Category: new releases

Dallas Burrow finds a new kind of adventure on self-titled LP

Dallas Burrow’s new LP will be out July 23, 2021. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

A Texas-born Americana artist rooted in the tradition of his home state’s songwriting heroes, Dallas Burrow built a career on both sides of the Atlantic with his 2019 debut, Southern Wind. Recorded in Nashville, the album reached Number 25 on the UK Americana Chart and Number 4 on the US Alt-Country chart, paving the way for a string of cross-country shows alongside fellow road warriors like Charley Crockett. Dallas Burrow has built his own unique brand of American roots music. It is a sound rooted in folk, shaped by classic country, and heavily influenced by the Texan craftsmen who came before him. On July 23, he will be introducing a new side of himself on record, that of a newly sober man embracing the stability of fatherhood and family life. (IV-PR, 2021)

The full-length, self-titled album, Dallas Burrow, is a collection of songs about maturing and finding one’s path, recorded to two-inch analog tape by producer Bruce Robison and shot through with the rich storytelling, organic Texas twang, and authentic Americana that have all become Burrow’s sonic signature. Last week, Holler premiered the first single from Dallas Burrow, the groovy, slow-burn blues of “Born Down In Texas.” Holler praised the album’s old-school, straight-to-tape recording process, saying, “That live feel crackles throughout Dallas Burrow, which, when thread through Burrow’s singular voice, captures the humidity and haunts of the Texas countryside that formed him.” Fans can hear “Born Down In Texas” now at this link and pre-order or pre-save Dallas Burrow ahead of its July release right here.

The result is a 14-song collection of western Americana, sung by Burrow in a voice that bears both the road-worn weariness of a lifelong highwayman and the fierce fire of a man reborn. This is an album about craft and conviction, from the moody western folk of the opening song, “Country Girl,” to the woozily gorgeous closer, “Outlaw Highway.” The latter track features lyrics written long ago by Burrow’s father, whose own songwriting helped lay the brickwork for his son’s career. Album highlights “Easter Sunday,” “American Dream,” and the anthemic “Independence Day” double down on that family theme, with Burrow nodding to his new role as a father and husband. Dallas Burrow is a celebration of fresh starts and new beginnings. Burrow is not cheating death anymore; instead, he is rediscovering a new way to live, with this self-titled album serving as the soundtrack.

Dallas Burrow Track list:
Country Girl
American Dream
Born Down In Texas
Easter Sunday
Holy Grail
Independence Day
Look At Us Now
My Old Friend The Shadow
Father’s Son
The Other Side
Street Hustler’s Blues
River Road
Keep On Tryin’
Outlaw Highway

When Burrow is not making records or on the road, he is the owner and proprietor of the newly opened Redbird Listening Room in New Braunfels, Texas; an intimate listening room inspired by places like Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe and Kent Finlay’s Songwriter Circle at the Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, TX, where Burrow and countless others cut their teeth.

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Jamestown Revival releases first track from upcoming EP

Prospector Blues is the first track from Jamestown Revival’s upcoming Fireside With Louis L’Amour EP which will be out May 28, 2021. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

In 2020, Jamestown Revival released A Field Guide To Loneliness, an intimate collection of songs that finds Clay and Chance reflecting on recent times whereby human contact was limited more than ever. A Field Guide To Loneliness follows Jamestown Revival’s 2019 critically acclaimed release, San Isabel. Recorded in a remote cabin in the majestic and calming landscape of central Colorado, the band embraced a minimalist approach in the recording of San Isabel. Finding inspiration in ‘60s and early ‘70s folk and pop, the original songs on San Isabel show reverence for early John Denver and Bob Dylan, as well as Simon & Garfunkel and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. (IV-PR, 2021)

