New Music Friday: January 24, 2025
John R. Miller, The Castellows feat. Flatland Cavalry, Arthur Hancock, Sierra Hull, 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!
Big Richard - “The Missing Stair”
One of my (and many others’) favorite bands from the 10th iteration of The Moonshiner’s Ball last October was Big Richard, the all-female bluegrass troupe that’s turning the genre on its head. That trailblazing nature continues on their long awaited debut record Girl Dinner, particularly its song “The Missing Stair,” which features group melodies and tasteful picking reminiscent of one of my most beloved Kentucky bands, Mama Said String Band.
Jack Browning - “The Bullfighter”
British songsmith and painter Jack Browning (who will be performing at Laurel Cove Music Festival in June) left me tearing up with this cover of (the Kentucky born) Luke Bell, who tragically lost his life in 2022 from an accidental fentanyl overdose. Browning’s performance of Bell’s most recognizable tune, done raw and stripped back with only his guitar and pedal steel to compliment him, serves as a beautiful and powerful tribute to a fantastic songwriter and even better human that left us far too soon.
The Castellows - “Place They Call Home” (feat. Flatland Cavalry
Neo-traditional sister trio The Castellows partner with West Texas troubadours Flatland Cavalry on “Place They Call Home,” a love letter from our planet’s point of view that looks to remind us all to cherish the ground we walk on just a little bit more. The collaboration is just the latest in a series of singles dropped by the Georgia-raised group, which previously included songs like “Ways To Go” and the Wyatt Flores featured “Sober Sundays.”
Arthur Hancock - “Going Up The Country”
Former Wook and half of the duo Hancock & Shouse, Arthur Hancock, has released a grassified cover of Canned Heat’s 1968 classic “Going Up The Country.” The best cover songs are most often the ones where the performer takes the song and makes it their own rather than sticking closely to the format of its original, and Hancock did more than oblige with his rendition here.
Sierra Hull - “Boom”
Mandolin fiend Sierra Hull (who will be performing at Lexington’s Railbird Festival in June) last week announced A Tip Toe High Wire — her first album since 2020’s 25 Trips — with the project’s debut single, “Boom.” The tune about getting by or getting over missteps and transgressions showcases Hull’s harmonies alongside her prolific picking as it blurs the lines between bluegrass and psychedelia, showing why she’s a force to be reckoned with and will remain so for years to come.
John R. Miller - “Outset Of The Breeze”
Somehow I missed the deluxe re-issue of John R. Miller’s introspective 2023 album a couple weeks back, which included three new songs including “Outset Of The Breeze.” The twangy banger about how people blow into and out of your life is further evidence of Miller’s Prine-esque songwriting style that’s led so many folks in the region holding him up on a pedestal as one of the best songwriter’s to ever come from Appalachia.
Josh Mitcham - “Drive It Like You Stole It”
Written over 20 years ago for the band Floord during his days at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Josh Mitcham dusted off the rollicking “Drive It Like You Stole It” for his latest album, A Few Cries And A Laugh. The song, catchy and easygoing in nature, is a prime example of songs coming back to you when you least expect them and taking on a completely different meaning than their first go around.
Emily Ann Roberts - “Easy Does It”
Emily Ann Roberts sings of a the love for her husband that comes naturally — from doing the dishes to holding hands and not making her question “Where on Earth he stands” — on her latest single, “Easy Does It.” Accompanied by country soul arrangements, the song is a reminder that if loving doesn’t come easy, then it’s probably not worth it.
Them Coulee Boys - “Up Close”
Them Coulee Boys serve up a tongue in cheek tune about making out on “Up Close,” the second single from their forthcoming album No Fun In The Chrysalis, out Feb. 28. Often a band that leans on more subdued instrumentals in favor of focusing on the blood harmonies of brothers Soren and Jens Staff, this song sees the band’s instrumental intensity rising to meet that of their vocals, yielding a moment of true magic in the process.
Hailey Whitters - “Casseroles”
Iowa corn star turned country singer Hailey Whitters returns with her first new music since 2023’s I”m In Love EP with “Casseroles,” a somber tale about the shock and awe of her brother’s surprise passing 13 years ago and how in it’s aftermath friends and family brought to her wave after wave of food to her despite her intense lack of appetite. While the song uses a man named “Joe” in her place, it’s heartfelt and personal nature is a glimmering representation of the best side of country music, one of vulnerability, growth, and unwavering love.