Hailey Whitters Corn Queen Pigasus/Big Loud
The title of Hailey Whitters' fourth full-length album stems from her fans christening her 'Corn Queen,' because she was born and raised in the small town of Shueyville, Iowa. As a proud Iowa native who moved to Nashville as a seventeen-year-old and, through a decade of hard graft, has established herself as a breakthrough country artist, Whitters took this as a compliment. 'I'm proud of it, I like the idea of a queen with a little grit and elbow grease,' was her response.
Whitters' first taste of Nashville was as a fifteen-year-old when her mom booked a trip for them both to Music City. Incredibly, it was the teenager's first city trip, and its impact was such that the music-loving girl vowed to return after high school to follow her dream. That dream has been fully realised, through diligence and endeavour, by an artist with a natural talent for penning and singing bona fide country songs about everyday life, loves, and letdowns in small-town America.
With two records under her belt, BLACK SHEEP (2015) and THE DREAM (2020), Whitters’ profile was on an upward trajectory , and her third album, RAISED (2022), earned her tours with Luke Combs, Shania Twain, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church and Luke Bryan. However, the success and market recognition had a stifling effect on her creatively and CORN QUEEN is the product of her pressing the reset button and concentrating on where she wants to be, rather than where outside influences would prefer. 'I got pretty lost in it for a while and needed a rest, I needed to take off the costumes and the makeup and reconnect with the girl underneath it all,' she explains.
That sentiment is evident from the get-go with the banging,fiddle-driven, country opener High On The Hog ('Might look like the dream, but bein' Corn Queen, hell it ain't all crowns and sashes'). That high-octane pace continues on Prodigal Daughter, which includes a cameo by Molly Tuttle. Other guests include The Wilder Blue on the slower-paced album closer DanceMor, and Charles Wesley Godwin trades vocals with Whitters on I Don't Want You, which explores the reality of a love-hate relationship. Other reality checks raise their head on the punchy Shotgun Wedding. Slowing things down a few gears, Casseroles paints a graphic picture of death and the loneliness that follows. The autobiographical Helluva Heart highlights the strength of character and relentless work ethic that keeps her in check during taxing times. Recorded in Nashville with her husband, Jake Gear, overseeing the project, the host of top players that contribute excel in giving expression to the sixteen songs that feature.
It's not yet exactly 'floodgates open' for women in roots and country music, but the wheel is turning slowly in that direction. Hopefully, the industry does not overburden Whitters, as she holds all the aces to emulate the success of similarly talented songwriters and performers like Miranda Lambert, Brandy Clark, and Kaitlin Butts, all blessed with the skillset to pen down-to-earth, meaningful songs with genius wordplay and often from firsthand experiences. Whitters has certainly achieved that with CORN QUEEN, a contemporary country record of the highest order.
Declan Culliton
Ken Pomeroy Cruel Joke Rounder
At the age of twenty-two, Oklahoma-born Cherokee Nation member Ken Pomeroy’s latest album, CRUEL JOKE, is her fourth recording, three of which she had released by the age of nineteen. This latest record is her first on the Rounder Records label and consists of twelve soul-searching tracks. In keeping with her previous output, it is a profoundly personal project.
When asked by Lonesome Highway in an interview back in 2021 to describe her music, she replied, 'I'd describe my music as a mix of folk and Americana, with a kind of hopeful sadness to it. I write a lot of sad songs and emotional songs in a very vulnerable sense.'
That melancholy remains at the forefront in CRUEL JOKE, with tracks like the gorgeous Flannel Cowboy speaking of unrequited love and the unreserved heartache detailed in Stranger also striking a chord ('The wind keeps on hitting me like my mother used to. Unlike her, I feel like it doesn't want to'). Likewise, pushing the door open on buried memories is the intense Innocent Eyes ('I think it's funny how my own mind will hide things so I don't cry. I had a friend say the hardest thing is looking back without innocent eyes').
