Hey, another small round up post of songs that I love. This one was inspired by the brand new amazing Micah Schnabel single and contains powerful socially aware songs.

Micah Schnabel from Columbus, Ohio is a long time favorite and I’m a big fan of both his solo work and the Two Cow Garage catalogue (Oh and his novel Hello, My Name Is Henry is also really good). I love the fact that he is often fighting for what is right with his songs and the powerful new single is a perfect example of this. New Shoes is the first single from his forthcoming album The Teenage Years Of The 21st Century. While waiting for that album to make me a better person, I will keep on watching this lovely video starring Vanessa Jean Speckman.

Micah Schnabel at Facebook

Carrying on to Tulsa, OK for the new M.Lockwoord Porter album Communion in the Ashes that is coming out next week on the 29th of March on Black Mesa Records. This one is going to be a powerful americana / rock album that forces the listeners to think and hopefully inspires and encourages them to start working towards a brighter future. There is still time and that time is right now. Here’s the music video for the first single The Dream Is Dead and below that the latest outtake and title track Communion in the Ashes.

M. Lockwood Porter Website

Next up is a song from the tremendous album Capitalist Blues by Leyla McCalla. She is a songwriter from New Orleans, LA and this important album came out on the 25th of January on Jazz Village. Here’s the gorgeous music video for the song Money Is King. Hungry Hungry Hippos meets with capitalist greed.

Leyla McCalla Website

Moving on to Bloomington, Indiana for the brand new Durand Jones & The Indications album American Love Call that was co-released by Dead Oceans & Colemine Records on the 1st of March. A definite must for every soul music fan and well for every fan of good music. Durand Jones and Aaron Frazer are both so amazing and have a perfect chemistry. This is the album opener Morning In America that paints a dark, but painfully true picture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SANEafqL5io

Durand Jones & the Indications Website

Last stop this time around is Amsterdam, Netherlands and I will wrap up this little blog entry with a slightly older song that I’ve posted before. Due to reasons that a) I love this song Ballad of the Quiet Citizen by VanWyck and b) I wanted to end this little blog entry to the words but love speaks louder still.

VanWyck Website

Hey there dear reader. The blog is still alive, maybe only barely, but here’s another short round-up posts of albums and songs I’ve loved during the first few months of the years. If there’s a theme here, maybe these songs all have various degrees of soul inside them.

Kicking off with a song from the UK country soul queen Yola Carter. Her new album Walk Through Fire came out on the 22nd of February on Easy Eye Sound and has been really well received all over. And rightfully so, because the album is tremendous. Beautiful vintage country soul and the soft power of her outstanding vocal delivery. Absolutely sublime. This is Ride Out In The Country from the new Dan Auerbach-produced album.

Yola Website

Next up is Caleb Elliott from Louisiana and his debut album Forever To Fade. If you follow the weekly playlist, you’ve already heard five of these songs. So I kinda like this record that came out on the 8th of March on Single Lock Records. Caleb Elliott is a cellist who has played with Nicole Atkins, Dylan LeBlanc and the likes, but Forever to Fade proves that he is also an excellent songwriter. It’s a really refreshing listen for me too, because I’m often a bit too stuck in the same americana listening habits. Sure, even this might rise partly from the same place, but this carries on to alternative horizons with the soulful strings, orchestral vibes and the groove. A very impressive debut album. Caleb Elliot is touring in Europe next month supporting Nicole Atkins, so don’t miss if they are playing somewhere near you. This is Makes Me Wonder from the new album.

Caleb Elliott Website

Moving on to San Francisco bay to gently sway in the arms of a new Daniel Steinbock album. Out of Blue came out on the 15th of February. It’s a really good album that ranges from acoustic down-to-earth folk songs to beautiful gospel-soul. I’ve been especially fond of this sweet song called Good News. Might not be the best song to represent the whole record, but it’s my personal favorite and felt it also fits so well among this group of songs.

Daniel Steinbock Website

And last but definitely not least. A song from the new The Delines album The Imperial. This slow burner is in fact my favorite album of the year so far and it’s sort of criminal that I haven’t written about it. Mostly for reasons that a) preaching to the choir kind of thing, I’m sure most of the readers of this blog already know them b) I can’t make justice to this amazing country soul album. Willy Vlautin’s masterful storytelling delivered into the listeners heart with Amy Boone’s beautiful voice. A remarkable album that would easily get five hearts, if I still wrote reviews. The Imperial came out El Cortez / Decor Records on the 11th of January. This is Holly The Hustle from the album.

The Delines Website

Another quick round-up post of songs/releases that I love. Starting with my current favorite album Weather Beaten by Katie Spencer. She is a folk singer-songwriter from Hull, UK and this magnificent debut full-length came out on the 1st of March. This album is such a beautiful folk treasure. It’s so easy to get lost in her magnificent guitar playing and well-crafted poetic songs. This is also a very refreshing and different listen for someone like yours truly who spends most of his days in the arms of americana. Here’s the brilliant title track, but you really need to hear the whole album. Extremely highly recommended.

Katie Spencer Website

Another big new find for me has been the music of Clara Baker. Her album Things To Burn will be released on the 8th of March. The first two outtakes Doubt and title track Things To Burn have been outstanding and therefore this is shaping up to be something really exciting. She is an excellent songwriter and additional plus is that this was produced by Shane Leonard who usually has the ability to make a set of songs shine as brightly as they possible can. The real shining star here is still of course Clara Baker and the powerful songs she has written. This is the excellent first single Doubt.

Clara Baker Website

Let’s wrap tonight’s little blog entry with a song from the amazing new Tiny Ruins album Olympic Girls. I’m not sure does Tiny Ruins from New Zealand and the songwriter Hollie Fullbrook need an introduction, because at least in the blissful bubble that I live in, they are world famous and everyone loves them. Maybe that’s not in fact completely true, but please don’t destroy this dreamworld. I like it here. Olympic Girls came out on Marathon on the 1st of February. I love the whole album, but if I have to choose one song, I think my personal favorite has to be School of Design.

Tiny Ruins Website