The prolific, Grammy Award winner, Jim Lauderdale has delivered another batch of songs that further define him as one of the leading voices of Americana music. With his new album, Hope, Lauderdale has written 13 songs intended to inspire. Instead of pondering the sadness, fear and isolation the pandemic has caused with so many around the world, he has instead focused on the optimism of the human spirit and highlighted that, as we always have, mankind will get through this difficult time. He has done this within a collection of songs that touch on country, rock, boogie rock, bluegrass and Jim's own blend of far out space music.
Four decades after releasing the first openly gay country album, Patrick Haggerty & Friends are back with a fresh batch of songs as poignant as ever. Running the gamut from gut-wrenching ballads to rowdy marxist singalongs, Haggerty uses his knack for sharp storytelling to shine a light on institutionalized racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. The current emergence of fascism and the deep political divisions in American culture are making Lavender Country a critical component of progressive and radical politics. 'Now 74 years old, Haggerty again respects no limits lyrically or musically. Where else can you hear a honky-tonk number about author and activist Clara Fraser, a socialist and radical feminist who died in 1998?' - Country Queer 'The band on the album is both cross-generational, cross-gender, and multi-racial, the kind of Lavender Country community described in the title track of the first album' - Adobe & Teardrops 'The new music blends a striking mix of radical queer and socialist politics, rural aesthetics, and classic country sound. Haggerty examines the risks intimacy, lust, and unconventional values pose to those seeking human connection and purpose in life' - Slate