The frontier stories of American novelist Louis L’Amour have been an influence on Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance of Jamestown Revival since the band’s formation. At the age of 23, both Clay and Chance read L’Amour’s memoir, “The Education Of A Wandering Man,” and since then, fans have not had to dig very deep to find their hat tips to the late great legend. On May 28, Jamestown Revival’s newest project, an EP titled Fireside With Louis L’Amour, will forever immortalize the guys’ love for L’Amour’s storytelling in a six-song roundup of tunes directly inspired by his short stories. When it was all said and done, Jamestown Revival was successful in their effort to distill a half-dozen tales from “The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour, Volume 1: Frontier Stories” from 30-page adventures down to three and a half minute songs; each directly inspired by individual stories from the collection—Jamestown Revival’s tune “Bound for El Paso” comes from L’Amour’s “The Gift of Cochise,” “Fool Me Once” was inspired by “The Man from Bitter Sands,” and so on. This past Friday, the band released “Prospector’s Blues,” their thumping, resonator-driven album-closer inspired by L’Amour’s tale of cautious-turned-reckless mining in “Trap of Gold.” Fans can listen to “Prospector’s Blues” here and pre-order or pre-save Fireside With Louis L’Amour ahead of its May 28 release with this link.

“They say that L’Amour was the master of the short story and we would humbly agree. In 30 pages he manages to draw you in, make you invest in the characters, and oftentimes hit you with a twist that you truly didn’t expect,” say Clay and Chance. “The songs on Fireside With Louis L’Amour are our attempt to put a musical spin on some of Louis’ short stories found on ‘The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour, Volume 1: Frontier Stories.’ To have the family of L’Amour on board was just icing on the cake for Jamestown Revival. “On top of that, it’s been an absolute honor to have the blessing of Louis’ son, Beau, and the L’Amour estate. We hope these songs inspire you to pick up ‘The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour’ and read the true inspiration behind the music,” they say, before adding “We also feel it’s worthwhile to mention these songs should be best enjoyed sitting next to a fire with a nip of whiskey in the glass.”

Fireside With Louis L’Amour Track Listing:
1. Bound for El Paso
2. Fool Me Once
3. The Ballad of Four Prisoners
4. The Killing Type
5. Beyond the Ridge
6. Prospector’s Blues

Legión Alterna’s new single

The dynamic “norteño alternativo” ensemble from Chihuahua, Mexico presents their new single. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Legión Alterna, a norteño group originally from Chihuahua, México, continues their successful musical journey after their debut during the COVID pandemic. The quartet has introduced a new and singular music style, giving honor to their name – “Legión” means group and “Alterna” means alternative. Each of the group members has strong musical backgrounds, which have converted Legión Alterna into one of the most unique ensembles of today. (Vesper Public Relations, 2021)

Each member draws influences from different genres, including classic rock, funk, reggae, and progressive Regional Mexican. These diverse elements add to the group’s alternative approach to the Regional Mexican genre. Moreover, the members have also been part of other musical groups and have experience in recording studios. Legión Alterna performs a variety of styles, but unlike other artists in Regional Mexican music, they do not perform songs with lyrics that mention drug trafficking and organized crime.

Legión Alterna’s goal is to present songs with socially conscious lyrics that the public can identify with. Their upcoming single, “Te Va A Doler” (“You Will Feel Hurt”), is a ballad with pop-rock influences, and their full-length album will be launched this fall with 10 original songs bringing classic norteño and alternative rock influences together.

After observing the musical preferences of younger generations, Edwin Reyes (Bajo Quinto and Vocals), Richi Ibarvo (Accordion and Vocals), Gio Ramírez (Bass), and Martin Parra (Drums) decided to create a new norteño project featuring a diversity of other musical influences, resulting in the formation of Legión Alterna. Each member carries norteño music in their veins but also loves other genres, giving the group an alternative touch.

