Seven Nashville Albums to Look Forward to in 2017

Something more from Jason Isbell

Jason Isbell tells the Scene he’s almost done writing his next record, the follow-up to 2015’s Grammy-winning Something More Than Free.

“There’s a lot of personal stuff,” the singer says of the new tunes, which he plans to cut with longtime producer Dave Cobb early this year. “My wife [Amanda Shires] says some of the songs remind her of Southeastern, but I didn’t try to do that.

“I think I’m getting better [at writing] melodies, which makes me really excited,” the singer continues, hinting that the record might nod to Big Star-style power pop. “It feels like more of a band record to me at this point. Now, I won’t know until I get in the studio with Cobb and see where he goes with it, because I’ve turned a lot of that over to him so I can just think about writing the songs. 

“The way I hear it in my head is a little bit more of a rock ’n’ roll record than the last two have been,” Isbell continues. “It feels a little bit more uptempo and melodic, but there’s still a couple of really, really sad songs — I can’t get away from that.” 

A much-anticipated follow-up from Margo Price

Margo Price isn’t wasting any time cutting the follow-up to 2016’s acclaimed indie-country breakthrough Midwest Farmer’s Daughter. The singer already tracked her sophomore LP in Memphis last month. 

Unlike Daughter, which was recorded at Sun Studio, the new record was made at analog paradise Sam Phillips Recording, with Price and band once again tapping production duo Alex Munoz and Matt Ross-Spang. Back in June, Price told the Scene to expect the songs on the record to get more political. 

“I want to touch on that more,” she said. “With the farming crisis and pesticides and all these things Neil Young talks about but nobody even listens to half the time. … Back in the ’60s and ’70s, people wrote topical songs and it spurred change and all these great things. Now are we so apathetic and drowning in our phones and technology that we don’t even care? But I still will talk about things that are very close and personal to me.”

Expect the record to arrive later this year via Third Man Records. And speaking of Third Man, Price Instagrammed a photo of label head Jack White strumming a Tele with the caption, “Look who came by the studio today,” during the sessions. That’s fun food for thought. 

Bully is heading back in the studio

According to a post last week on the band’s official Instagram page, local (and national) grunge-pop faves Bully have “been workin’ hard on LP2,” the follow-up to 2015’s all-killer-no-filler debut Feels Like.

Chris Stapleton strikes again

After the multiple awards and nearly double-platinum success earned by Chris Stapleton’s 2015 debut Traveller, a fitting title for the follow-up would be Arriver, amirite? So far, details on the record are scarce, but word on the street is that it could arrive as soon as March, with a single arriving as soon as next month. 

All Them Witches tap Cobb

It turns out Dave Cobb ain’t just a music whisperer for country singers. The super producer helmed local Southern gothic stoner-rock luminaries All Them Witches’ third LP, Sleeping Through the War, due next month via New West. 

Loss on the horizon

After a six-year wait, local gloom-metal heroes Loss will finally release their long-awaited Horizonless full-length. The band cut the album at Welcome to 1979 with Neurosis and Pallbearer producer Billy Anderson. If the days ahead prove dark, this should make a nice, fittingly braying soundtrack. 

Lillie Mae Rische steps out

Between 15 years singing in former family band Jypsi and two record cycles playing fiddle and singing background for Jack White, Lillie Mae Rische is a well-known Nashville commodity at this point. But after having released a solo single in 2014, the singer will release her debut solo album (title TBA) this spring. Third Man is putting the record out, and White is producing. 

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