Hear the Best New Folk Music with Fresh Cuts Friday

Ready for some of the best new music we’ve heard this week? It’s a great list as you’ll see below — and as you’ll hear when you join me for my ‘Fresh Cuts’ radio hour! Listen every Friday at 2 p.m. Eastern, 11 a.m. Pacific via the 24/7 stream on our website, app, or your smart speaker.

Or, just click on the Fresh Cuts stream whenever it’s convenient for you.

In the meantime, check out some of the best new music we’ve been listening to this week.

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Margo Price, “Too Stoned to Cry” (featuring Billy Strings)

Margo Price has released a cover of Nashville-based Andrew Combs’ song featuring Billy Strings. She shares: “It was such a joy to work with Billy on this song. He really nailed the vocals and laid down a beautiful lead. I have wanted to record this song for years now, ever since I heard the writer Andrew Combs sing it.”

Sarah Jarosz, “Wildflowers in the Sky”  

Today, Sarah Jarosz releases a deluxe edition of her 2024 album, Polaroid Lovers, featuring the new song “Wildflowers In The Sky.” Of the song, Sarah says: “I wrote this song with Jon Randall as we were reminiscing about summertime memories in Colorado and how the landscape of the mountains evokes a sense of calm. It can feel like you and your person are the only people for miles, floating above it all. To put it simply, it’s a little Colorado love song.”

Joy Oladokun, “I’d Miss the Birds” 

“I’d Miss The Birds,” appears on Joy Oladokun’s forthcoming album Observations From A Crowded Room (out October 18). Reflecting on the project, Oladokun shares, “This album became a way for me to write things, feel things, process things. Because, as the producer, I just had to sit with these songs for so long. It became really healing in a sense of, ‘I made this. I’m listening to an album that I genuinely love. All the sounds and bits and bobs came from me with the help of just an engineer.’ It was transformative. So, it started out as, ‘I quit,’ and it has ended up as a fresh start.”

Valerie Smith, “What I’ve Got Right Here” 

Valerie Smith recently released the bluegrass bop “What I’ve Got Right Here,” written by the award-winning songwriter Donna Ulisse. Valerie states: “Creating music with Donna Ulisse was a pure honor. Her songwriting and production artistry are truly exceptional, and I was blown away by the musicianship of Jason Carter (fiddle), Cody Kilby (guitar), Jeff Parton (Dobro), Evan Winsor (upright bass), Nate Burie (mandolin), and Jerry Sally and Donna Ulisse (harmony vocals). This studio collaboration has added a new depth to my music.”