Further brooding ballads beautifully performed include the stunning Wolf In Sheep's Clothes and Coyote, the latter includes swapping verses with guest vocalist John Moreland. Pomeroy also includes "Grey Skies," written when she was only thirteen, an incredible, poem-like composition for one so young. In chaotic and uncertain times, a cry for stability and security surfaces in Cicadas, with the writer recalling how the arrival of the insects every summer was a fixed event in her childhood.
Attentive listening, ideally with headphones, is the key to fully engrossing oneself in Ken Pomeroy's deeply considered lyrics, rich vocals and haunting musical sketches. Once more, as in her previous recordings, by digging acutely into her memory vaults, she has created a hugely impressive listen, from an artist with unlimited talent.
Declan Culliton
Little Feat Strike Up The Band Megaforce
Over five decades since their formation by two former members of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, Lowell George and Roy Estrada, the California band Little Feat continues to record its unique blend of rock, country, swamp, and funk. Multiple lineup changes have occurred over the band’s lifespan. The current format includes Bill Payne, keyboard player and member of the original lineup, and bass player Kenny Gradney, who replaced Estrada in 1972. Percussionist and vocalist Sam Clayton, another member since 1972, is also in the current band, as is long-time member and multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Fred Tackett. The other current members are Anthony Leone (Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Ollabelle) and Scott Sharrard (Gregg Allman Band). Produced by Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton, Jack White, Phish) and recorded at his Sputnik Studios in Nashville, the horn sections were contributed by Art Edmiston (saxophone) and Marc Franklin (trumpet).
STRIKE UP THE BAND follows on from the success of their 2024 Grammy-nominated blues covers album, SAM’S PLACE. The thirteen songs on the album include material previously written by Bill Payne and Grateful Dead’s Robert Hunter, more recent ones penned by Payne, Sherrard and Clayton co-writes, and collaborations with Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr, Larkin Poe, Molly Tuttle, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams. Despite the multiple contributors and the period of the writing, the tracks embrace the essence and sonic terrain that the band have created from day one.
At over an hour long and with thirteen tracks, it’s very much a ‘bang for your bucks’ affair. The strong opener, 4 Days Of Heaven 3 Days Of Work, is eyebrow-raising territory. With strong lead vocals by Clayton, screeching guitar solos, a heavy rhythm section and a fiery brass section, it’s an instantly striking listen. At the other end of the record, they sign off with an equally rousing album closer, New Orleans Cries When She Sings. It kicks off like a piano-led Warren Zevon-styled ballad before, true to its title, exploding into a jazzy, gospel, jam. The title track, somewhat surprisingly given its name, is a lovely, slow-paced ballad featuring backing vocals and guitar by sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell, of Larkin Poe fame, and a splendid piano solo by Bill Payne.
The tongue-in-cheek Too High To Cut My Hair is a full-on and funky delight. A co-write by Sharrard and Tackett, based on a true story, it recounts the moment when the latter turned down his wife’s offer of a haircut and includes a killer guitar and horn break. Other standout tracks are the racy Midnight Flight and the more relaxed Love and Life (Never Fear).
In keeping with the title of their 1974 album, FEATS DON’T FAIL ME NOW, the 2025 crew of this remarkable band continue on their path of deeply groove-driven music with this easy-on-the-ear collection.
Declan Culliton
Shelby Means Self-Titled Self-Release
The esteem in which Shelby Means is held by her musical peers is highlighted by the bluegrass and country royalty who guest on this album. Best known as a member of the supergroup Golden Highway, where she played bass and added harmony vocals alongside Molly Tuttle, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Dominick Leslie and Kyle Tuttle, this thirteen-track record is her debut full-length recording. Her other projects included membership in the string band Della Mae and alt-country duo Sally and George, but she has followed her love of bluegrass for her debut record.
