“Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs”
Colter Wall
La Honda Records/ Thirty Tigers
On Aug. 28, 24-year-old Colter Wall, whose dusty baritone voice and deep well of stories are almost single-handedly carrying traditional western music into the future, released his new self-produced album. About the album, Wall said, “these songs are punchier than I am.” Giving credit where credit is due however, Wall is no slouch on the ranch. As any new cattleman would, he adds to his herd, as he does his musical legacy with “Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs.”
Wall’s name has been appearing everywhere in the lead up to “Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs.” From underground music blogs to a feature with the legendary outdoor brand, Filson, to a broad swath of celebrity fans. Recently, comedian and podcast magnate Joe Rogan dubbed Wall “legit as f*” and NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace name-dropped Wall in his recent GQ feature. Longtime fan Jason Momoa just featured Wall’s music exclusively in a gone-viral video about restoring his wife, Lisa Bonet’s, first Ford Mustang.
“100 Summers”
James Lee Baker
There’s something to be said about the ingenuity it takes to put a group of great musicians together in a great room to record great songs, and having them all coming together in one take. Undoubtedly, James Lee Baker has just pulled it off. Coming as no surprise to Baker’s existing fans — “No Depression” once said, “to call him anything other than brilliant would be criminal” — his new album “100 Summers” accomplished this feat with graceful execution and the backbone of timeless songs and stories. Out Sept. 4, “100 Summers” is a collection of soothing folk-song melodies that circle around a centralized theme; that of personal transformation.
With not enough live music to fill a weekly list, this spot will be filled by news and reviews of new albums, both local and national. Send information about your new releases to Jocelyn Murphy at [email protected] .