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.

Abraham Alexander – “Blood Under the Bridge”

As he gears up for his debut on  April 14, we get another stellar Abraham Alexander song that’s subdued and dramatic at the same time. “This song is a baptism for me. A song about forgiveness and redemption. It’s looking at a broken glass but seeing the beauty in the brokenness. The power of dancing in the fire and coming out purified. This is blood under the bridge,” says Alexander.

Nickel Creek – “Holding Pattern” 

Brainiacs Nickel Creek release their new album Celebrants today, their first original music since 2014’s A Dotted Line. About this track, the band says, “The circular contrapuntal guitar figures are reminiscent of a holding pattern, a term often invoked during the early stages of the pandemic. Here’s to true love keeping us airborne when it isn’t safe to land.” Read a review of Celebrants HERE.

Eric Bibb – “The Ballad of John Howard Griffin”

This song is a jawdropper based on a true story. Eric Bibb says: “John Howard Griffin, a brave white man, wanted to experience how it felt to be a black man in the segregated Jim Crow south. With medication and sunlamp treatments he turned his skin dark, shaved his head and toured America’s southern states as a ‘Negro.’ He published his remarkable book, Black Like Me, in 1961. ‘The Ballad Of John Howard Griffin’ came together quickly after reading the book a second time recently. It’s a tribute to his courageous journey.” – Eric Bibb’s new album Ridin’ is out today. You can read Henry Carrigan’s review HERE.

Robert Earl Keen – “Western Chill”

This is Robert Earl Keen in retirement and I am here for it. Keen said goodbye to the open road last year, but promised he would still be recording and producing. If this laid-back swinging track is any indication, he’s definitely enjoying himself while we reap the benefits.

Izzy Heltai – “All of This Beauty”