Produced by fellow singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Maya de Vitry, the thirteen tracks include eleven originals and two covers, George Jones' The Old, Old House and Lady Gaga's Million Reasons. Together with Means' former Golden Highway colleagues, the numerous contributors read like a 'who's who' of bluegrass royalty, including Bryan Sutton, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Ron Block, Billy Strings, and Billy Contreras. Harmony vocals are credited to Tim O'Brien, Kelsey Waldon, Rachel Baiman, Ronnie McCoury and Joel Timmons.
The tracks are a mixture of material written by Means early in her career, rearranged songs previously recorded and more recently composed songs. The opener, Streets Of Boulder, is her first attempt to write a breakup song, which she wrote back in college, and Fisherman's Daughter is the first song she wrote after moving to Nashville. The more recently written Suitcase Blues recalls leaving Nashville and moving to a different city. Wild Tiger Style, a co-write with her husband, is a defiant statement confronting the oppression of women at various levels, both at home and abroad. Farm Girl, which started as a co-write with fellow artist Mac Leaphart, was built around Means' ranch work as a young woman, and the album is bookended with Joy. Written during the pandemic shortly after she had relocated to Charleston, S.C., the latter reflects on the relief that the backyard company of a fellow musician offered during that dark period.
Like her peer and fellow artist Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, whose 2024 album I BUILD A WALL established her as a leading player in the evolving modern bluegrass scene, Shelby Means' debut album marks her out as a formidable band leader alongside her parallel career as a standout bass player.
Declan Cullton
The Brains Behind Pa Beggars Belief Grass Magoops
When I look into the career of Bill Price I am left wondering as to why he’s not better known in wider musical circles. His debut album as a solo artist was titled BONES AND APPLES and was released back in 2003. Since then there have been a further two solo albums and four EP releases from this creative talent, in addition to releasing two albums under the performing name of The Brains Behind Pa. He is based in Indianapolis, Indiana and his creative muse burns brightly as an inspiration for music of this depth and quality.
Bill Price writes all thirteen songs here and they run over a generous seventy-five minutes of listening. The album was co-produced with Tyler Watkins at Postal Recording studios and the musicians in the have been together since 2002 when they recorded their seven-song debut titled Old Hat. A second album, Better For the Devil, appeared in 2006 and it has taken the intervening years for Price to resurrect the band and provide a new lease of life with this project.
The core band is comprised of Garry Bole (Piano, Hammond Organ, Electric Piano, Farfisa Organ, Accordion, Clavinet, Mellotron, Vibraphone, Dobro), Gordon Bonham (Electric and Acoustic Lead Guitar, 12-string Electric Guitar, Vocals, Harmony Vocals, Banjo), Bill Price (Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Vocals, Pump Organ, Cittern), and Jeff Stone (Bass, Fretless Bass, Upright Bass). They are joined by four separate drummers across the various tracks, a brass section of three additional players, plus seven backing singers who bring great Gospel and Soul traditions in their harmonies and variety.
There are a few solo piano vignettes linking a number of the songs and these sound almost ghostly, as if the piano was playing itself in another room. This mood fits in quite well with the overall theme of the album which is that of darker times ahead and the emerging price to be paid for our poor care of planet earth. The song Blue Riders Approaching could be seen as the horsemen of the apocalypse bringing their punishment to the planet; maybe in order to sweep it clean and give hope that we could start all over again?
Strike the Rock is a gospel-influenced song that covers a similar territory and we are reminded that in the bible Moses went to God for water and God ordered him to strike the rock – he did and water came forth. The blues of Whistling Liars is a damning song that states ‘Just a trace of truth, not a trace of proof, The dirt you are digging is so uncouth’; fake news anyone? The country sound of Poor Eyes is another look at the portents of doom while all around us ignorance abounds.
