Rising numbers of COVID cases warrant some extra consideration regarding going out. Whether or not you decide it’s best to stay in, now’s a great time to pick up some new records. Our writers have eight new recommendations for you from a broad range of Music City musicians. Add ’em to your streaming queue or get a physical copy from your favorite record store. Or drop them on your wish list for #BandcampFriday, the promotion in which the platform waives its cut of artist fees on the first Friday of the month — the next installment of which is Aug. 6.
Hannah Juanita, Hardliner (self-released)
A honky-tonk woman to her core, Hannah Juanita is a natural performer who you may have seen onstage at intimate spots like American Legion Post 82 or Dee’s. Her new album Hardliner is evocative of late-’70s records from Merle Haggard or The Strangers, with the biting lyricism of Loretta Lynn’s songwriting. It’s straightforward trad country with touches of Western swing and rock — or what one might call perfect dancing music. “Our Love Is Done,” “Grudge to the Grave” and “I’m Gonna Leave You” make her boundaries clear, while “Green Eyes” and “Hard Hearted Woman” see her open up about very personal circumstances. OLIVIA LADD
Mike Hicks, I Am Who We Are (self-released)
You’ve probably heard of Mike Hicks, an outstanding keyboardist — who’s played with blues songsmith Keb’ Mo’ as well as country stars like Little Big Town and Rascal Flatts — who’s also a strong presence in Music City’s R&B scene. Hicks has released relatively little music of his own, but his EP I Am Who We Are will help you get to know him. The songs range from driving funk to lush R&B, and constitute a vibrant celebration of his identity, both as part of a community of Black artists and as a member of a dynamic and loving Black family. Opening track “Who We Are” is a groovy expression of Black pride, while the following four songs examine his relationship with and share his gratitude for individual family members. STEPHEN TRAGESER
Total Wife, Total Wife (Warehouse)
Barely six months after they released their long-in-the-works second album To Make Sound, Total Wife is back with a self-titled full-length. But even with that quick turnaround, the band has been able to create a record saturated with vibrant sonic ideas. They owe a lot to the NME darlings of the ’90s European and U.K. indie scenes. There’s a breathy, velour sensuousness to the vocals that pairs perfectly with the noise-soaked guitars. Meanwhile, lush, beautiful tones appear in juxtaposition with dissonant skronks and screeches, motorik beats and lo-fi electronic squiggles in a collection of songs that you should definitely hear through a quality set of headphones. P.J. KINZER
John McTigue III, It’s About Time (MC3)
Rhythm ace John McTigue has been a reliable and versatile drummer for country acts ranging from Nashville staples like The Cowpokes and Brazilbilly to such touring stars as Carlene Carter, Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris. But his debut solo album It’s About Time may still be a surprise for anyone who’s pegged him as comfortable with just one idiom. The 12-song collection of duets matches McTigue with a host of topflight guitarists, but also offers conceptually intriguing collaborations with the Tosca String Quartet, string master Billy Contreras and steel guitarist Ron Blakely. Co-produced by McTigue and guitarist Kenny Vaughan and cut at Music City’s 7 Deadly Sins studio, It’s About Time will delight the open-minded listener with its rousing journey through a host of American roots styles — performed with taste and flamboyance by a gifted musical corps and superbly anchored by McTigue. RON WYNN
Slump Test, Slump Test (self-released)
I met Slump Test’s Ryan Dishen at a pre-pandemic punk show at Drkmttr and we quickly clicked over being transplanted Californians in our mid-30s who still carry a torch for the skate punk of our youth, à la Bad Religion and NOFX. We reconnected in June, when I saw Dishen crush it as the singing drummer in the Uncle Tupelo tribute band playing an Exit/In benefit at East Park. In between, he’d formed Slump Test with vocalist-guitarist Ben Douglas and recorded (with contributions on bass from Vincenzo de la Rosa and Twon) this eclectic 10-song debut of melodic, uptempo punk rock that draws heavily on the Epitaph Records catalog. The band also boasts audible Dead Moon and Goner Records garage-rock influences — and on standout “Rocky Road to Damascus,” repurposes vintage ska and Clash hijinks to winning effect. CHARLIE ZAILLIAN
Blaine Mason, Natural Instinct (self-released)
Producer-DJ Blaine Mason is one of a handful of techno purists tirelessly propelling Nashville’s small, furtive and insular underground electronic scene. His new EP Natural Instinct offers up four tracks of minimalist techno that run just shy of half an hour, but amped-up tempos ensure these tunes never go long enough to get boring. Layers of polyrhythmic percussion ride atop throbbing subterranean bass lines, while warped chords stab their way into the texture and a few mangled samples offer hints of melody. It’s heady with latent psychedelic appeal. SETH GRAVES
Jim Lauderdale, Hope (Yep Roc)
Three decades into a career that has seen him release more than 30 albums while penning tunes for high-profile country singers like Gary Allan and Lee Ann Womack, singer and songwriter Jim Lauderdale continues to rock — Americana style. An engaging singer whose sliding delivery suggests Leon Russell ordering extra cornbread at the meat-and-three, Lauderdale makes his eclecticism signify on his new full-length Hope. “The Opportunity to Help Somebody Through It” finds Lauderdale and his session cats working through a mild boogie. Meanwhile, “Brave One” gets close to the New Wave-meets-Byrds sound that many Americana artists turn to when they’re in an adventurous mood. It’s the most striking track on a pleasingly optimistic album. EDD HURT
BEZ, The Altered States of America (Leaving for Memphis)
Rapper Brandon Evans, better known as BEZ, came to Nashville from Columbus, Ga., where he shared frontman duties in a funk-punk-hip-hop outfit called Stereomonster. He carries the intense energy needed to hold that group in orbit around him into solo hip-hop records like his new LP The Altered States of America. The jazz-inflected beats — with appearances from Fredrick Weathersby and Stefan Forbus, who organize Monday Night Jazz at The Local Distro — simmer as BEZ lays down searing bars about coming of age in a society rampant with discrimination against Black families and communities. The subject matter is heavy, but BEZ stays light on his feet. STEPHEN TRAGESER
Stream or buy The Altered States of America via this handy link.