Their most recent single “Pasajes De La Vida” (Stages of Life), is a socially conscious corrido about a man who grew up impoverished but succeeded in life via hard work. Another one of their singles “Dos Caminos” (“Two Paths”) invites listeners to reflect upon the story of a young man and his bad decisions, which ultimately change his life. The lyrics also truly give justice to the song title, conveying how we all face the reality of having to choose between good and bad paths.

Legión Alterna is an original, alternative norteño group whose focus is to produce and perform socially relevant songs with impeccable execution.

Banjoist and songwriter Justin Hiltner releases Dolly covers

The openly gay banjo player and songwriter’s two-song single release features popular arrangements of two Dolly Parton classics. Photo: google

Justin Hiltner is a queer, disabled, IBMA Award-nominated banjo player, songwriter, and music writer most recently heard on the Peabody Award-winning podcast Dolly Parton’s America. His debut record, Watch It Burn, made with longtime co-writer Jon Weisberger, was released in 2018. Hiltner is Associate Editor for The Bluegrass Situation, where he co-founded and produces Shout & Shine, a showcase, column, and video series celebrating representation in bluegrass and beyond. He also currently serves as chair of the board for Bluegrass Pride, a non-profit with a mission of uplifting LGBTQ+ folks in roots music. Hiltner’s solo debut, 1992, will be self-released in the fall of 2021. (IV-PR, 2021)

He will release an A side/B side single on April 30, 2021, featuring two Dolly Parton covers, as heard on WNYC Studios’ Dolly Parton’s America in November of 2019. Country Queer premiered the second track on the Silver Dagger release, “Wildflowers,” which features folk, bluegrass, and children’s music legends Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer on harmony vocals. Stream “Wildflowers” on Country Queer here. Both tracks will be available to stream everywhere on Friday, April 30, 2021.

The two songs not only hearken back to the extremely popular sixth episode of Dolly Parton’s America, “The Only One for Me, Jolene,” which highlighted the queer narratives and homoerotic themes present in Parton’s body of work, they also preview Hiltner’s upcoming debut solo album, 1992, which was tracked during the same recording sessions at Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer’s mountaintop studio in Western North Carolina. 

As he pointed out on Dolly Parton’s America, Hiltner sees “Wildflowers” as oozing with queerness, a story about migration and relocation, living one’s truth, and trying to find a sense of belonging – all themes so easily related to queerness. “Silver Dagger,” the first and titular track of the single release, is less directly connected to Hiltner’s experiences as an openly queer person in the more traditional spaces of American roots music, and speaks more to his own coming out journey and the barriers he and his family experienced during that journey.

Hiltner signals that these songs are merely the beginning, his first forays as a true solo artist – and his first ever recordings backed by solo banjo, alone – with more singles and his debut full-length solo LP due in the Fall 2021. “Dolly Parton’s America was such a wonderful introduction to the world, in a way,” Hiltner continues. “I’m so excited to reconnect with fans of the podcast and with new fans, listeners, and queer family members, too, as we all go on this new journey together – the journey of Justin the solo artist!” 

“Working with Cathy & Marcy was a dream on so many levels. But getting to add their harmonies to this queer reimagining of ‘Wildflowers’ was especially poignant to me, as we strive for a more equitable present and future in bluegrass, country, and roots music, we have to be looking to the folks who went before us and blazed the trail!” – Justin Hiltner

Upcoming new album release: Room to Dream by Ryan Kinder

Two new singles from the album, ‘Hell Is’ and “Blame’ are available now. Room to Dream will be out July 30, 2021. Photo: google

Ryan Kinder launched his performing career as a teenager in the clubs around his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. His music has since carried him to Nashville and a tour with two of his musical heroes. Kinder uses his tour dates to bolster his charitable organization, Kinder’s Kids, that provides toys to children in the aftermath of national disasters. In his tour riders, Kinder asks each venue to supply a toy for the foundation. About his debut album, “It’s a riff-roaring rock with a sweet side of Southern soul” – that is how country music’s newest renaissance man Ryan Kinder describes the sound of Room To Dream. Two new singles ‘Hell Is’ and ‘Blame’ are available now. The album will be out Friday, July 30, 2021. (IV-PR, 2021)