The album is a real tour de force and the quality of the musicianship is hugely enjoyable. There are excellent solo parts across the various tracks with the studio players given freedom to expand and experiment within the song arrangements. An example is the track Most Men with the sweet groove inspiring guitar, mellotron and piano to stretch out in a jazzy flow that aims arrows at a certain political leader - ‘Most men learn from the enemy, Avoid the mistakes of history, In glass houses hold their stones, You are not most men.’ Answers on a postcard please…
The ensemble playing on Maybe, Maybe Not #2 conjures memories of the Allman Brothers in full flow, with organ, piano and guitar spiralling together in unison. The cynic will enjoy the put down on Red, White and a Little Bit Of Blue and no doubt say “I told you so.” For true evil to endure, all it takes is for good men to do nothing ‘A little bit of debate, just a spit and spat, A little bit of honesty, Little chance of that.’
The title track is a surreal vision of a travelling circus with the ringmaster overseeing the great farce and spectacle. Somehow the metaphor is inescapable, the imagery in the characters so wrapped up in our political and corporate clowns ‘Now I’m not the smartest, But I’m sitting here on the edge of my seat, Because the things people do to take part in the heart of the darkness, It beggars belief.’ The circus is indeed coming to a nearby town, if it’s not already arrived.
Apparently the band recorded enough surplus material from the studio sessions to warrant a further two albums, and I look forward to the next chapters in this interesting band’s evolution. Definitely an album to stimulate and to provide many hours of listening pleasure.
Paul McGee
Blue Fish Diamond Radio Silence Self Release
This is the third album from Dublin-based Blue Fish Diamond, an ensemble that comprises of six excellent musicians that advertise their music as ‘indie folk rock.’ There are certainly elements of all three genres included in the overall sound and their broad approach continues to produce results that are very radio-friendly and enjoyable.
The quality of the musicianship is very high and each player contributes in a telling manner to the overall rich sounds that are created across the eleven new songs included here. Jim Murphy (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) is the founder of the band and he writes all the songs (with one co-write credit), in addition to taking on the responsibilities of leading mover and shaker for the group. He is ably supported by the talents of Laura Ryder (keyboards), and Axel McDonald (guitars). The strong rhythm section is locked down by Ronan Quinn (bass), and Shay Sweeney (drums), with Matilda O’Mahony (backing vocals) providing sweet harmonies throughout.
A debut album, FROM DARK TO LIGHT, appeared in 2018 and this was followed by FROZEN STARS ON THE NIGHT in 2021. Jim also took time away from band duties to deliver a superb album in 2023 under the side-project name of Hibsen. This resulted in an album titled THE STERN TASK OF LIVING and drew from the short stories of 'Dubliners' by James Joyce. Each of the songs on the album was named after one of the book’s stories and Irish Folk chanteuse Gráinne Hunt joined with Jim to create a project of enduring quality.
With this new set of songs the sonic direction has expanded somewhat, and under the creative guidance of producer Gavin Glass (Pedal steel & 12 string acoustic guitar), there are plenty of nice touches in the song arrangements to enjoy. The string section that graced the Hibsen project is also employed here to great effect and the combined skills of Lynda O’Connor (First violin), Paul O’Hanlon (Second violin), Beth McNinch (Viola), and Gerald Peregrine (Cello), play at a level that colours the melodies with subtle hues. All of the string sections were arranged by Cormac Curran.
On the song One More Chance the lead vocal is taken by Matilda O’Mahony as she delivers a superb performance, accompanied by the string section, in echoing a female perspective on a relationship that is running out of hope. Another relationship song is the lovely Stranger Things Have Happened but in this case it is Jim wearing his heart on his sleeve in honour of the enduring love he holds for his wife. Yet another love story, of sorts, is the song Gracepark and the close affiliation that Jim has to a favoured location that he likes to visit.
Elsewhere there are songs that strike out against the mess that humankind has made of planet earth on Planet Blue; the dislocation and loneliness endured by so many in today’s society on Radio Silence; the stress in trying to make ends meet every day on Fallen Angel, and the nostalgia of wanting to revert in time to a happier space on The 1980s. The big questions are tackled on Universe and the lyrics pose the immortal dilemma of who we are, what are we doing here, and where are we all going.
