Roots Music Report

For fans of Beirut, Joni Mitchell, Tori Amos, Regina Spektor and Keren Ann. The lush bucolic folk of ‘Season to Season’ is the first single to be taken from Israeli artist Dekel’s third album Starlings (out 25th October) and explores the rebirth that occurs with each passing season. The rich and hypnotic accordion-led sound flows with a subtle melancholy, reflecting the pain of such a necessary metamorphosis. The song is accompanied by a charming, animated video by Qianwen Yu depicting the journey... Read More

Indiana based Singer Songwriter Abbie Thomas to release eagerly awaited second album Sept 27 The candid creative spark behind Abbie Thomas’s second full-length studio album Not Gonna Lie (Sept 27, 2024, self-release) is fueled by a combination of her first major award momentum and a life-altering cancer scare. The result is at once an honest, audible life lesson manual for listeners and, more importantly, a diary created for her young daughter. Reflects Thomas, “I realized that I wanted to be unedited... Read More

FOLK MUSICIANS CATHY FINK, MARCY MARXER, AND  CHAO TIAN ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM, FROM CHINA TO APPALACHIA THE GLOBAL MUSIC PROJECT COMBINES AMERICAN, CHINESE, AND MANY MORE ROOTS MUSIC STYLES From China to Appalachia promises to capture that ineffable and unique musical lightning in a bottle that has resonated with global music fans across the United States and around the world.  GRAMMY® Award winners and multi-instrumentalists Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer have joined creative forces with Chinese hammered dulcimer... Read More

Embark on a musical journey across Africa that celebrates the rich cultural tapestry of the continent with Putumayo's African Celebration! The ten featured artists will take you to Kenya, Cabo Verde, Tanzania, Benin, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire and beyond.  Celebrate, dance and enjoy! African Celebration is the latest release in the Putumayo Discovery series, which seeks to highlight underrepresented musical talents from across the globe. Every month, Putumayo Discovery releases two 10-song digital albums... Read More

Few musical compositions have so successfully tapped into that elusive formula of the enduring human spirit that is the recipe for timeless songwriting with the power to resonate across generations as Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land”. With an unflinching commitment to his particular woke brand of socially conscious folk music — and with an uncanny instinct for optimizing music’s transformative capacity to expose injustice, inspire resistance, and serve as a driver for meaningful social/political change... Read More

Released in mid-2024, It’s Worth It is the second solo album by Delay Tactics guitarist and keyboard player David Udell. It’s Worth It follows 2015’s Orchids as well as Elements Of Surprise, the 2022 reunion album by early 1980s synth-pop instrumentalists Delay Tactics. It’s Worth It features David Udell on electric, acoustic, nylon and slide guitars, piano, synth/keyboards,  bass guitars,  theremin, stylophone, flexitone, trumpet, percussion and toys. It’s Worth It also features a supporting cast,... Read More

Putumayo Discovery is pleased to share two new digital-only albums, Café du Monde out Friday, April 26th and Global  Relaxation scheduled for release on Friday, May 10th.  Sit back, be transported with Café du Monde and enjoy melodic, acoustic songs by rising stars from around the globe. The album features 10 compelling singer-songwriters whose music can be heard in the cafés of Paris, Montreal, Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro, Bogotá and beyond. It is... Read More

STARVISTA MUSIC RELEASES 'COUNTRY LEGENDS LIVE CHART TOPPERS' ON APRIL... Read More

CMH RECORDS (Country. Music. Heritage.) maintains a rich history of classic country and bluegrass albums and is honoring several of these legacy releases by remastering them and making them available in new formats for the first time ever. The latest in this series of releases, Lester Flatt & The Nashville Grass’ Heaven’s Bluegrass Band, is out on CD and digital formats today, March 15. This album, recorded over 30 years into the artist’s career, is the ensemble’s first of... Read More

Putumayo Discovery has announced their newest album, World Love Songs, out on February 9th. The digital-only album features ten romantic songs from around the globe that make every day feel like Valentine's Day. It will be available for download on iTunes and Bandcamp with streaming on all major platforms. The featured songs and artists include: Me Faltas Tú - Clara (USA) Banjaara - Aary (India) Origami... Read More

Ashé Records is proud to announce the release of A Better Way, an album of uncommon beauty and depth written by Portland-based singer/songwriter Anandi and arranged by keyboardist/programmer- and former Gino Vanelli bandleader- Greg Goebel. Goebel’s arrangements surround Anandi’s clear and soulful voice in this collection of meaningful ballads, heartfelt anthems, passionate chants and contemplative soul. Anandi’s well-crafted songs contain a sense of wisdom and poetry rarely encountered in... Read More

