After receiving critical praise with his two previous singles, Travis Rice returns with his latest, "Don't Waste The Rain." While  "When The Fish Didn't Bite" and  "Women, Water, and Beer" were  heartfelt and good-time rockin' respectively, Rice's new single adds another dimension to the singer: sexy.

Penned by Rice,  "Don't Waste The Rain" finds his rich baritone relaying the  sultry tale of a man doing all he can to call his  lady back  home from work to spend  a rainy, dreary day together indoors. It's a tune whose romantic melody and lyrics are bound to raise the temperature in any relationship.

"Right now we've got a perfect storm 
Just begging me to keep you safe and warm
No we don;t get weather like this every day
So come on baby, let's not waste the rain"

 Watch the video  HERE

"These songs are snippets of the lessons I've learned and am still learning. Some people believe that fear is something we should live with, or that we should use it as motivation to achieve our goals. From my experience, I believe it's something to be conquered and routed out of every area of our lives. I try to live on a daily mission to seek and destroy all traces of fear and oppression in my life.” 

British/Jamaican/Nigerian singer-songwriter Bianca Rose has been writing and composing for the best part of a decade.  In 2007 she self-released her debut EP, Truth and Tiny Tragedies, and on January 30th returned with her debut full-length, No Fear Here.

The album begins with the ethereal “No Fear Here Part One,” a brief introduction, and continues with eleven additional tracks that fuse Pop, Folk and Gospel sensibilities on songs told from the female perspective. “Hidden” is a soft, horn-laden track about the parts of us that we may keep to ourselves until the right time or person comes along while “Eagles” takes a folkier approach on an irresistible tune about conquering fears and “Wall Paper Painting” fancies a nostalgic, romantic melody.

Interspersed are two spoken word tracks, one from the male perspective, “No Fear Here – Breis’ Story” and one from the female, “No Fear Here-Carina’s Story,” about a woman who finally believes she is enough and valued.
The album also includes the uplifting “You’re Beautiful,” “When It’s Gone” which reflects on the past but looks to the future, the subtle and romantic “Because of Love,” and album highlight “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow” which with its gentle strumming and religious connotation highlights how there no need to worry about the future because He knows what lies ahead,” before closing with “No Fear Here Part Two” where she sings with certainty “I’m gonna get there…and you have no doubt she will.

Bianca Rose is a soulful and ethereal voice whose No Fear Here brings songs that are thoughtful and empowering - demonstrating self-acceptance, optimism, and strength.

 “We figured we might as well put both our names on it and just make it a thing,” says Will Kimbrough, “because the chemistry’s there, the writing’s there, the harmonies are there, and so is our mutual love of all the music these songs are derived from and inspired by.”

After years of writing, recording, touring and collaborating Brigitte DeMeyer and Will Kimbrough join together as an official duo on Mockingbird Soul which was released on January 27th.  The twelve-song collection (of which the two co-wrote ten) begins with DeMeyer taking the lead on the soothing, romantic “Everything” which is followed by the “Broken Fences” a song that spotlight the duo’s harmonies, and the funky-blues of “The Juke” which features Kimbrough’s harmonica and DeMeyer’s sultry vocals. The diverse project includes the jazz inspired old-timey feel of “Running Round” lends itself to the theme of the passage of time, the bluesy gospel-tinged title track, the glorious duet “Little Easy,” and the affecting “I Can Hear Your Voice” which tells of the ache of a parent who is physically present but whose mind has flown.

Mockingbird Soul is rounded out with “Honey Bee” whose strong bass line alongside DeMeyer’s smoky vocals exudes a sexy playfulness, the tender “Carpet Bagger’s Lullaby” (which DeMeyer cowrote with Oliver Wood) and album highlight “Until Then” before closing with a cover of the Incredible String Band’s “October Song.”

By blending their varied influences, the duo has arranged a set of songs that are scaled back yet encompassing, crafting an album that’s varied and cohesive, compelling and enchanting, and ultimately, moving. 

UK Ameripolitan singer-songwriter Ags Connolly released his critically lauded first album, How About You, in 2014 and on February 3rd debuted the eagerly awaited follow-up, Nothin’ Unexpected - which is nothing short of superb. Influenced by the likes of Dale Watson, Chris Knight, and David Allan Coe, Connolly merges Western Swing, Honky Tonk, Rockabilly and Latin melodies on the album which finds him assisted by The Mavericks’ Michael Guerra on accordion and Eamon McLoughlin on fiddle.