The sentiment expressed on Servants To the Hand is one of questioning extreme right-wing control in our lives by government. However, the Wizard of Oz has long been exposed for the manipulator that he was, and the thought that we need to ‘pull aside the curtain’ or that ‘we cannot see’ the controlling hand, is perhaps no longer the actual case – rather we see all too clearly these days and the view is not one that brings comfort or reassures.
I Don’t Know is a great band workout to the idea that the reality we face is perhaps something ‘other’ and that the Buddhist philosophy of the ‘middle-way’ could well be our redemption. The mention of ‘a big blue frog inside of me‘ suggests the concept of birth, renewal and transformation that runs through the frog spirit animal in certain spiritual teachings. Tonight speaks of the enjoyment of honest relationships and living for the freedom of the moment, and I’ve Got It Made is a celebration of a new-found perspective on living, which hints toward an ELO sound in the strings and the song arrangement. So, plenty to enjoy, and definitely a knowing confidence running through these new songs, as the band continues to build upon an impressive career on all fronts.
Paul McGee
Alice Howe and Freebo Live Self Release
This is an example of all that is good in attending a live gig and basking in the glow of accomplished musicians playing at the height of their collective powers. No overdubs or enhancements were added to this performance from Port Townsend, Washington State, back in 2024. Alice Howe has two previous releases and she has been playing music with bass legend Freebo since 2017. Their understanding on guitars and vocals is seamless and their duetting is both subtle and warm. The inclusion of Jeff Fielder on electric guitar is an inspired choice and his playing is both spontaneous and understated, his interpretations of the song dynamics something that is exhilarating.
Freebo includes songs from his 2019 album IF NOT NOW WHEN. Along with the title track, he performs superbly on the tongue-in-cheek She Loves My Dog More Than Me and three other tracks taken from this release. He also includes a cover of the Little Feat classic Sailin’ Shoes and gives it a slow treatment that works really well. Alice is a very talented performer in her own right on acoustic guitar and her superb vocal tone is highlighted really well on these stripped-back arrangements. Her warm delivery is very alluring and she includes five songs from her last album Circumstance, including Travellin’ Soul, Something Calls To Me and With You By My Side.
Her previous album is also represented with the song Twilight and there are covers of the Joni Mitchell classic A Case Of You with Alice providing a real highlight with solo performance on guitar; along with John Prine’s Angel From Montgomery, a finely judged duet between Freebo and Alice. This is a really enjoyable live album and a celebration of real talent across this trio of great artists.
Paul McGee
David Massey Man In the Mirror Self Release
Seven albums strong and Washington DC resident David Massey continues to represent some of the best hidden gems that can be found in contemporary singer songwriter music. This new album is eight songs that have been carefully created and are delivered with a measured attention to detail. Massey includes one cover song and his take on the Townes Van Zandt classic Tecumseh Valley is beautifully considered, bringing out all of the pathos of the original story concerning a working girl who falls victim to the vagaries of life.
There is a tribute song to the memory of two young sisters, Jillian and Lindsay, who were taken at a very young age and the beautiful sentiment expressed in Too Soon Gone is that of admiration in the face of such trauma and the quiet dignity shown by a father while coping with such grief.
Man In the Mirror is a song of self reflection and wanting to recapture the heady days of youthful innocence when make-believe and wide-eyed wonder were the order of the day. The grown man in Till the Evening Comes is found on his porch in spring, enjoying the sounds of nature while trying to write a song and being fully in the moment. Fighter’s Lament is a story song about a guy who played ice hockey for The Hershey Bears in Pennsylvania before injury forced him to change to boxing in order to try and make ends meet ‘All those kid dreams dissolved into fear, No joy left in skating, no comfort in beer.’
