Nicki Bluhm Announces New Album ‘Rancho Deluxe,’ Unveils Bluegrass-Tinged ‘Cumberland Banks’ Single

Nicki Bluhm will release her eighth studio album, Rancho Deluxe, on October 3. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter previewed the 10-song set by sharing its lead single, “Cumberland Banks.”

The San Francisco native laid down her first original LP since 2022’s Avondale Drive with co-writer, producer and partner Jesse Noah Wilson at the Nashville home studio that gives Rancho Deluxe its name. Bluhm and Wilson recorded the forthcoming album as live takes over just five days, joined by multi-instrumentalist Kai Welch (Kacey Musgraves), keyboardist/vocalist Jess Nolan (Jenny Lewis) and bassist/guitarist Cameron Neal (Elle King, Shakey Graves).

“This is a harvest record,” explained Bluhm. “It’s a collection of the fruits of my labor. I’ve taken all these life lessons and experiences, and I’ve learned from them. Jesse and I have an amazing arsenal of friends and family that we recruited to play on the record, and that interplay lends itself to a freedom in the studio. We were focused on catching the moment, being in the room together, and experiencing something communally.”

After first making her mark as the leader of Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers, Bluhm has put out a series of solo albums and was a frequent musical friend of late Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh over the past five years. Nicki continues to forge a singular path and embrace her independence on Rancho Deluxe. “I’m growing, I’m reflecting, and I’m recalibrating,” she added. “I’m forging ahead in a new way, but doing it on my own terms this time.”

Nicki Bluhm was inspired by her touring with The Infamous Stringdusters on “Cumberland Banks.” Her band for the single was augmented by Greensky Bluegrass' Anders Beck on dobro and Mumford & Sons' Matt Menefee on banjo.

“Canoeing down the Cumberland River was a favorite pastime of ours, until the day we found ourselves huddled under a bridge fearing for our lives in the midst of a Tennessee thunderstorm. This song is that story told in the form of a late-night summertime John Hartford and Roger Miller pick-along,” Bluhm noted about “Cumberland Banks.”

Stream Nicki Bluhm’s “Cumberland Banks” below:

Rancho Deluxe Tracklist

1. Bay Laurel Leaves
2. Tumbleweed
3. Falling Out Of Dreams
4. Keep On Growing
5. Cumberland Banks
6. Change The Channel
7. Simple Side Of Me
8. Trying To Survive
9. Taking Chances
10. Long Time To Make Old Friends