The intimate collection opens with “I Hope You’re Unhappy” whose danceable melodies counters the lyrics telling how someone who is heartbroken wishes the opposite of the best for a former lover, not because he’s angry, but because he wants her back in his arms. That’s followed by the Tex-Mex accordion-infused “Do You Realize That Now” an incredibly sincere and nostalgic ballad, and the gentle and impactful “When The Loner Gets Lonely” a song that pulls at the heartstrings of anyone who can relate to the title character, “And he likes it cause they know him by his face only…..it ain’t east to tell when the loner gets lonely.”

Whether swinging to the rockabilly melodies of “Neon Jail” and “Haunts Like This” or tapping along to the Spanish guitar in the reflective title track that recounts the changes in the town of his youth, “Most normal people just move on with their lives/And they don’t come back looking, trying to relive the past/Oh but some of us are dreamers can’t forget it so fast” Connolly showcases lyrics with depth and intensity whether it’s his own songs or a stunning rendition of Loudon Wainwright III’s “I Suppose” which with its shuffling melody, piano and steel which tells of the complexities of a guarded heart, “I could love you if I wasn’t so afraid I might go berserk if it didn’t work and I didn’t feel betrayed/I’ve been writing off love for so long now it’s all I know to do………If it’s real this thing we feel then yes I could love you.”

Nothin’ Unexpected is rounded out with three stories of love and loss. Highlighted by an emotive fiddle, “Fifteen Years” is a story of how “the toughest old stories” survive in relationships, “Slow Burner,” which features a subdued mandolin, finds him pondering the forces that worked against them “You’re a slow burner like a song you have to hear the whole way through/I’m a slow learner and I was too slow in learning about you” and the poignant “I Should’ve Closed the Book” whose words make the chest swell, “I didn’t consider I was wrong/I thought if you love someone enough it was meant to be/But I should have closed book on her before it closed on me.”

Connolly’s Nothin’ Unexpected is one of those rare albums where everything falls into place; its gorgeous production compliments the lyrics, melodies, and Connolly’s delivery allowing them to combine (and shine) in an album that is simply perfect.

-Harriett

Fans of NBC’s “The Voice” will remember Jake Worthington as the 2014/ Season 6 Runner-Up.  The 20 year old Texas native has a sound that is traditional country in both instrumentation and lyrics. He displays that sound well in his new single “A Lot of Room To Talk”, released to digital outlets on January 27th.

With a clever turn of phrase, heartwarming twang, and moving steel guitar, the song tells of heartbreak and regret following a failed relationship. The reverberation of angry words and missed opportunities surround him in the emptiness of the space he now occupies alone. “There’s an echo in this room. Just won’t let me be.”  Things she tried to tell him that he didn’t hear then, he hears now and hopes to learn from so his past mistakes won’t be repeated in the future.   
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There’s a sweetness and nostalgia in the song that would be refreshing to hear on country radio more often. Visit his website at www.thejakeworthington.com to find out more about this promising artist and his music.  

Led by Justin Ahmanson and Emily Villareal, the Austin-based band The Traveling Ones (which also includes Reed Jones on bass and Greg Henry on drums) is set to share their new album, Meet Me There on February 3rd. The all original project features Villareal and Ahmanson sharing vocals on the nine-song collection that features a mellow, blues accented feel on songs about dreams, life and love.

The album begins with the gentle and affecting “Wildfire Heart” which tells of a powerful, encompassing love before segueing into the keys accented, passionate “Yours Tonight” (where the duo’s harmonies shine), and the lively, harmonica-laden “You Only Have to Break My Heart.”

Meet Me There flows beautifully from the soulful and hopeful “Red Lights” to the sincere “Baby When It Rains” and the sentimental “Upper Circle.” The album is rounded out by the heavenly “Here In The Light,” and standout track “I’m A Woman” where a love is revisited, but may not last “If you don’t want me release my hand….If you can’t keep me well it’s a Goddamn shame” before closing with the incredibly stirring “Ride With Me” - which will leave you with “all the feels,” as the saying goes.

The soothing, subtle melodies, earnest lyrics, and tender harmonies on Meet Me There glide along peacefully, yet never fail to make an emotional impact and connect with the listener. One of the early surprises of 2017, don’t neglect to visit The Traveling Ones on Meet Me There.

-Harriett

One of the most endearing aspects of good music can be found in its ability to reassure you that your experiences are shared, to lift you up and to make you feel happy; in short to heal the heart.  That’s just what you’ll get when the Texas-based juggernaut known as Shinyribs delivers the cure for what ails you on February 24th with the release of I Got Your Medicine.
 It’s the fourth studio album for the band that started as a side project for The Gourds lead singer, lyricist and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Russell but quickly became a full time entity all its own. The sound is a blend of funk, blues, jazz and old school 60’s R & B (with a dash of gospel for good measure) which makes it impossible to listen and remain seated. It requires the active participation of dancing and singing along like no one’s watching. 

