Crisper Roots

Send us Fan Mail Jesse Welles, whose LP 'Hells Welles' I covered last year, is in an amazing patch of creativity, and has a new album, MIDDLE.

Send us Fan Mail Crisper Roots is back for season 2! With the Doohickeys' hilarious ALL HAT NO CATTLE and Jason Eady's lovely MISSISSIPPI, UNPLUGGED. The gutsiest country song ever recorded: I Don't Give a Damn About Football

Send us Fan Mail Last episode of Season 1. Out of 90, more or less. (1) Samory I, Strength (2) Jesse Welles, Hell's Welles (3) Fiona Boyes, Ramblified (4) Stephanie Lambring, Hypocrite (5) Jerron Paxton, Things Done Changed (6) Elizabeth King, Soul Provider (7) Leslie Stevens, eponymous (8) The Franklin County Trucking Company, The Death-Defying Adventures of (9) Wyly Bigger, Broken Telephone...

Send us Fan Mail Hudson Westbrook's eponymous EP and Ags Connolly's YOUR PAL SLIM: SONGS OF JAMES HAND

Send us Fan Mail Two fine EPs: Tyler Ray Miniard, THE COUNTY LINE and the Doohickeys, CAN'T BEAT MY OLD BEATER

Send us Fan Mail Two good late-year albums! John R. Miller, FIRESIDE SESSIONS VOL 1 and Forest Sun, NO FINISH LINE. No it's not "I'll meet you at the bar" on "America I Love You." It's "I'll meet you at the mall."

Send us Fan Mail Two unusual 'Western' items: Tyler Halverson's WESTERN AMERIJUANA (pt 2) and Corb Lund's stunning EL VIEJO (deluxe edition)

Send us Fan Mail Bluesman Eric Bibb's beautiful IN THE REAL WORLD and the late-arriving greatest record of cowpunk, VIVA LONE JUSTICE. I meant to say, re Bibb: J.B. Lenoir.

Send us Fan Mail Tradition and innovation from the great young bluesman Jerron Paxton and the budding folk-pop star Joy Oladokun.

Send us Fan Mail Lovely albums by two guys who with outsider personae: Gurf Morlix, IN LOVE AT ZERO DEGREES and Chris Acker, FAMOUS LUNCH Sorry, I kept saying "Bill Bruckner". Bill Buckner!

Send us Fan Mail Fine new records this week from Franklin County Trucking Company (THE DEATH-DEFYING ADVENTURES OF) and Darrin Bradbury (FREEMAN'S TV REPAIR SHOP)

Send us Fan Mail Two surreal and beautifully-played political roots albums: Embla and the Karidotters' LP OFF LEASH and Jack Barksdale's EP OUT OF ORDER .

Send us Fan Mail Great new items by the lovely but asskicking songbirds Sunny Sweeney (STILL PROVOKED) and Hannah Juanita (TENNESSEE SONGBIRD)

Send us Fan Mail Reviews of fine and original albums by 77-year-old Elizabeth King, a gospel singer from Memphis, and 27-year-old Jontavious Willis, bluesman from West Georgia.

Send us Fan Mail Two quite interesting conceptual projects and two very fine singers: Karen Jonas, THE RISE AND FALL OF AMERICAN KITSCH and Layla Tucker, HOLD MY COAT (reissue from 2022?, songs of Merle Haggard)

Send us Fan Mail Two lovely and humble albums, out this week: Evan McMillian, FOR A DREAMER and the Mike Montrey Band, LOVE, TIME, AND MORTALITY

Send us Fan Mail Wild, eclectic, yet bluesy harmonica and excellent singing and writing: Big Harp George, COOKING WITH GAS and Son of Dave, A FLAT CITY Column from '22: https://www.splicetoday.com/music/lucian-satan-son-of-dave-and-the-future-of-blues-harp

Send us Fan Mail Great trad country from singer/guitar player Zach Top, COLD BEER AND COUNTRY MUSIC (a little late getting to this one, out in March I think), and fine country songwriting from Elijah Ocean, LOSER'S HOLIDAY

Send us Fan Mail Reviews of two new albums of covers: paradigm country singer William Michael Morgan, COUNTRY CLASSICS VOL. 1 and bluegrass from rowdy, godly multi-instrumentalists The Little Roy and Lizzie Show, ALL FOR THE LOVE OF SUNSHINE

Send us Fan Mail Writer writer writer. Amazing political folk and blues by Jesse Welles, HELLS WELLES and fine folky country Josh Morningstar, JOSH MORNINGSTAR

Send us Fan Mail Two albums by great repositories of musical tradition: blues rockers the Fabulous Thunderbirds, STRUCK DOWN and bluegrass legends the Del McCoury Band, SONGS OF LOVE AND LIFE

Send us Fan Mail Lovely country from Matt "The Cat" Hillyer, BRIGHT SKYLINE (Dallas); and rockin Sublime-style ska/rock/hiphop from the Mid-Atlantic

Send us Fan Mail Fine new LPs from Kayla Ray, THE WORLD'S WEIGHT (true country) and Sugaray Rayford, HUMAN DECENCY (funk blues) Oops "The Highest Point in Seven Counties" is a suicide song.

Send us Fan Mail Just one this week: Swamp Dogg, BLACKGRASS: FROM WEST VIRGINIA TO 125TH STREET. Great album by the 80-something American surrealist, Afrofuturist, soul man, country singer, genius. https://www.splicetoday.com/music/music-and-memory https://www.splicetoday.com/writing/it-s-not-that-far-from-memphis-to-nashville

Send us Fan Mail Two fine new records. Memphis blues pianist Wyly Bigger, BROKEN TELEPHONE and Soul/funk/rock combo Pimps of Joytime & Sophia Urista, DON'T BELONG