Everything in this week’s roundup is worth a listen.
Willow Avalon
Southern Belle Raisin’ Hell
Aesthetically, this debut splits the differences between the best of her dad (Jim White!) and the best of Lindi Ortega, and that’s not a hard sell. Killer lead single (“Yodelayheewho,” with Maggie Antone) is but one highlight on a set that’s wise and wiseass in equal measure.
LANCO
We’re Gonna Make it
Songwriting is professional in all of the most generic ways. For a current mainstream album, that puts it at least a cut above their hackier peers: Swap this crew out for Parmalee. Aesthetic skews more stomp-clap-hey than their norm, but they do pull that off capably.
Crys Matthews
Reclamation
Foregrounding country signifiers on this set is a purposeful and powerful choice that deepens Matthews’ message about taking up space without apology. Like many folk heroes, her lyrics can lapse into broadsides, but 2025 isn’t really a time for subtlety, now is it?
Olivia Wolf
Silver Rounds
Compares favorably to another Olivia– Rodrigo– for the way she pulls disparate points of influence into her songs without much regard for how artists have historically done so; I love how Gen Z acts do this. Wolf pushes hard against, escapes Americ-yawna trappings.
Yola
My Way [EP]
Will I miss her in the country and country-adjacent space? Yes. Is this a riveting EP that showcases the extraordinary breadth of her talent? Also yes. The things she does with her voice here (“Symphony,” “Ready”) are absurd. This new direction suits her so very well.
Luke Trimble
Headed Out the Holler
Whole lot to love about the mix of modern ‘grass and contemporary folk on Trimble’s debut record, but Lord God do the young’uns need to stop modeling their singing style after Zach Bryan. When Trimble settles into his own voice, he’ll be a major artist.
Rabbi Sandra and the Protestant White Boys
A Song For a New Year [EP]
Love the empathy and the thoughtfulness of the songwriting and the flourishes of twang in these arrangements, but some of the vocals veer pretty wildly off-pitch in a way that’s distracting. Still, the songwriting POV is essential and one-of-a-kind.
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