If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Sarah Trott Cass McCombs and San Francisco preschool teacher Mr. Greg have collaborated on an upcoming album of children's songs, but judging by the first single from the album, it's going to be great for all ages. "Wave a Flag for Harvey Milk" is a charming and catchy song about the late gay rights activist Harvey Milk. It does kind of sound like a kids' song at times, but traditional folk can have that sound. It's a beautiful little tribute to Milk, and it's nearly impossibly catchy. It'll be a challenge to not get the chorus of "Let's all wave a flag for the late great Harvey Milk" not stuck into all of our minds.  Mr. Greg says of the new song: “A few years ago I created ‘Wave a Flag for Harvey Milk’ as a sing-along coloring book that I wrote and illustrated as a way to introduce my students to some of the positive things that Harvey Milk did for San Franciscans in particular and the LGBTQ+ community at large. Cass and the Sa...

I've been a fan of Dom Flemons since his days with Carolina Chocolate Drops, and have also been enjoying his solo work as well. His latest single, "Slow Dance With You," is exactly what we want from Dom Flemons. It's a country torch song that just feels timeless. It sounds like it could have been recorded from any time from the 1940's until now. It's timeless and sounds vintage without being even the tiniest bit old timey. "Slow Dance With You" is the kind of song your grandparents could have danced together to at their wedding, or even your kid's. It's a beautiful country ballad that you're not going to be able to get enough of. You can listen to "Slow Dance With You" below. Traveling Wildfire is due out March 24 on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. The album can be pre-ordered here . For more on Dom Flemons, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Tadin Brown Jake Blount is a master of making the classic sound modern, and their latest single, "Once There Was No Sun," might be the best example of that. The structure of the song is a classic spiritual, but Blount brings the song into 2022 by making it what is almost a modern dance track, but with traditional instruments. It's one of the most unique songs that we've heard in quite some time while still being made up of familiar elements. It's also showing even more of a move away from the pure traditional sound of Blount's excellent 2020 album Spider Tales. It would have been easy (and still would have been fantastic) for Blount to continue making traditional roots music, but "Once There Was No Sun" shows an artist not afraid to try completely new sounds. You can watch the video for "Once There Was No Sun" below. The New Faith is due out September 23 on Smithsonian Folkways and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Jake Blount,...

Photo by Tadin Brown We loved Jake Blount's 2020 album Spider Tales . Blount had this perfect take on traditional folk and bluegrass. For his upcoming album, The New Faith , Blount is changing his focus over to spiritual music. The first single from that album, "Didn't It Rain," is more gospel with elements of rock, blues, and soul than just being pure bluegrass. It's still a mostly traditional song, but it's great to see an artist branch out like this. As with any of his music, "Didn't It Rain" exists to educate about music history as much as it is for entertainment. Blount is taking traditional forms of music and mixing them up into a familiar and unique sound. You can listen to "Didn't It Rain" below. The New Faith is out September 23 on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Jake Blount, check out the artist's website .