Last week, Sounds Like Nashville premiered ‘Hell Is,’ a radio-ready heartbreaker inspired by an argument overheard in a YMCA locker room. “‘Hell Is’ brings to life the raw, agonizing emotions that follow a heartbreak,” the Sounds Like Nashville article reads. “With its genre-blurring arrangement, Kinder’s soul-crying delivery is augmented as he recounts his insufferable emotional state.” On the other hand—and further illustrating the ground Kinder covers on Room To Dream — Raised Rowdy shared a video for ‘Blame,’ a huge-sounding, guitar-laden rocker driven along with stomps, claps, and thick background vocals. Raised Rowdy praised the track, stating, “It’s loud, hits hard, and gets your attention from the start,” before claiming, “the track highlights just how powerful his vocals truly are while giving listeners a taste for his range at the same time.” Fans can hear both of these singles now at this link.

Today, Kinder is a proudly independent artist and he is ready to share Room To Dream. “I had a lot of time to figure out what I wanted to do after a certain time in my life, and all these songs came together with different aspects of who I was when I wrote them,” he concludes. “It was a beautiful realization that some of the bad things and not-so-fun situations led to the opportunity for me to have the room to dream, and to really be myself.”

Room To Dream Track list:
Something
Hell Is
Room To Dream
Tangled Up
Blame
Southbound
Want
Friends
Jane
Nothing But Time

‘Blame’ – one of the new singles from the new album

Mexican rock and pop-punk band The Supuestos release second single and video

The Supuestos’ ‘Apuesta En Mi’ is an animated video inspired by love lost during the pandemic. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Mexican rock and pop-punk trio The Supuestos are excited to present their second single and animated video “Apuesta En Mi.” Featuring energetic guitar riffs and heart-pounding drum lines, the song takes listeners on a musical roller coaster ride while the video immerses viewers deeper into the vibrant, animated world of The Supuestos, with the band being trapped by the same group of aliens that captured the woman in their first video. It also depicts a fight against a succubus-like demon inside a casino and other out of this world imagery. (Vesper Public Relations, 2021)

The single’s lyrics explore the themes of love and relationships, emphasizing how we occasionally need to take chances. Founder Kenio Chavero comments, “I once had a girlfriend who was scared to take our relationship to the next level. My feelings of longing for her to take a bet on me came out while writing the song.”

Chihuahua based The Supuestos was born during the COVID-19 pandemic and includes members of the Mexican punk band Seis Pistos. With no venues to perform live, Kenio, Yorsh and el Shinobi found refuge by rehearsing and recording, giving birth to The Supuestos. The new band is driven by two universal powers: rock ‘n’ roll and love. These two pillars serve as both emotional and artistic sustenance for the members as they continue developing their sound.

Their first single, “No Me Digas Adiós,” is a fast-paced, headbanging song that reflect upon the difficulty of ending a relationship and is accompanied by a colorful animated video by the illustrator Manuel Fermont and Sergio Jaso featuring aliens, milkshakes, skateboards, and a re-kindled romance. Tight guitar lines and drum rhythms sustain the drive from start to end.

Music, animation, and virtual reality are equally important for The Supuestos. The band’s goal is to immerse listeners and viewers in a cartoon-like world with a wild and fun soundtrack. Each of their videos are chapters of a longer story.

