and features Parr augmenting his raw and affecting songs with stunning full-band arrangements. The remarkable backing band here includes Marisa Anderson, Victor Krummenacher, Andrew Borger, and Asher Fulero. Masterfully channeling the philosophical and transcendental qualities of the blues, Parr takes us on a journey through the winding streets of his imagination.

Americana/country singer-songwriters Kelly Willis, Melissa Carper, and Brennen Leigh team up for the Wonder Women of Country and release their first EP.

With their album “Restless Response”, Landgraf/Lefeber/Koch dedicate themselves to traditional folk and country songs, which they combine with modern elements such as prepared instruments, drone sounds and electronics in an instrumental and vocal free jazz context. The repertoire with violin, acoustic guitar and banjo sounds particularly traditionally folkloric, which then achieves a completely new cosmos of sound diversity through the addition of distorted electric guitars and sound improvisations. The result is a complex mix of American old-time music, folk, country and freely improvised music. It is precisely because of the versatility in interpretation, language and preferences of the individual musicians that the listeners have a special sound experience.

Songwriters Hall of Fame 2016 inductee Chip Taylor has been writing and performing for nearly 60 years and shows no sign of slowing down. The New York Times says it best, “If you only know him as the as the guy who wrote ‘Wild Thing’ and ‘Angel of the Morning” — you don’t know him! Chip Taylor is making some of the most distinctive acoustic music around today.” With the release of A Song I Can Live With, Taylor continues to come up with timeless. thought-provoking music.

The last twelve months has seen Gaby Moreno win a Grammy for her 2023 EP ‘X Mi Vol 1’ and a Latin Grammy as producer of ‘Vida’ by Omara Portuondo. Her song ‘Por Qué Te Vas?’ was a highlight of the soundtrack for last year’s ‘Puss In Boots- The Last Wish’ movie. AUK readers in the UK may have seen her supporting Nickel Creek in the Autumn of 2023 while any attending San Francisco’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass a few weeks later will have seen her move a Sunday lunchtime audience at the main Banjo Stage from ‘who’s this?’ to a roaring standing ovation inside 40 minutes.

On her new release 'Highlander', she gives a tip of the hat to her native West Virginia where she cut her teeth as a bluegrass musician. Working again with producer Alison Brown, she and her touring band Allegheny are joined by special guests including Kathy Mattea, Laurie Lewis, Dudley Connell, Michael Cleveland and Danny Paisley to create an album that at once honors Raines' deep bluegrass roots even as she cultivates them.

Featuring a collection of 18 recordings and storied collaborations with some of his favorite female musicians, the new album stands as a testament to the generation and genre-spanning brilliance that has defined Kweskin's illustrious career for the past six decades. Throughout the album, recorded almost completely in one or two takes, Kweskin showcases the captivating, boundless essence of his artistry alongside guests such as Maria Muldaur, who first worked with Kweskin in the 1960s as part of Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band. Other special appearances include Samoa Wilson and Meredith Axelrod, who have released LPs with Kweskin throughout the years, while Rose Guerin and Juli Crockett have been frequent performers at his concerts on both the East and West coasts.

"From the Beatles to the rock anthems of the 70s that have resonated with me since my childhood, and reaching out to the cosmic influences that consistently ignite my imagination, 'Shadowcatcher' stands as a true reflection of the rich and diverse tapestry of my life. It extends an invitation to listeners to embark on this captivating sonic journey of exploration alongside me."

Polaroid Lovers is the 7th studio album from four-time Grammy winner Sarah Jarosz. Produced by Daniel Tashian, Polaroid Lovers is a bold creative statement that sees Jarosz exploring new sonic territory. The 11 songs on the album, all co-written by Jarosz with songwriters including Tashian, Jon Randall, Ruston Kelly, and Natalie Hemby, touch on themes both personal and universal: love, longing, and finding one’s place in the world.

After an introspective period of remote recording sessions that birthed ‘Broken English’ in 2020, Eddie Berman, the beloved Portland-based folk-rock craftsman, has emerged with a fresh and invigorating album, Signal Fire, slated for release on January 19th via Nettwerk. Berman’s journey, from the comfort of home recording to a poignant reunion with his band, with whom he hadn’t collaborated in person for over two years, underscores the album’s narrative of rebirth, connection, and the deep roots of family.