Adeem the Artist leads the pack this week.
Lawrence Rothman
The Plow That Broke the Plains
Most successful when they mine dramatic tension between what is a fairly conventional “Americana” aesthetic and powerful narratives that are anything but conventional. Rothman has a fascinating, rangy singing voice and a fearless narrative voice.
Kyshona
Legacy
The first two singles, while both solid, did not set the right expectations for this declaration of agency and authority, which is a ferocious hybrid of blues, country, funk, and folk. And Lord, the voice– and, somehow, her collaborators meet her power.
Elvie Shane
Damascus
This one surprised the hell out of me; it’s as audacious a Music Row record as I’ve heard in ages. Shane takes one wild swing after another and connects more often than not. I hear elements of Church, Mellencamp, Hank III, and DBT here, in form and content.
MacKenzie Porter
Nobody’s Born With a Broken Heart
Cleverly constructed songs and a handful of well-turned phrases show real promise. Porter’s singing shows a technical competence, if not a particularly recognizable timbre or presence. Less middlebrow production would help, too, but there’s a lot of upside here.
Adeem the Artist
Anniversary
They just keep getting better with every new record. This spectacular collection (“Rotations,” y’all. My God.) is about acknowledging the ways difficult, complicated humans find ways to connect with each other to make an unbearable world slightly less so.
Will Kimbrough
For the Life of Me
As underrated as ever and as anyone ever has been, he’s dropped yet another set here that highlights his wry POV on matters of the heart and of politics, his knack for bringing strong melodies into his country blues, and his ace guitar work.
Emily Nenni
Drive & Cry
Sure to be catnip for genre traditionalists, Nenni makes up for a fairly limited vocal range and power w some razor-sharp songwriting and raucous production that’s equal parts honky-tonk and rockabilly. Not the best album in this vein in 2024, but still a great time.
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