If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Alysse Gafkjen I had assumed that I'm With Her was going to be a one-off project. The folk supergroup of Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O'Donovan, and Sara Watkins formed in 2015, released an album ( See You Around ) in 2018, and won a Grammy for Best American Roots song in 2020 for "Call My Name"). Now it's 2025 and the group has reformed. "Ancient Light" is exactly what we want from I'm With Her. It's laid back folk pop with strong roots in traditional folk music. Jarosz, O'Donovan, and Watkins have perfectly merged their individual styles into this project, so if you're a fan of any of these artists, you're going to love "Ancient Light." The song even meanders off into unexpected directions, making this one of the most interesting folk pop compositions we've heard in a long time. We're thrilled to welcome back I'm With Her, and we know you'll be as well. I'm With Her say of their latest single: “We start...

Photo by Shervin Lainez Nashville's Sarah Jarosz is a folk-pop legend at this point in her career, both as a solo musician and as a member of I'm With Her. Her latest single, "When the Lights Go Out," is just pure folk-pop perfection. Of course, we would expect nothing less from Jarosz, and she always delivers just that. Her consistency is astounding, and she continues to release fantastic song after fantastic song at a point in her career where many artists start to coast on name recognition. "When the Lights Go Out" is the kind of mainstream singer/songwriter tune that could easily be middle of the road, but Jarosz just has that little something extra that makes her music stand out, and makes it impossible to resist. Sarah Jarosz says of her latest single: “ I knew I wanted to write a song about the exciting time before a relationship has started when you’re curious to discover everything there is to know about the other person. Dreaming about them… intrig...

Photo by Bree Fish At the 2021 Green River Festival, Bella White played a new, unreleased song that completely floored me. "Flowers On My Bedside" had a more modern folk feel along with a little bit of a ramble to it that stood out from her other vintage sounding songs in her set. Now we can finally hear the studio version of that song, and it's just as mind blowing as it was two years ago. "Flowers On My Bedside" is a gorgeous take on contemporary folk with the slightest classic sound to it. It doesn't sound like anything else White has released to date, and it is an incredibly compelling listen. With such quiet instrumentation, the song focuses strongly on White's vocals which will simply suck you in. If there is any justice left in the world, "Flowers On My Bedside" will be the song that propels White into true stardom. You can listen to "Flowers On My Bedside" below. Among Other Things is due out April 21 on Rounder Records, and c...

Photo by Bree Fish Bella White has been experimenting with different shades of Americana and roots music, and expanding on her sound since 2020's outstanding Just Like Leaving. Her latest single, "Break My Heart," is pure country. This is the kind of classic country sound that you heard back in the 80's and 90's. It may have some slight pop leanings, but White is hardly pop country on this one. It's an upbeat sounding song that's about heartbreak (obviously, based on the title). White just has such a natural twang to her voice that a song like "Break My Heart" might be the perfect style for her.  Bella White says of the new song: "Out of all of the songs I’ve written, “Break My Heart” is probably the most explicitly about getting dumped. I wrote it with no intention of ever sharing it. I didn’t even feel any particular emotional attachment to it like I do with my other songs, because it was such an isolated experience, zooming in on one spec...

Photo via Facebook With her latest single, Bella White continues to move slightly away from her bluegrass roots to a more general Americana sound. "Rhododendron" isn't quite the departure that "The Way I Oughta Go" was, but it's still more of a classic country sound than her 2020 album Just Like Leaving  was. The true focus of any of White's songs is her voice, and I'm pretty sure she'd be captivating in any genre. "Rhododendron" is filled with tons of steel guitar and twang to dance into classic country while still maintaining a bit of a more neo-folk sound. Modern mainstream folk doesn't typically have this much twang, so White is keeping her sound completely fresh on this new single. In the YouTube post for the video, Bella White says of her new song: "I wrote ‘Rhododendron’ on Mother’s Day while staying at my mum’s house during the middle of the pandemic. She was away and I was missing her. I looked out of her bedroom windo...

Photo by Alysse Gafkjen Just when we start thinking we couldn't possibly be more excited for the upcoming album from Sierra Ferrell, she goes and releases a song like "Bells of Every Chapel." This new single has this impossible amount of charm and is gloriously old timey country. It's the kind of old timey country that could very easily fall into hokey territory, but Ferrell is a master of dancing on the line just before hokey and making music that is fun. How much fun is "Bells of Every Chapel?" It includes some bird sounds towards the beginning that sound like they could be out of a classic early Disney animated movie, and it works perfectly. I have no idea how Ferrell can pull off music this enjoyable and charming without crossing the line into overdoing it, but she's a master of this trick. Plus, she brings in Billy Strings for some back-up. In a Facebook post, Sierra Ferrell says of the new song: "The way this song came about is kinda funny. I ...

Every now and then I worry that I'm going to burn myself out from Sierra Ferrell before her album comes out. "Maybe she's really not that great of an artist" I'll think to myself. And then she releases a song like "In Dreams" and I realize I'm not overhyping her at all. "In Dreams" is this whimsical country song that is both vintage sounding and modern at the same time. You're going to hear some classic Dolly Parton in this one, and that's never a bad thing. As vintage as it may sound, it's not going to sound anything like country or any Americana that you've heard before. Ferrell truly has a sound all her own while feeling familiar and comforting. Plus, Sarah Jarosz joins in for backing vocals just in case you were still on the fence about listening. You can listen to "In Dreams" below. Long Time Coming is due out August 20 on Rounder Records. You can pre-order/pre-save a copy here . For more on Sierra Ferrell, ch...

Despite Jeff and I having fairly similar tastes in music, our top ten albums of the year tend to be wildly different, with only one album on both of our lists. It's only June, and we've only heard three original songs from her (although we have extensively covered her cover songs), but it's safe to predict that this year it will be from Sierra Ferrell. Her new single, "The Sea," is this completely original blend of old timey country, jazz, cabaret, and even a little show tunes. Ok... more than a little. It's an amazingly fun song that is also a brilliant tune. Everything about "The Sea" is perfect. Not many songs can be fun and haunting, but Ferrell pulls it off. "The Sea" is a tiny bit over the top at times (like I said, it includes elements of show tunes and cabaret) but Ferrell just exudes such a sense of charm that you can't help but be completely won over. In the YouTube description of the video, Sierra Ferrell says of the new song...

Photo by Alyssa Gafkjen New blog favorite Sierra Ferrell continues embarrassing me with her greater knowledge of classic country than I have. Her latest is a cover of The Stanley Brother's "I Just Think I'll Go Away." The original is a classic honky tonk crooner along the lines of Hank Williams, just with more banjo. Ferrell's version keeps the classic country vibe, but adds a lot more modern soul in. I mean, a lot more. The cover adds some Drive-By Truckers style keys and Ferrell is absolutely belting the song out at her very best Janis Joplin level. If you've been on the fence with joining us on the Sierra Ferrell bandwagon, we'll scootch over some because you're gonna want on after this one. You can watch the video for Sierra Ferrell's cover of "I Just Think I'll Go Away" below. Sierra Ferrell's album is scheduled for release this summer on Rounder Records. For more on Sierra Ferrell, check out the artist's website .