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 darn good 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.
Alison Brown – “Sun And Water”
We’re excited to hear about a new Alison Brown record on May 5! It’ll be out on Compass Records, the label she runs alongside her husband, co-producer, and frequent collaborator Garry West. Of the song, Brown shares “[Sun And Water] was inspired by the stories of the NYC hospitals during the early days of the pandemic that played ‘Here Comes The Sun’ as they discharged recovering Covid patients…I discovered that it has a musical kinship with another of my favorite melodies, Jobim’s anthemic ‘Waters of March,’ so I couldn’t resist weaving them together.”
Hanneke Cassel – “Evacuation Day”
Boston-based fiddler Hanneke Cassel is back with a new album! Infinite Brightness is out on April 14. The record features traditional Scottish and Cape Breton tunes and seventeen new pieces composed in the Scottish idiom. The bright and cheerful “Evacuation Day” opens this much anticipated new release from a beloved lady.
Taking a left turn now to a song that sits well with a cozy night in front of your fireplace, Kishi Bashi tones it down with his new single “Winter’s Eve.” You get some serious Jose Gonzalez vibes on this stunning song. The song was inspired by and shares its name with a forthcoming documentary, which follows K during a 2021 trip to the Canadian arctic in partnership with Polar Bears International.
William Prince – “Easier and Harder”
Another homerun from Winnepeg’s William Prince, whose new Dave Cobb-produced album, Stand In the Joy, is out on April 21. Prince says “I wrote this song the morning after John Prine passed away. ‘Easier and Harder’ is about giving love a chance to mature. The lessons we learn when we get past the honeymoon stage.” Five points if you can pick out the Prine reference.
Carolina Chocolate Drops – “Georgie Buck” (previously unreleased, featuring Joe Thompson)
This is a previously unreleased version of a traditional fiddle song recorded by the Carolina Chocolate Drops and their mentor, fiddler Joe Thompson. It’s featured on a new compilation from Craft Recordings, Birthright: A Black Roots Music Compendium. Offering a comprehensive overview of American Black roots music, the 40-track collection spans generations and genres: banjo players and Gullah singers to New Orleans jazz icons and contemporary blues acts, plus everything between.
