Each week Release Day Picks profiles new LPs and EPs Team JamBase will be checking out on release day Friday. This week we highlight new albums by Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Keller Williams, Greta Van Fleet, Elliott Peck and BoomBox. Read on for more insight into the records we have all queued up to spin.
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – Live From The Ryman
The Scoop: Last October, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit played a six-night, sold-out stand at the famed Ryman Auditorium in Isbell’s adopted hometown of Nashville. The singer-songwriter has revisited those shows for his latest release, the aptly titled Live From The Ryman. The 13-track collection is made up mostly of recordings from that run and showcases Isbell’s powerful live performances of tracks from Southeastern, Something More Than Free and last year’s Grammy Award-winning The Nashville Sound.
Keller Williams – Sans
The Scoop: Jam scene fixture Keller Williams went a new route for his 23rd studio album. Sans, which is out today, is his first all-instrumental album. Keller reworked eight songs from his back catalog and also included a new composition entitled “The Cabella Vibe” on the LP. Williams enlisted upright bassist Danton Boller to collaborate on the nine-track effort. “Sans, as in without lyrics, is my first attempt at an instrumental record,” Keller explained. “Acoustic instruments interwoven with technology, brings these rhythmic pieces to life. I’m trying to release something like the music I listen to. I think I got close with this one.”
Greta Van Fleet – Anthem Of The Peaceful Army
The Scoop: The hype machine surrounding Greta Van Fleet has been building for the last few months. The retro-rockers, who have been touted as the latest saviors of rock and roll, teamed with The Rust Brothers (Marlon Young, Al Sutton and Herschel Boone) for their full-length debut Anthem Of The Peaceful Army. The ten-track effort was recorded in Nashville at Blackbird Studios and in their home state at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak, Michigan and features the quartet putting their modern stamp on Led Zeppelin-infused arena rock.
Elliott Peck – Further From The Storm
The Scoop: Midnight North‘s Elliott Peck recorded her debut solo album Further From The Storm with producer Karl Derfler in Oakland. The Michigan-born, Bay Area transplant by way of Chicago, Peck enlisted a variety of players for the record out today on Blue Rose Music. Among the participants were bassist David Hayes, guitarist James DePrato, drummer Kevin Hayes, pedal steel guitarist Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz, keyboardist Patrick Warren and organist Jason Crosby. Guitarist Tim Bluhm and vocalist Vicki Randle also appear on a track. The album includes covers of “Give It Away” by The Trishas and “I Lost It” by Lucinda Williams. “In the past, I’d always recorded with a band that had played live and rehearsed together,” Peck stated. “This album was the first time I’d taken such raw material and developed with new musicians on the fly. It was definitely challenging and it really pushed me as an artist, but it turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had in the studio.”
BoomBox – Western Voodoo
The Scoop: Livetronica act BoomBox underwent a major change to their lineup last year when DJ Harry joined frontman Zion Rock Godchaux. The fifth BoomBox studio album, Western Voodoo, is the first to feature DJ Harry. Godchaux described the 10-track record as, “The most musically diverse album the band has ever released.” The pair explored new sounds while honoring BoomBox’s origins. “There are only a few rules. It should be heavy groove. It should make you want to move,” Zion explained of an album created in a style that he dubbed “Dirty Disco Blues.”
Compiled by Jeffrey Greenblatt, Andy Kahn and Scott Bernstein.