New album: On Solid Ground – Reggie Harris

On Solid Ground is available now. Photo: amazon

Reggie Harris is a teaching artist in the Kennedy Center’s CETA program (Changing Education Through the Arts) and a fellow for the prestigious Council of Independent College lecture program. He also serves as Co-President and Director of Music Education for the Living Legacy Project—an advocacy group that sponsors Civil Rights pilgrimages throughout the South and online education seminars worldwide. Reggie Harris counters injustice with love on his new album On Solid Ground, which is out now.  Harris’ incredibly unique perspective—that of a Black folk singer with roots in the Modern Civil Rights revolution and the great-great-great-grandson of a Confederate general and one of his slaves—brings a truth, a fire, and a positive outlook to each of the album’s thirteen songs. (IV-PR, 2021)

“Well it’s a plague on the nation / It’s all across the news / Splashed up in color for all the world to see.” Those are the opening lines Reggie Harris sings on his new album On Solid Ground. A veteran folk musician—recently the recipient of Folk Alliance International’s 2021 Spirit of Folk Award—Harris has sung songs like this his entire career, but the current political and social climate is drawing his personal voice out and into the conversation. “My story includes aspects of my journey as a Black male growing up in Philadelphia during the 50s and 60s; pushed into integrating schools and neighborhoods which forced me to learn to live between two worlds using music as a foil to become a bridge-builder.” On Solid Ground is just as much about healing and inspiration in the face of injustice and dissension. That first stanza closes with a perfect example of Harris’s honed duality: “Our leaders say they’re angry / The people are confused / So, I guess this just comes down to you and me.” In the end, it is all about how we collectively move forward. Longtime fans and curious readers can stream or purchase On Solid Ground—out now—at this link.

Of the thirteen songs on On Solid Ground, Harris wrote nine of them. From the driving, funky “Standing In Freedoms Name”—which tells the tale of Rev. C.T. Vivian’s iconic encounter with Sheriff Jim Clark in Selma, Alabama, in 1965—to album-closing tribute to his friend and mentor Pete Seeger, “High Over the Hudson,” Harris dances between genres without hesitation and rides the highs and lows of each song’s content with a confident wisdom that only comes from a lifetime of studying folk music. A beautiful cover of the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love” with Baltimore-based jazz pianist Eric Byrd is carefully placed in the album’s lineup, along with a version of John Prine’s “Hello In There” and an up-tempo recasting of Malvina Reynolds’ classic protest song, “It Isn’t Nice.” 

While writing for On Solid Ground, Harris was featured in 2020 on CNN’s Silence is Not An Option with Don Lemon and in The New York Times to discuss his familial connection as the descendant of slavery as a great-great-great-grandson of confederate General Williams Carter Wickham and his slave Bibhanna Hewlett with his White cousins. “I’ve been a 40-year pioneer as one of the few African-Americans in the folk music community and a Black educator touring around America,” he says. On Solid Ground continues to add to Harris’ legacy, but there is something about this album—at this moment—which feels remarkable; a perfect statement on the times and a peaceful guide to overcoming them. 

On Solid Ground Track list:

  1. It’s Who We Are
  2. My Working Bones
  3. Come What May
  4. Standing in Freedom’s Name
  5. All You Need Is Love
  6. On Solid Ground
  7. Maybe It’s Love
  8. Hello in There
  9. Rise Up/March On
  10. It Isn’t Nice
  11. Let’s Meet Up Early
  12. Tree of Life
  13. High Over the Hudson

Tropical music star Emir Pabón releases Rigo Tovar tribute album

‘Rigo Puro Amor’ is a tribute album to Mexican pop culture cumbia icon Rigo Tovar. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Tropical music star Emir Pabón presents the tribute album ‘Rigo Puro Amor’ in honor of his godfather, the Mexican Cumbia icon Rigo Tovar. While recreating the greatest hits that made Rigo Tovar a legend, the percussionist, producer, and composer Emir Pabón remembers the impact that this idol had on Mexican culture while also recalling his personal connection to the artist as his godson. Pabón, who also serves as the percussionist for Grupo Cañaveral, is proud to now present ‘Rigo Puro Amor.’ (Vesper Public Relations, 2021)

