Don’t Miss Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ & Other New Albums Out Today

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 Beyoncé, The Disco Biscuits, Sheryl Crow, Marco Benevento, The Secret Sisters and Chastity Belt. Read on for more insight into the records we have ready to spin.

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Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter

After becoming the first Black woman to achieve a #1 single on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, Beyoncé today unveiled her long-awaited country album, Cowboy Carter. The sprawling 27-track album, which carries the title Act II, is the second installment in an album trilogy that began with her 2022 album, Act I: Renaissance. Beyoncé spent the past five years working on Cowboy Carter, previewing the album with the singles “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.” She topped Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart with “Texas Hold ‘Em” and earned a second Top 10 entry with “16 Carriages” reaching #9. Cowboy Carter is connected by a made-up Texas radio station hosted by country music legends Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Linda Martell. Parton’s classic “Jolene” appears on the album, alongside covers of Chuck Berry’s “Oh Louisiana” and The Beatles’ “Blackbird” featuring Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Tanner Adell and Tiera Kennedy. Additional guests include Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Willie Jones, Rumi Carter and Shaboozey. Musicians that can be heard on the album are legendary multi-instrumentalist Stevie Wonder, groove master Nile Rodgers, steel guitarist Robert Randolph, banjo player Rhiannon Giddens, multi-instrumentalist Raphael Saadiq, keyboard whiz Jon Batiste, among others. Beyoncé shared some insight into Cowboy Carter, writing:

“This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.

“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.

“I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect. I hope that you can hear my heart and soul, and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound.

“I focused on this album as a continuation of RENAISSANCE… I hope this music is an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start from the beginning and never stop.

“This ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album. This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!

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The Disco Biscuits – Revolution In Motion

Today marks the release of the ninth full-length studio album by The Disco Biscuits, Revolution In Motion. The space opera consists of 14 tracks and was produced by Cloudchord (Derek VanScoten). The album’s rollout strategy involved four parts, each accompanied by comic book-style 3D animated films created by Blunt Action. Work on the album began in August 2021 when the Disco Biscuits guitarist Jon Gutwillig and collaborator Joey Friedman conceptualized the space opera, which they described as “music aliens would love.” Bisco keyboardist Aron Magner was brought into the creative process in early 2022 and over the year the band debuted 14 tracks live soon after they were completed. The Disco Biscuits’ last full-length studio album of original music was 2011’s Otherwise Law Abiding Citizens. The quartet rounded out by bassist Marc Brownstein and drummer Allen Aucoin surprised released their first live album on December 25, 2023.

“The underlying theme is ‘Another Plan of Attack,’” said Jon “Barber” Gutwillig. “Sometimes in life things are going one way when something very unexpected happens and presents an opportunity. You can turn the other way and continue doing what you were before, or you can lean into this opportunity and achieve things you never thought were possible.”

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Sheryl Crow – Evolution

After stating her 2018 album Threads would be her last, singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow changed her stance and today released a new album entitled Evolution. Featuring nine new songs, Evolution is the Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer’s 11th studio album. The record began with Crow writing the title track in response to her skepticism of artificial intelligence. Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello contributed to the song “Evolution.” Originally intended to be a four-song EP, Crow continued to create new songs, which led to working with producer Mike Elizondo on the new album.

“I did not want to produce myself this time,” Crow said. “There’s a point where you get tired of what you do, you recognize your tricks, you despair of them. I didn’t want to deal with the emotional toil that goes into producing, the decisions, the effort, the time, being away from my kids. Mike loved the songs I sent him and wanted to produce. He brought a fresh approach and illustrated the songs in such a cinematic way, he’s so good with that. We did things quickly, the way old records were made, wrote the whole album in a month.”

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Marco Benevento – Barn Burner: Live At Levon’s

Keyboardist Marco Benevento issued a new live album, Barn Burner: Live At Levon’s, today through Royal Potato Family. Benevento and his band, bassist Karina Rykman and drummer Chris Corsico, captured Barn Burner: Live At Levon’s during a two-night run in January at the legendary Levon Helm Studios (The Barn). The intimate venue was founded by The Band’s Levon Helm in Woodstock, New York — the town Benevento calls home. Barn Burner: Live At Levon’s features 13 tracks culled from Benevento’s eight studio albums and also a fitting cover of Bob Dylan and The Band’s “This Wheel’s On Fire” featuring Benevento ’s Joe Russo’s Almost Dead bandmate Scott Metzger on guitar.

“Our shows at Levon’s barn are always among my favorites,” Benevento said. “I can literally walk to the gig from my house, but even more important, the vibes are amazing. The staff, the sound, the intimacy and energy of the audience, and of course, Levon’s spirit burning bright inside those four walls, is like nowhere else in the world. After several years of playing there, it seemed like the right time to multitrack the shows and pick my favorites for official release. We were on fire both nights. Karina and Chris sound so, so good playing these tunes! I think our fans will love having a document of the band at this point in our history.”

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The Secret Sisters – Mind, Man, Medicine

Grammy-nominated duo The Secret Sisters (siblings Lydia Slagle and Laura Rogers) released their new studio album, Mind, Man, Medicine, today through New West Records. Informed by the sisters’ experiences raising young children, the 11-track LP was co-produced by The Secret Sisters and John Paul White and Ben Tanner, who played guitar and keyboards respectively. Mind, Man, Medicine was predominantly captured at Muscle Shoals’ revered FAME Studios. The follow-up to 2020’s Saturn Return features guitarist Larry Campbell and Alabama Shakes bassist Zac Cockrell, as well as drummer Jeremy Gibson, percussionist Ken Lewis, bassist/dulcimer player Parker McAnnally, guitarist/keyboardist Austin Motlow, keyboardist KS Rhoads and FAME’s Studio Orchestra on “I Needed You.” The album also features a guest spot by singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne on the song, “All The Ways.”

“In our previous records there was a feeling that we had something to prove, but now we’re leaning toward a place of peaceful acceptance and trying to stay immersed in the present,” Slagle said.

“There are definitely still moments of frustration and anger on this album, but there’s also a little more light,” Rogers added. “I think a lot of that came from getting older, and from letting go of the pressure we put on ourselves in the past. We finally reached the point of saying, ‘Let’s just write the songs honestly as we can, and trust that they’ll reach whoever they’re meant to reach.’”

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Chastity Belt – Live Laugh Love

Live Laugh Love is the newly released album by Chastity Belt. Issued today by Suicide Squeeze Records, the 11-track Live Laugh Love was recorded by the band over three sessions taking place across three years 2020, 2021 and 2022. The band — guitarists Lydia Lund and Julia Shapiro, bassist Annie Truscott and drummer Gretchen Grimm — once again teamed with engineer Samur Khouja, who also recorded their last album, 2019’s self-titled Chastity Belt. The four bandmates contributed to the songwriting process and at times switched instruments during the recording sessions.

“We’ve been playing music with each other for over a decade,” Shapiro said. “So it really does feel like we’re all fluent in the same language, and a lot of it just happens naturally.”

“We have such a strong sense of each other’s musical inclinations,” Lund added. “I think this allows for a lot of playfulness … we can kinda surprise each other, like a good punchline would.”

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Compiled by Team JamBase.