Release Day Picks: April 15th New Album Highlights

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 Santana, Del McCoury Band, Graham Nash, Sturgill Simpson, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and Jerry Joseph. Read on for more insight into the records we have all queued up to spin.

Santana – Santana IV

The Scoop: Forty-five years after the release of Santana III, guitarist Carlos Santana reunited many of the musicians who performed on the 1971 album to create Santana IV. The 16-track effort finds Carlos joined by Gregg Rolie (keyboards/vocals), Neal Schon (guitar), Mike Carabello (percussion) and Michael Shrieve (drums) from his legendary Woodstock era band as well as more recent collaborators Karl Perazzo (percussion) and Benny Rietveld (bass). Vocalist Ronald Isley guests on two cuts. Carlos first reunited his old mates back in 2013 for a writing session and recorded the LP with its throwback sound throughout 2014 and 2015. Watch a short film documenting the making of Santana IV:

Label: Santana IV Records

Producer: Santana

Number Of Tracks: 16

Running Time: 76:12

Guest Musicians: Santana IV Band and Karl Perazzo (percussion), Benny Rietveld (bass) and Ronald Isley (vocals)

Tracklist:

1. Yambu
2. Shake It
3. Anywhere You Want To Go
4. Fillmore East
5. Love Makes The World Go Round
6. Freedom In Your Mind
7. Choo Choo
8. All Aboard
9. Suenos
10. Caminando
11. Blues Magic
12. Echizo
13. Leave Me Alone
14. You & I
15. Come As You Are
16. Forgiveness

Stream / Download / CD/LP

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The Del McCoury Band – Del & Woody

The Scoop: Del & Woody presents among the most interesting anecdotal chestnuts surrounding an album thus far in 2016, as the project is effectively a postmortem collaboration between Del McCoury and late Woody Guthrie. The project arose when Woody Guthrie’s daughter Nora (Arlo’s sister) approached Del to trove the archive of Woody’s roughly 3,000 lyrics that were never put to song, and use them to create new compositions. Del handpicked lyrical selections that highlight the range of Guthrie’s poetic abilities as the songs are equally as funny as they are touching. Have a look at the video and listen to music for “The New York Trains” below:

Label: McCoury Music, Inc.

Producer: The Del McCoury Band with Nora Guthrie

Number Of Tracks: 12

Running Time: 37:25

Guest Musicians: N/A

Tracklist:

1. The New York Trains
2. Cheap Mike
3. Ain’t a Gonna Do
4. Left in This World Alone
5. Californy Gold
6. Because You Took Me in Out
7. The Government Road
8. Dirty Overalls
9. Family Reunion
10. Wimmin’s Hats
11. Little Fellow
12. Hoecake Fritters

Stream / Download / Autographed CD/ Autographed Vinyl LP

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Graham Nash – This Path Tonight

The Scoop: At age 74, no one would blame Graham Nash for retiring. Instead, the legendary performer went the opposite direction by creating This Path Tonight, his first album of new originals in 14 years. The LP features 10 deeply personal songs produced by Shane Fontayne. Shane also serves as part of Graham’s band for the album which also includes bassist Jennifer Condos, organist Todd Caldwell, pianist Patrick Warren and drummer Jay Bellerose. Watch Nash and Fontayne perform the title track, “This Path Tonight”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o519J4wmNGM

Label: Blue Castle Records

Producer: Shane Fontayne

Number Of Tracks: 10

Guest Musicians: Shane Fontayne, Jennifer Condos, Todd Caldwell, Patrick Warren, Jay Bellerose

Tracklist:

1. This Path Tonight
2. Myself At Last
3. Cracks In The City
4. Beneath The Waves
5. Fire Down Below
6. Another Broken Heart
7. Target
8. Golden Days
9. Back Home
10. Encore

Stream / Download / CD/LP

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Sturgill Simpson – A Sailor’s Guide To Earth