Way back in the 90s, a lasting friendship was born out of jazz. Warren Byrd was playing piano at a jam session at a now-defunct jazz bastion in the Hartford CT area, and David Chevan sat in for a tune or two on bass. Recognizing the same spirit of musical open-mindedness in each others’ playing, and both fond of the balancing act of going somewhere that has no tonal center, but snapping right back to being as magnificently tonal as possible, Warren began to play in David’s band, and David occasionally... Read More

Beginning with Tropical Party on January 12th, Putumayo will release two full-length digital-only albums each month. Mediterranean Café will be available on January 26th, World Love Songs on February 9th and Fiesta Latina on February 23rd. Each collection will help listeners discover exciting talents and exceptional music from all over the globe. Tropical Party features 10 festive songs by new discoveries and rising stars from Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, Angola, Haiti and beyond,... Read More

Jimmy Ryan and Ryanetics Music, Ltd. is proud to announce the 2023 release of “Beatboxer”, a two-song single featuring Jimmy’s 11 year old grandson, Declan M. Voigt, a rising talent in the world of beatboxing. The art of beatboxing has been described as “a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808) using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.” American guitar icon Jimmy Ryan, co-founder of instrumental prog-rock band The Flyin’... Read More

The latest track picked for video release on You Tube and the web by Brooklyn rockers Zan Zone, “Holding You Tight” actually features two different video clips. Taken from the 2022 Zan Zone album Start Where You Stand, the song “Holding You Tight” is one of the most profound tracks yet recorded by the long standing Brooklyn New York based rock and pop band. The first Zan Zone album to feature new vocalist Angela Watson, Start Where You Stand features a mix of standout rock tracks, yet for obvious reasons, “Holding... Read More

In 2020, New Age composer Chuck Wild/Liquid Mind® released the highly successful album Liquid Mind XIII: Mindfulness. Released at the start of the global pandemic, the 6-song, 65-minute album release is very much worth hearing. Considered the second most popular album in the Liquid Mind discography, Mindfulness is regarded as a unique sounding masterpiece of instrumental New Age meditation music. Revisiting Mindfulness in 2023, Chuck has taken one of the album’s finest tracks, “The Wisdom Of Kindness” and has created and... Read More

The title track of Carrie Newcomer’s newest album, A Great Wild Mercy, opens with a scene of a woman, holding a blue umbrella above her head. She steps out into the summer rain, looks up, and then closes it, preferring to let the rain wash over her.    “As I watched this woman smile and walk off into the rain, I felt like I’d just experienced a moment filled with longing, hope and even holiness,” says Newcomer. “It’s been a long hot summer for many of us, sheltering in place, then sheltering... Read More

  Acoustic World 5 is the new 5-song album coming out in The Putumayo Discovery digital series. The fifth installation of the Acoustic World EP features singer-songwriters from around the world. Digital EP download includes 5 songs (no CD or album booklet included). Erella – Origami  With a unique blend of French poetry, folk, jazz, and Mediterranean sounds, pianist, and songwriter Erella Atlan draws inspiration from her Franco-Israeli heritage to create truly captivating music. Her musical journey... Read More

CMH RECORDS (County. Music. Heritage.) is honoring several of their legacy releases throughout this year with remastered works now becoming available for digital release and streaming for the first time ever. Today (3/10), the latest of these remastered classics, Joe Maphis’ Flat-Picking Spectacular, is out. The expansive 26-track collection features the “King of... Read More

We all have those slightly disturbing recurring dreams. But how many of us face them head-on upon awakening? The Lady in the Long Dark Coat is the new single by Jersey Shore based Singer/Songwriter Ryan Zimmerman. The song is a rendition of a recurring dream where a shadow-clad maiden visits the dreamer quite often and in distress. The dreamer would like to aid the distraught damsel but so far in this lifetime has yet to accomplish this- though the dream, often disturbing, still brings a strange comfort of familiarity to the... Read More

Putumayo World Music, the internationally recognized record label that showcases music and cultures of the world, is pleased to announce the start of its 30th anniversary year on April 13th. To celebrate, CEO Dan Storper will travel the country visiting radio stations, doing press interviews and co-hosting DJ/promotional events at specialty retailers. Putumayo will be greatly increasing its digital-only offerings this year, with the expansion of its recently launched Putumayo Discovery series and official... Read More