Massey had a career the legal profession for quite a number of years and enjoyed performing his music around the local circuit in Washington DC and the Maryland region. His debut album appeared back in 2004, so at this stage he is a seasoned musician. This is clearly evident in the quality of the songs and the assembled studio musicians that he called upon to colour these arrangements. Included is the talent of Jay Byrd on guitars, who adds great nuance in his playing, and who released a very striking solo album himself back in 2022, AT HOME AGAIN, and which featured in the Lonesome Highway best picks of that year. Also featured is Jim Robeson on bass (and web design), and Miles Lieder on drums, both providing the rhythm that is built upon in the melodies by a variety of other invited guests.
The song Marianne is written in heartfelt memory to Jim Robeson’s wife, who sadly passed away, and the words resonate ‘Marianne our merry band has lost its joyful beat, We try so hard, but you’re the card that makes this deck complete.’ Two other songs speak of peace and being thankful for the simple pleasures; Home and Free is penned in celebration of his local environment and name-checks many of the locations as Massey drives himself home to his beloved nature, and Dawn seeks to put all personal doubts and fears aside in favour of embracing what you already hold safe ‘Still she wakes up and smiles, Through all the years and the miles, Something there still beguiles, Love lives on, In the dawn.’ An album that is worthy of your attention and one that will give lots of pleasure.
Paul McGee
Scott Warren and Molly Orlando Wounded Bird Sessions Self Release
This album is the result of two young friends growing up together in St. Charles, Missouri. When they met up again as adults in the state of Colorado, both Warren and Orlando decided to start making music together as a duo under the performance name of Wounded Bird. The Covid years meant an enforced break from performance and recording but in more recent times Warren and Orlando were able to create the songs on this new release at a home studio in Evergreen, Colorado.
Warren has been recording as a solo artist since 2009, and prior to this he was a founding member of Signal Hill Transmission, a Los Angeles band that released a few albums between 2002 and 2009. On the eleven tracks included here the production is handled by Scott Warren (Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Keys, Percussion), and he is joined by Molly Orlando (Vocals). In the studio they added the multi-talents of Dan Wistrom (Pedal Steel, Weissenborn, Lap Steel, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards),and his presence really helps to colour the sounds on the album. Subsequently, after the songs were recorded in stripped-down live sessions, more instrumentation was added to the mix with Brian Young (Drums, Percussion), and Dan Hochhalter (Fiddle), contributing their skills.
The album revolves very much around a central theme of love and relationships, with all the drama of people who come together looking for a connection that may last. Opening song Arms is very much a “will they, won’t they” stay together with challenges and reassurances surfacing ‘Guess that's the way that things shake out, Me in the bed you on the couch, Someday I'll wake up next to you, And I'll wrap my arms around you.’
The following song Cut A Path looks at serendipity and the good fortune that can throw two lovers into the same orbit in the first place ‘ Oh life can be a mixed up mess, Which way the dice will roll is anyone's guess.’ Yet another song looks into husband and wife woes on The Truth with the guy being called out for spending a night on the town and the poor girl at home wanting some answers ‘Spare me the mind games you’re high as Georgia pine, You’re digging that ole hole of yours I’ll bury you in time, Oh I’m getting long in tooth waiting on the truth.’
Other songs look at losing in love, like Dear John Blues, and there is another acoustic blues song Medication For My Heart that communicates a positive spin on how love can work out. Elsewhere we have a song that asks humankind to leave nature as we find it for other to enjoy on Leave Me the Way That You Found Me, and the deceitful dirty work of politics is tackled on Workin’ Out The Kinks. Deceitful behaviour and chameleon shape shifters are taken down on Act the Fool and a cover of JJ Cale’s Devil In Disguise is included to spice things up a little.
There’s A Man is a take on a solitary life of a Vietnam veteran who lives on the margins and the isolation that ensues, while the opposite is the case on I’d Grow Old With You and a promise to stay committed to another through all the ups and downs. It’s a charming album in many ways with superb musicianship from all the players. Definitely an album that will get repeated plays on my personal set list.
Paul McGee