Hear the Best New Folk Music with Fresh Cuts Friday

Discover the Best New Music of the Week!

We’ve pulled together some of the best new music we’ve heard lately — and you can hear it all on Fresh Cuts, my weekly radio hour. Tune in every Friday at 2pm ET / 11am PT on Folk Alley’s 24/7 stream — available on our website, mobile app, or your smart speaker too.

Prefer to listen on your own time? Just click on the Fresh Cuts stream whenever it works for you.

In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at some exciting new music that’s caught our ears this week!

Charley Crockett, “Crucified Son”

Out today, Charley Crockett’s second album of the year, Dollar a Day, features the controversial song “Crucified Son.” Posting on his social media, Crockett says “Some folks have let me know they don’t think my song is in good taste. Most recently I was accused of comparing myself to Jesus. Well I know a lot of people who bare the cross that never learned a thing from the trials of Jesus. Handing out scripture and verse like they wrote it themselves. The first time I ever got sold out it was by my own kin. Then I got in[to] the music business. lol. If they crucified a man like Jesus just imagine what they’ll do to you.”

Kathleen Edwards, “Little Red Ranger”

Included on her upcoming album Billionaire (out 8/22), Kathleen Edwards shares the song “Little Red Ranger.” She says the song is “Part love letter to the Canadian boy who moves to LA to pursue his dreams and his heart, part holding the hand of the mom and dad wondering if their kid will decide to set down roots somewhere far away. Bird in a tree if you look away, you miss the chance to see it fly away. Life unfolds before you in real time, looking back just to see you weren’t paying attention when it was happening. This song pulls at my heart more than most songs on the record, it’s my story, it’s every parent’s story, like the follow-up to “Empty Threat.” Matt Sucich sang on this song before we even recorded it, and his backing vocal just sits so right with mine.”

Mon Rovîa, “Heavy Foot”

“Heavy Foot” is a new single from Liberia-born, Tennessee-based Mon Rovîa. Mon explains, “‘Heavy Foot’ lays bare the scars of a broken system, all under the weight of a heavy-footed government. Yet, through this gravity, it sings of unbreakable unity—reminding us that in the face of oppression, our love and solidarity can defy the forces that try to hold us down.”

Jenna Nicholls, “I Lost My Gal From Memphis”

Vintage jazz fans rejoice! Jenna Nicholls’ upcoming album The Commuter (out 10/10) features the song “I Lost My Gal From Memphis.” Of the album, Jenna says “The songs curated here represent a time of transition: from residing in NYC to a new home in upstate NY, from life in a corporate world to finding my voice in a creative one.”

More this week on FreshCuts!

Del McCoury Band – “So Black and White”
East Nash Grass – “Hill Country Highway”
Grant-Lee Phillips – “Little Men”
Greensky Bluegrass – “Reverend (feat. Billy Strings)”
Hayes Carll – “Progress of Man (Bitcoin & Cattle)”
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – “Little More Too (Demo)”
Oliver the Crow – “If You Knew Me Better”
Tekla Waterfield & Jeff Fielder – “A Million Times”
Tommy Prine – “Standing In The Middle”