The Scoop: With his 2014 release Metamodern Sounds In Country Music, Sturgill Simpson proved that the genre could be more than songs about pick-up trucks, drinking beers with your bros and this great country. Much like the Outlaw Country movement of the 1970s, Simpson’s critically-acclaimed psychedelic-country record seemed to be a direct “F You'” to the current Nashville sound with its rowdy, honky-tonk style. For his highly-anticipated follow-up, A Sailor’s Guide To Earth, Simpson has crafted song cycle inspired by the birth of his son. This time around the 37-year-old singer-songwriter has fused country music with elements of soul and gospel music, and has even included an almost unrecognizable cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom,” give a listen:

Label: Atlantic Records

Producer: Self-produced

Number Of Tracks: 9

Running Time: 38:54

Guest Musicians: Bobby Emmett (organ), Laur Joamets (guitar), Kevin Black (bass), Miles Miller (drums), Jeff Crow (keyboards), Dave Roe (bass), Dan Dugmore (steel guitar), Dougie Wilkinson (bagpipes), Garo Yellin and Arthur Cook (cello), Jonathan Dinklage and Whitney LaGrange (violin) and special guests The Dap-Kings

Tracklist:

1. Welcome to Earth (Pollywog)
2. Breakers Roar
3. Keep It Between The Lines
4. Sea Stories
5. In Bloom
6. Brace For Impact (Live a Little)
7. All Around You
8. Oh Sarah
9. Call To Arms

Stream / Download / CD/LP

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Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros – PersonA

The Scoop: The 10-piece collective (sans Jade Castrinos who left the group in 2014) steered by frontman Alex Ebert, recorded their fourth full-length studio album in New Orleans “without studio tricks like click tracks, digitally doubling of voices or other manipulations, the 10 tracks are clearly influenced by the jazz-saturated sound of that city.” The follow-up to their self-titled Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros LP marks the first time the full band contributed to songwriting for the new project and most of the songs were tracked with all 10 members in the room recording together. As usual, the ensemble created stunning visuals to go along with the record, as can been seen in the cinematic video for the single “No Love Like Yours” below:

Label: Community Music

Producer: Self-produced

Number Of Tracks: 10

Running Time: 45:10

Guest Musicians: N/A

Tracklist:

1. Hot Coals
2. Uncomfortable
3. Somewhere
4. No Love Like Yours
5. Wake Up The Sun
6. Free Stuff
7. Let It Down
8. Perfect Time
9. Lullaby
10. The Ballad of Yaya

Stream / Download / CD/LP

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Jerry Joseph – By The Time Your Rocket Gets To Mars

The Scoop: Inspired by a recent trip to Afghanistan where he volunteered at an underground co-ed music school as a teacher, guitarist Jerry Joseph penned 10 new songs for his latest solo LP. Under the watchful eyes and ears of the record’s producer, Widespread Panic bassist Dave Schools, the guest-filled set was laid down at Bob Weir’s TRI Studios. Joining his Jackmormons backing group – drummer Steve Drizos, bassist Steven James Wright and guitarist Jeff Crosby – were the likes of Steve Kimock, Mookie Siegel and others. Here’s the single “Cosmic” which Joseph recently played live at JamBase headquarters in San Francisco:

Label: Voodoo Doughnut Recordings/Cosmo Sex School Records

Producer: Dave Schools

Number Of Tracks: 10

Running Time: 68:29

Guest Musicians: Steve Drizos (drums), Steven James Wright (bass) Jeff Crosby (guitar), Steve Kimock (guitar), Mookie Siegel (keyboards), Scott Law (guitar), Jason Crosby (keyboards) and Michael Lewis (vocals).

Tracklist:

1. Cosmic
2. Giraffe
3. A Really Heavy Feather
4. Supernatural
5. Mars
6. Light Of Stones
7. Run To Me
8. One World At A Time
9. Brother#1
10. Fog Of War

Stream / Download / CD/LP

Compiled by Ryan Dembinsky, Jeffrey Greenblatt, Andy Kahn and Scott Bernstein