June Mixtape: Sounds of Early Summer, Pt. 2

A few more new and notable tunes to heat up your summer.

Jun 28, 2024

As the summer rolls on, here’s the second half of what we started last week. This time, we’ve got hot, sweaty juke-joint jams; breezy, reverb-drenched instrumentals and lazy pop/rock swayers; summer soul grooves and deep-feeling acoustic laments. Pull up a beach chair, grab a drink, and settle in…

“Juke Joint” - Cedric Burnside

The Burnsides are North Mississippi blues royalty, and fresh on the heels of his Grammy win for the acclaimed I Be Trying, Cedric Burnside keeps the legacy alive with Hill Country Love. The latest single, “Juke Joint” is self-explanatory. Time to cut a rug and make a fuss…

“Payback Time” - The Fabulous Thunderbirds featuring Billy F. Gibbons

Kim Wilson has kept the Fabulous Thunderbirds going through numerous personnel changes over the years, but the basic template remains the same, as does his inimitable voice and harp playing. New track “Payback Time” features a guest appearance from kindred spirit/living legend Billy F. Gibbons while gearing us up for the T-Birds’ 50th anniversary and their new album (out today), Struck Down, which also features contributions from Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, Elvin Bishop, Keb’ Mo’, and many others—time to boogie.

“A Way Around” - Kim Richey

Kim Richey unleashes this breath of fresh summer air as a part of her magnificent new album, Every New Beginning. Her first new album in four years pairs her with the likes of Aaron Lee Tasjan and Brian Wright and is produced by Doug Lancio, but its all Richey’s show from beginning to end.

“Low Sun” - Hermanos Gutiérrez

A track from Sonido Cósmico, their follow-up to their acclaimed Easy Eye debut, El Bueno Y El Malo, Hermanos Gutiérrez doubles down on the atmosphere while painting sprawling soundscapes with their guitars. Groovy.

‘Heart Burn” - Annie Bosko & Dwight Yoakam

A singer-songwriter and backing vocalist that’s been trying to play the Nashville game for a few years now, Annie Bosko seems to have finally found her home by just going with her gut and belting out some damn good country music. As if to drive that point home, none other than Dwight Yoakam helps her out with his inimitable and timeless swagger on this one, one of the best country songs of the year so far.

“Over and Over” - Shelby Lynne

Shelby Lynne has been teasing her new album, Consequences of the Crown, due August 16, with a new track every couple of weeks or so. “Over and Over” has everything I’ve loved about Lynne since I spun her 45, “I’ll Lie Myself to Sleep”, from her second album, Tough All Over, on the air. That damn voice of hers has been one of the finest in any genre over the last 35 years. And she’s used it to push down boundaries all along the way, including her landmark I Am Shelby Lynne, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

“Sally Can’t Dance” - Bobby Rush

The Power of the Heart: A Tribute to Lou Reed features contributions from a diverse group that you may not have suspected to see on a tribute to the main creative force behind the Velvet Underground: Keith Richards, Rosanne Cash, Rufus Wainwright, etc. Yet none are as surprising as badass octogenarian blues legend Bobby Rush. Musically, Rush adds a juke-joint bounce to the skittering white-boy funk of the original, while adding a bit of extra gravitas to the grit of the lyrics. The result sounds as natural as a Saturday night fish fry. Makes you wonder what he could’ve done with “Kill Your Sons”.

“Gentle Violence” - John Moreland

The older I get and the more the years fall behind me, the less tolerance I have for sad songs. They have to be well-written and say something powerful without pandering or trying too hard to manipulate emotions. Life’s too short to listen to a bunch of contrived downer crap. That said, John Moreland often touches that very narrow sweet spot of saying something with soul while tugging at the heart without insulting the head. He keeps it up with his latest, Visitor, and the quietly powerful “Gentle Violence”.

“Ways to be Wicked” - Margo Price featuring Mike Campbell

Last week we featured a new Mike Campbell song and a new/old Lone Justice track. This week, we’ll close with a song written by Campbell’s old boss, Tom Petty, covered by Lone Justice, and now resurrected by Margo Price on the new tribute album, Petty Country. Oh, and it features Campbell on guitar. Not a bad call back, if I do say so myself.

BONUS TRACK: “Sunshine Getaway” - JD McPherson

I saw JD this past Sunday in Raleigh in the role of bandleader for Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’s all-star band (Jay Bellerose, Viktor Krauss, Dennis Crouch, and Stuart Duncan). It was a mesmerizing performance, but I, like many others, have been waiting patiently for new material from this Oklahoma rock’n’roll firebrand. Thankfully, our first taste of his next album, Night Owls, comes courtesy of this glammed-out T. Rex/Ziggy-era Bowie-inspired rave-up. Welcome back, JD!