Sarah Bernadette NEW EP - “Sad Poems On My Phone” Sarah Bernadette (vocals) Piano - George Behrakis Bass - Samantha Reiss Drums - Caleb Montague Horns - Miles Keingstein (trumpet), Ben Mizrach (alto sax), Garrett Frees (tenor sax).   Recording engineer - Dan Moffat Mixing + Mastering - Stewart Mitchell Sarah Bernadette is a New Jersey-born singer-songwriter whose music fuses pop, jazz, and R&B influences to create a unique sound. She has her master’s degree from New England Conservatory in... Read More

With her first album since 2015’s Looking Up At The Sky, Yumi Kurosawa takes the iconic Japanese koto with her trio in bold new directions on Metamorphosis (March 24, 2023, ZOHO Records). Yumi renews a 1300-year-old musical tradition, weaving traditional Japanese forms with threads of Afro-Latin, Jazz, Middle Eastern and Western neo-classical forms to create something entirely new. Production by Latin Grammy award winner Kabir Sehgal helped Yumi fulfill the long-held goal that brought her to New York from... Read More

Unite is Ogun Afrobeat’s new album, where the band keeps on expanding its musical horizons without losing touch with the roots of Afrobeat and Nigerian music. In this album Ogun’s music goes East, with Ethiopian and Middle Eastern influences, and West, to America, focusing on the African diaspora in the Caribbean. You can also feel the presence of Afro-American music: jazz, funk, R&B. The result of blending these ingredients is a party where you can't stop dancing. Unite features some very special guests, from Nigerian... Read More

THESE PRECIOUS DAYS is the latest album by New York-based jazz vocalist and radio host MARY FOSTER CONKLIN. The project features mostly women writers in a savory mix of lesser-known jazz and pop tunes, all beautifully rendered by Conklin’s distinctive contralto voice and affective delivery. THESE PRECIOUS DAYS is her fifth album and follows Crazy Eyes (1998), You’d Be Paradise (2001), Blues for Breakfast (2006), and Photographs (2016). Cadence Magazine said, “As someone who values freshness over music that appears... Read More

INTERNATIONAL PERFORMING ARTIST, MOTU TO RELEASE HIS LONG-AWAITED 22ND AMERICANA/BLUES ROCK ALBUM, “THE WATER IS HIGH”-Release Date: May 2, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Multi-discipline singer-songwriter/band leader Dr Richard Michelson (stage name: MOTU which is Music Of The Universe) is best known for his ability to play any string instrument with expertise as well as being a prolific poet and master engineer. Past SEMI-FINALIST WINNER in both the ISC and IBC, the NY-based multiple BEST OF LONG ISLAND WINNER has... Read More

LIBBY YORK is not the kind of jazz singer that needs vocal pyrotechnics to engage an audience. Whether she is singing a ballad or swinging a standard, her deep connection to the lyrics and subtle improvisations on the melody convey an intimacy that makes each song feel like she is telling a story about her own life. On DREAMLAND, York’s newest recording, she once again plies her rich, expressive voice to a set of mostly lesserdone standards that highlight her ability to cut to the emotional core of a song. DREAMLAND was... Read More

“If humankind could live by the principles of voodoo, of community and tolerance and sharing, we could go so far.” So says Erol Josué, singer, dancer, and one of Haiti’s most vital and beloved artists. Josué invokes the spirits known as Iwa to invite healing and tolerance as he explores his country’s uneasy journey – and his own – in his sophomore album, Pèlerinaj (Pilgrimage), available March 24 on Village Hut Records. Produced primarily by New York City-based... Read More

Emmy® Award Winning composed and internationally renowned recording artist Michael Whalen had an idea about creating a group of composers and players to collaborate on Our April Tigers, a new instrumental recording that would defy style or genre. He wanted to use musicians who had careers in soundtrack global ambient alternative and beyond: Bassist Michael Manring, guitarist Michael Brook, trumpeter Jeff Oster and percussionist/remixer Karsh Kale, with Whalen starting the tracks collaborated on seven songs and the... Read More

Plena Libre celebrates 30 years of bringing the iconic sounds of their Puerto Rican homeland to stages worldwide w/the release of new album Cuatro Esquina (Four Corners) and worldwide tour dates Puerto Rico’s multi-Grammy–nominated musical masters, Plena Libre have consistently been enthralling audiences around the globe over the course of their storied 30-year, 16-album career with their original sound — one that infuses the traditional plena and bomba rhythms of  Puerto Rico with a fresh spring mix of... Read More