I'm digging Laura Cantrell's new album, Just Like a Rose: The Anniversary Sessions. Laura's been keeping the country music flame alive for years with her radio shows and lovely voice that feels like it's sweetly confiding in you. She's a terrific supporter of other artists and songwriters but her own songs effortlessly hit the mark. I especially love the rocking title track; the melody and musical details turn this tale of a female honky-tonk lifer into a subtle anthem.
I can't stop listening to Cory Hanson's new album, Western Cum (nepotism alert: My daughter is out playing bass in his band this summer!). The twining guitar leads take things into Television and even welcome Skynyrd and Thin Lizzy territory. The drums are especially epic, but his voice is super-sweet and mellow and the lyrics are hallucinatory. I'll listen to this on repeat all summer. Oh hell, since I'm boosting, I might as well tell the world that my husband Wreckless Eric's new album, Leisureland, is brilliant. He has been one of my musical heroes for years, and his production, musicality, and way with words and images just gets better and better. Age has tempered him like steel. The album comes out August 25.