The R & B is strong and mighty in the opening title track, “I Got Your Medicine” which embodies and projects the spirit of the album, and in the lovelorn “I Gave Up All I Had”. The tale of a long, wild night of sorrow drowning gets the Dixie funk treatment in “Tub Gut Stomp & Red-Eyed Soul”. The twang-edged soul in the duet “I Don’t Give A Shit” leaves you laughing and reminiscing about those bad-for-each-other relationships that feel so right and manage to work due to the mutual dysfunction of the players.  Redemption closes the album with the spirited, witty, jazzy gospel of “The Cross Is Boss”.

Shinyribs is one of the most charismatic, captivating and entertaining bands I’ve ever seen and none of the magic of the live show is lost in the transition to the studio. Visit the website at www.shinyribs.org to pick up your copy of I Got Your Medicine and check the tour schedule. If the band is even remotely close to your area, don’t miss out on going to a show that will leave you smiling long after the encore.   

Austin’s The Band of Heathens - Ed Jurdi, Gordy Quist, Richard Millsap, Trevor Nealon, and Scott Davis - will release their fifth studio album Duende, on January 13th. Defined as a spirit of passion and inspiration, Duende solidly puts forth that mood with songs exploring interpersonal relationships, communication, and social issues via a groove infused, divinely relaxed style.

Things kick off with the earnest, warm plea for another chance on “All I’m Asking,” which immediately pulls you in with its infectious backbeat and lush melody. Duende also includes the carefree vibe of “Last Minute Man” and the high-energy roots rocker “Trouble Came Early” which were premiered pre-release, as well as seven other originals including the sultry, trippy groove of “Sugar Queen” (based on a character from Plath’s The Bell Jar), the romantic jam “Deep Is Love” and “Road Dust Wheels” which fuses Latin rhythms in a song about the memory that lingers as people leave their families for a better life. Duende is rounded out by the contemplative shuffler “Keys To The Kingdom,” the soulfully funktastic tale of a woman working her way into his heart on “Daddy Long Legs” and the ethereal “Cracking The Code” before closing with “Green Grass of California” a gently soothing number about marijuana and its legalization.

Duende is infused with the spirit of the blues, rock and roll, country, soul, and more; capturing the essence of Americana and conveying a musical passion evident through dynamite grooves, thoughtful lyrics, and the smooth vocals of Jurdi and Quist all of which  permeate your speakers leaving you on a musical high.

Singer-songwriter  AJ Hobbs teamed up with Ted Russell Kamp on his first full-length, Too Much Is Never Enough, which is due February 17th. Combining intimately personal storytelling with an outlaw spirit, Hobbs brings a soulful authenticity to the twelve track project which feature country, Texas, and gospel stylings.

Hobbs bursts out of the gate with the rousing, foot-stomping opener “Too Much Is Never Enough” which recounts his own battle with bottle before rolling into “Life Without You” a honky tonk ready number about not having a complete life without that one special person, and “The Loser” about a man who ditches the day job for the road. “I nearly lost the will to live just working that 9-5/Now the only thing that I can’t lose is the feeling of being free.”

The country gospel groover “Daddy Loved The Lord” is elevated by a fabulous piano, twangy guitar, and shuffling percussion while “Eastside” is a slow burner, a soulful, emotional ballad (recalling The Band) where he implores one to “Take a long ride to the Eastside honey and lay all your troubles down on me”.  “Shit Just Got Real,” featuring the clavinet, adds some swagger and humor in a traditional barroom anthem, “Are You Going to Tennessee” is a jaunty ode to the state that offers much and “A Whole Lot of You and Me” (penned by Kamp) is a delightful romantic shuffler.

Too Much Is Never Enough is rounded out with the flirty mid-tempo duet “Take It Slow” which features Dominique Pruitt sharing a wink and a nod, “Don’t think so fast I’d like to take it slow…..We’ll just lay low til everybody clears out of the barroom/And then we'll take it slow as far as they all know/The quicker we get out of here the slower we can go”; a horn infused take on the classic “The Bottle Let Me Down” and “Tomorrow I’ll Be Hurtin’” which tells of the often lonely, costly life on the road. “Sometimes it feels like heaven, most days I’m going to hell/All you want is water but there’s nothing in the well/So help me if you can put something in my jar/Tomorrow I’ll be hurting tonight I’ll be a star.”

Hobbs delivers an album that is lyrically and sonically compelling; all the while being unabashedly honest in conveying a man’s weaknesses and strengths in a manner that is sincere, immediate, and relatable. Even though it’s only January, Too Much Is Never Enough is an early sure thing that will undoubtedly be found on many a best of year end lists.