New releases from The Highwomen, Joshua Ray Walker, Kip Moore, Stella Lefty, Thomas Csorba, I’m With Her, and Josiah and the Bonnevilles in this week’s roundup.
The Highwomen
Live at the Gorge 2023
The singing on these live tracks actually betters the studio recordings in most every instance, and the additions to their album’s tracklist (their ace cover of “The Chain,” “Delta Dawn” with Tanya herself, Hemby’s “The Bees”) only build upon their overall cohesive vision.
Joshua Ray Walker
Ain’t Dead Yet
And how fortunate that is, truly. If not as conceptually sound as 2025’s Stuff, his singing on this collection is his strongest to date, and on a thoughtful cycle of songs that wrestle with big questions of mortality and legacy with his flairs for both humor and drama.
Kip Moore
Reason to Believe
If 2025’s extraordinary Solitary Tracks threaded the needle between his country and AOR influences in a career-best way, this set is far more overt in its “Born In The USA” sonic aspirations. But of course he has the chops to make a record that sounds dead-on 80s rock radio.
Stella Lefty
Is This Heaven [EP]
No, not particularly. For her viral breakout, the obvious comparison is to DASHA, but Lefty’s pop-country is more consistently catchy in terms of its overall construction. Which is not nothing, even if the vocals and lyrics are otherwise fairly pedestrian.
Thomas Csorba
Tender Country
I mean, if the boot fits… The highlights of this set (“Tony Rice & Beans,” come on now) are among the year’s finest country tracks, but there are some lapses in the quality of his lyrics. Even then, he’s an interesting vocalist in terms of tone and phrasing.
I’m with Her
Sing Me Alive
Indeed, it’s the singing that makes this set worthwhile: There’s a heft to the vocal arrangements in comparison to their studio recordings. Beyond that, they’re pro’s pros, so there aren’t many surprises here, though the track sequencing is a bit oddly paced.
Josiah and the Bonnevilles
As Is
Some purposeful thematic throughlines make this the strongest yet from this outfit, but there’s still something so reserved about the arrangements, bordering on a pathological fear of trying something distinctive or unexpected in their greige Americana.
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