Singer-songwriter Charles Wesley Godwin captures his storied surroundings in his new solo debut album, Seneca, out February 15.
With a sound that can be described as Creedence Clearwater Revival meets Simon & Garfunkel, the West Virginia musician creates an honest and moving ode to his hometown, Morgantown.
Raised in the Appalachia, Godwin sets a vivid scene with his inviting, gripping vocals and melancholy lyrics, creating a story arc filled with love, laughter, and personal grow
“I’ve been doubled down, all in and going for broke as a full-time troubadour and recording artist for 10 years and Tennessee Alabama Fireworks lays it all on the line,” says Boo Ray. Although he might best be known for setting Nashville ablaze with his roots rock, the singer-songwriter is definitively a contemporary troubadour. Born in North Carolina and currently laying his hat in Los Angeles, Athens, and Nashville alike, the modern-day jongleur has developed his craft between his travels to all manner of places to perform for all manner of people. To define Tennessee Alabama Fireworks as the culmination of all of that time spent still nearly underestimates the singer-songwriter’s scorching collection of new Americana offerings. For all of the experience that’s made Boo Ray the artist he is today, there is also something intangible deeply-rooted in his craft as a genuine country outlaw.
Gathering a team of Americana notables to produce and master his latest effort, Boo Ray’s new album is a compilation of reflections on the 21st-century human experience.
Singer/songwriter Jennah Bell is an artist without many creative borders. As the daughter of Ronnie Bell (co-founder of Kool and the Gang), she’s influenced by an array of musical styles—soul, rock, pop, R&B, and folk, to name a few—that instilled in her great variety and skill, leading to appearances in many publications and live shows (such as the BET Awards, SXSW, CMJ’s Music Marathon, and the Roots Picnic Music Festival). Nowhere have her diverse gifts been better demonstrated than on her upcoming record, Anchors & Elephants, a beautifully compelling exploration of the uncertainties, heartaches, and other poignant hardships that just about everyone in their 20s experiences. In particular, her latest single, “Love Is My Disease”, is a refined and stirring ballad that instantly reveals Bell as an outstanding artist in her own right. READ MORE
What’s particularly prevalent in Godwin’s songs is a sense of place, a taste of his home state (West Virginia) via the vivid language and scenic ambience of songs such as “Coal Country,” “(Windmill) Keep on Turning” and “Seneca Creek.” Godwin, who comes up with many of his ideas in the shower, calls Seneca an “autobiography of an Appalachian boy” but says that the cinematic details of his lyrics come to him unconsciously.
Jayson here with my DJ pick of the week from Nashville rockers Andrew Leahey & The Homestead. “Airwaves” is their latest single and title track to their upcoming record due out March 1.
The song is and ode to radio and rock radio anthems alike. Claiming to be the last generation raised on radio, Leahey celebrates the greats with sonic nods to Tom Petty and Springsteen.
After overcoming the unimaginable heartaches and tribulation of life- Americana-blues man D.L. Rossi lets it all pour out in the name of survival with his new album “A Sweet Thing” out April 12th. Rossi has learned the hard way in the wake of a very painful divorce- that you can’t rush recovery. On the verge of burning out completely, he turned to music as a way to cope and confront his past. His new album A Sweet Thing is a cathartic emission of everything he thought he knew about life, himself and what it meant to process such overwhelming heartache.