New Music Friday: January 17, 2025
Magnolia Boulevard, Jason Isbell, Stephen Wilson Jr., Lola Kirke, and more
Welcome back to Wick’s Picks! Below you’ll find my new music picks for the week, which are compiled into a larger, year-long Spotify playlist with all the other songs I’ve highlighted in 2025. As always, thank you for your support, and enjoy!
Melissa Carper, Theo Lawrence - “Thank You, But No Thank You”
I’ve listened to a bunch of fantastic sounding, modern day classic country duets lately from folks like Brit Taylor & Adam Chaffins and Ben Chapman & Meg McRee, but Melissa Carper and Theo Lawrence are giving them all a run for their money. The two Austin, TX based singers are a natural fit together on the newly released “Thank You, But No Thank You” — a ditty about the few things singers can’t do without (from a therapist to the company of birds in the trees) — despite only first singing together in late 2023.
Chatham Rabbits - “Gas Money”
The latest single from the North Carolina husband and wife duo is a catchy folk-pop ode to having nothing more to give people other than simply wishing them well. The song, which was inspired by a letter from a pen pal and fan of the band’s Sarah McCombie, is part of their forthcoming album Be Real With Me, which drops Feb. 14.
JD Clayton - “Dirt Roads Of Red“
In conjunction with the today’s announcement of his new album Blue Sky Sundays, J.D. Clayton also unveiled the rock’n “Dirt Roads Of Red.” The song mixes together everything from his religious roots to his southern upbringing to deliver a cheeky tale about the afterlife and wishing that the streets of gold in heaven more closely resembled the red dirt roads of rural Georgia.
Wyatt Ellis - “Winds Of Rowan County (feat. Peter Rowan)”
East Tennessee mandolin prodigy Wyatt Ellis teams up with bluegrass music legend Peter Rowan for the mesmerizing and trance-like “Winds Of Rowan County.” The song was originally written by Ellis as an instrumental until Rowan came to him one day with lyrics, turning it into a self-proclaimed “instrumental sandwich” of sorts that also serves as a handing of the torch from one of the sub-genres original trailblazers to one of it’s future ones.
Jason Isbell - “Bury Me”
One of early 2025’s worst kept secrets was that new music from Jason Isbell was on the way, which he confirmed earlier this week with the release of “Bury Me.” The song is the lead single from Isbell’s solo acoustic album Foxes In The Snow — his first since separating from wife Amanda Shires — due out March 7.
Lola Kirke - “Hungover Thinkin’”
London (England) born singer/actor Lola Kirke delivers a classic country waltz about alcohol fueled morning after regret on her latest single “Hungover Thinkin’.” The tune serves as a lead in to her upcoming memoir, Wild West Village: Not a Memoir (Unless I Win an Oscar, Die Tragically, or Score a Country #1), out Jan. 28, as well as the first single from her just unveiled album, Trailblazer coming March 21.
Tony Logue - “Cinnamon Blonde”
Western Kentucky’s Tony Logue sings of a lover he can’t get off his mind on “Cinnamon Blonde,” the latest single from his album Dark Horse slated for release on Feb. 21. A mix of country and rock, the song reminds me a lot of Jericho Woods, who’s band leader Josh Mitcham will be joining me on my radio show/podcast later this month on Jan. 29.
Magnolia Boulevard, Of Good Nature - “Runnin’”
Lexington’s Magnolia Boulevard clash with Charlotte, NC’s Of Good Nature on the new collaborative single “Runnin’,” three minutes of pure blues rock bliss that’ll leave you ready to tackle — or run from — whatever life throws at you. The song is the first of many new tunes from the band led by Maggie Noëlle and Ryan Allen in 2025 as they prepare to release their first full-length record later this year.
Mason Via - “There Goes Another One“
Mason Via, runner-up at Floydfest’s On The Rise band competition in 2019 and a former member of GRAMMY Award winning band Old Crow Medicine Show, has been busy working on a new solo record since splitting off on his own last year. The latest preview of that comes today with “There Goes Another One,” a rippin’ and roarin’ outlaw tune about a lone desperado running from the law that is sure to grab your attention and wanting more to listen to from the North Carolina born singer.
Stephen Wilson Jr. - “Calico Creek (Acoustic)“
Last week Southern Indiana’s Stephen Wilson Jr. released a deluxe version of his poignant 2023 album søn of dad. It includes a righteous and raw acoustic version of the song “Calico Creek” which features expert level picking from Wilson that starts off almost sounding like a sitar before shapeshifting for the next six minutes in a show of force I’d only come to expect from folks like Billy Strings or Molly Tuttle.