As a celebration of both the anniversary of Rigo Tovar’s birth (March 29) and his death (March 27), Pabón has reimagined Tovar’s greatest hits. This new tribute album, which also happens to be Pabón’s debut full length release, features collaborations with esteemed artists such as Mariana Seoane, Percance, Jorge Medina, Grupo Cañaveral, Los Rojos, Fátima Campo, and PeeWee. Listeners will be able to enjoy cumbia classics such as “La Múcura,” “Amor Sincero,” “¿Quién Será la Mujer?,” and “Quítate La Mascara.” Emir Pabón is known as an artist who likes to reinvent himself and be at the vanguard. Adapting different sounds is part of his artistic essence, which he continues to do with ‘Rigo Puro Amor.’

‘Rigo Puro Amor’ is now available on all digital formats.

‘Rigo Puro Amor’ – Track list
“Oh Qué Gusto De Volverte A Ver” ft. Jose Adán Esparza Y René Esparza
“El Sirenito” ft. Pedro Fernández
“Mi Matamoros Querido” ft. Lemongrass
“Cómo Será La Mujer” ft. Jorge Medina
“El Testamento” ft. PeeWee
“Quítate La Máscara” ft. Los Rojos
“No Que No”
“Carita De Angel”
“Mi Tinajita” ft. W Corona
“Perdóname, Mi Amor Por Ser Tan Guapo” ft. Chico Che Chico
“Cuando Tu Cariño”
“Amor Sincero” ft. Grupo Cañaveral
“Lamento De Amor” ft. Carolina Ross
“Dos Tardes De Mi Vida” ft. Sandoval
“Me Quiero Casar” ft. Fátima Campo
“Así Soy Yo” ft. Percance
“Mi Amiga, Mi Esposa, Mi Amante” ft. Claudio Alcaraz
“La Calandria Canta” ft. Jonaz
“La Múcura” ft. Mariana Seoane
“Carta De Recuerdo” ft. Buyuchek

Mexican by birth and Colombian at heart, Emir Pabón was born in Mexico City and began his musical career by attending his father’s concerts. He eventually joined his father’s legendary band Grupo Cañaveral as a percussionist and has served an integral role in the ensemble for the past 23 years. In addition to a percussionist, Pabón is also a producer, businessman, actor and composer.

Pabón began a new phase of his career in 2019, releasing several singles as a soloist including “Echa pa’lante,” which invites listeners to overcome their problems with a positive attitude, as well as “Swing,” a collaboration with the acclaimed reggaeton artists Nacho and Joey Montana. In 2020, Grupo Cañaveral celebrated their 25th anniversary and Emir finished up recording his debut solo album – a tribute to his godfather, the Mexican icon Rigo Tovar.

Emir Pabon. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

New album: John Smith’s The Fray

The Fray is John Smith’s new album. Photo: google

British songwriter John Smith was born in Essex and raised on the Devon seaside. Known for his intimate songwriting, his honey-on-gravel voice, and pioneering guitar playing, he has spent the last fifteen years touring internationally and has amassed over 40 million streams on Spotify. As a session musician, he has played guitar with artists as diverse as Joan Baez, David Gray, Joe Henry, Lianne La Havas, and Tom Jones.  He holds on to optimism with his new album The Fray. (IV-PR, 2021)

The song ‘Hold On’ embodies a thread of hopefulness in a blanket of bad news; a thread that runs throughout his new full-length album, The Fray—available now to stream or purchase at this link. Smith co-produced The Fray with long-time friend and producer Sam Lakeman at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studio. Calling on an all-star band—pianist Jason Rebello, bass player Ben Nicholls, Drummer Jay Sikora, and Jessica Staveley-Taylor of The Staves—Lakeman and Smith honed an honest sound not unfamiliar to existing fans; a focus on the songs as well as the beautiful way in which Smith picks and plucks them. Not allowing a global pandemic to prohibit collaboration, Smith’s guests on the album recorded remotely and sent their contributions digitally over international borders—Sarah Jarosz, Courtney Hartman, The Milk Carton Kids, and Bill Frisell from the Americas and Smith’s frequent touring partner Lisa Hannigan via a virtual studio session in Dublin. 

