Don’t Miss New Albums From Widespread Panic, Yonder Mountain String Band, Jamey Johnson & More

Widespread Panic released their second album of 2024, Hailbound Queen, which joins the June release of Snake Oil King. The pair of albums follow the band’s 2015 album Street Dogs. The band’s 14th studio album, Hailbound Queen features covers of Bloodkin’s “Trashy” and Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me In Your Heart” as well as originals “Halloween Face,” “King Baby” and “Blue Carousel.” All five songs have been played live by Widespread Panic.

Yonder Mountain String Band released their 11th studio album, Nowhere Next, through Thirty Tigers. YMSB co-founding members – guitarist Adam Aijala, banjoist Dave Johnston and bassist Ben Kaufmann – co-wrote 10 of the 11 songs on Nowhere Next with longtime member, fiddler/mandolin player Nick Piccininni. Fiddler Coleman Smith, who joined Yonder earlier this year, also contributed to the pending album. Dobro master Jerry Douglas appears on three tracks, “Wasting Time,” “Didn’t Go Wrong” and “Here I Go.”

Midnight Gasoline is the long-awaited new Jamey Johnson album, his first of original material since 2010’s Guitar Song. The first half of the album was produced by The Kent Hardly Playboys (Wayd Battle, Jim “Moose” Brown, Tom Bukovac, T.W. Cargile, Kevin “Swine” Grant, Cowboy Eddie Long, Dave McAfee, James Mitchell and Chris Powell). The latter portion was produced by Dave Cobb, who also produced Guitar Song and its predecessor, 2008’s That Lonesome Song.

The new record is Johnson’s first for Warner Records Nashville and kicks off his Cash Cabin Series of albums recorded at the studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee that was owned by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash and currently operated by their son, John Carter Cash. Johnson described the experience of making the 12-track Midnight Gasoline, dubbed Cash One, stating:

“I’ve always wanted to make an album there. I went in with an album in mind, where we go in and cut and cut and cut. That is when I knew we were off to the races. This is more than an album; this is a series. The main thing is there is a presence there. There is a spirit in the place. Maybe it was born there from Johnny and June, and maybe it was born there from the countless other artists who have come to that studio to record. But there is a spirit there and I love it. It feels like home to me.”

Miles in France – Miles Davis Quintet 1963/64: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8, boasting over four hours of previously unreleased music, was released today via Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings. While the Miles Davis Bootleg Series has documented recordings as early as 1955 and as late as 1985, Miles in France marks the series’ first release from an important period in Miles Davis’ career, 1963-64.

The early 1960s saw Davis assembling the Second Great Quintet, full of players who would become jazz legends in their own right: George Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. The ensemble came to Antibes in July 1963 for the Festival Mondial Du Jazz. All the music Davis and the Second Great Quintet made there is present on The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8. In journalist Marcus J. Moore’s new liner notes for the collection, bassist Ron Carter described his experience performing with Davis:

“I had never played with anyone like that, of course, and certainly not for this extended period of time,” he stated. “It was just stunning to hear him play like this, play with that intensity, play with that tempo, play with that direction night in and night out and not turn it on to the band and say, ‘Stop that.’ He allowed us to do whatever the chemist allowed his proteges in the lab to do. Take these chemicals I’m giving you guys and see what we come up with. Just call the fire department if necessary.”

Electroacoustic composer claire rousay released a new album, The Bloody Lady, consisting of the reimagined score she wrote for the 1980 animated film Krvavá pani (The Bloody Lady) by innovative Slovak animator Viktor Kubal (1923 – 1997). The new score was written and recorded by rousay in her home studio in 2023 after relocating to Los Angeles. The work premiered later that year at the Videodroom / Film Fest Gent in Ghent, Belgium. “The actions surrounding the heart are pivotal in the film, and, along with its heartbeat, they formed the initial pulse of the score’, rousay stated. Additional information about the source material accompanied the album:

“Based on the lurid folk tale of Elisabeth Bathory (1560–1614), the trippy Slovak animated film The Bloody Lady follows the story of a Slovak noblewoman. Accused of murdering hundreds of girls and women. Her murderous motive: hoping to remain eternally young, she allegedly bathed in their blood. The film begins like a classic Disney fairy tale, but it soon takes a dark turn toward tragedy.”

Rapper Ferg makes his RCA Records debut with today’s release of his new album, Darold. The 12-track LP is also the A$AP Mob member’s first under the moniker “Ferg” having previously released music for Top Dawg Entertainment as “A$AP Ferg.” Announced days ago, Darold features several special guests, with features by Mary J. Blige, Denzel Curry, Future, Mike Will Made It, Elmiene, Dapper Dan, Coco Jones, BlkPrl, DD Osama and Soul II Soul & The Alumni Ensemble of Harlem, among others.

Rapper Ab-Soul returns with Soul Burger, his latest album issued by Top Dawg Entertainment. The follow-up to 2022’s HERBERT was confirmed days ago. Ty Dolla $ign, Vince Staples, JID, Lupe Fiasco, Kamm Carson, JasonMartin., Doechii, Fresh, Blxst, Asia Holiday and Punch and the late Doeburger are among the featured guests spanning the 15-track album.