Throughout The Fray, Smith touches on not just his own emotional turmoil experienced over the past year, but also his observance of the pain of those around him. But it is Smith’s stubborn optimism that shines through and differentiates his experiences and songs from his influences and contemporaries, which PopMatters and Americana Highways recently touched on, the latter highlighting his “excellent, consistent songwriting.” His traits of holding onto hope, forgiving transgressions, and reckoning with his place in a world which does not always reciprocate are not only necessary for Smith to deal, but they are also contagious to anyone who finds themselves in similar situations, adrift in the wind. Atwood Magazine commented, “Pain, loss, isolation, sadness—these are all a part of life, and they will knock us down. Smith’s music reminds us that we will rise again, stronger than before.” For those who echo that sentiment, from experience, Smith shares his message on The Fray; “If we don’t hold on, we’re lost.”

On April 11, Smith will be hosting a Behind the Music livestream in which he will discuss what it takes to put an album together; from writing and arranging to production and recording. For more information and to purchase a pass, please visit Mandolin online. 

The Fray Track listing: 

  1. Friends
  2. Hold On
  3. Sanctuary
  4. Deserving
  5. The Best Of Me (feat. Bill Frisell)
  6. Star-Crossed Lovers (feat Lisa Hannigan)
  7. To The Shore
  8. Eye To Eye (feat Sarah Jarosz)
  9. Just As You Are
  10. The Fray (feat. The Milk Carton Kids)
  11. She’s Doing Fine
  12. One Day At A Time

Ervin Stellar’s new EP Nothing to Prove out now

Ervin Stellar’s feel-good Americana EP, Nothing to Prove. Photo: google

Ervin Stellar channels the energy and integrity of American roots music with his new EP, Nothing to Prove. Using the name Ervin Stellar as his public persona, Nashville musician Andrew Jordan self-produced and mixed the five-song project and released it independently. During his 12 years living in Brooklyn, New York, Jordan discovered a community of session players who were as comfortable with country as they were with jazz. By blending those styles into his own music—from banjo and pedal steel to drums and electric guitar—Ervin Stellar brings a compelling perspective to Americana music. (IV-PR, 2021)

“I left New York City with a gold nugget in my pocket,” sings Ervin Stellar in the opening line of the opening song on his new EP Nothing to Prove. A dancing, melodic bassline and tastefully twangy guitar flourishes could slip in unnoticed on Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks were it not for Stellar’s smooth, intimate vocal delivery. An album that will certainly warrant more than one listen to catch each impeccably crafted line, Nothing to Prove is a shining example of how Stellar pulls off a balancing act of being earnest, lighthearted, and virtuous—one song at a time. Fans can now hear Nothing to Prove in its entirety at this link.

Ervin Stellar is the public persona of Andrew Jordan, who moved from New York to Nashville following his 2018 album, The Moment. That relocation is referenced in the first line of Nothing to Prove’s title track, setting up a series of musical snapshots that encompasses three original songs and two well-chosen covers—all of which are executed in a hard-to-pin-down mix of organic tones and greasy grooves. His sound reflects his youth in Southern Michigan, where his mother preferred country on the radio while his dad enjoyed playing jazz records at home.

In addition to his three outstanding originals on Nothing To Prove, Jordan included covers of Jonathan Edwards’ “Shanty” and John Fogerty’s “Who’ll Stop the Rain.” Jordan recalls hearing “Shanty” every Friday afternoon on the radio in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and decided to work it up after realizing it fit the lockdown vibe. As for “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” Jordan slows down the tempo of the Creedence Clearwater Revival original, though the message resonates as much as ever.

Nothing To Prove Track listing:
Nothing To Prove
Love Is Love
Who’ll Stop The Rain
S.O.S.
Shanty