New Releases: Radney Foster, Kristofferson and Cross Canadian

He's smiling for the same reason I am. A new Kristofferson record is nigh upon us.

I typically tend to stay away from posts that seem to be too newsy or read like press releases, but there are some notable tings going on and I want to make sure you folks are aware of them. Along with the onslaught of Drive by Truckers-related albums that have hit the shelves, there are some other pretty great options coming down the pike.

Kris Kristofferson - Man, I’ve been on a bit of a Kristofferson kick ever since I read the great, if not gushing, article from Ethan Hawke on his hero in Rolling Stone a few months ago. Kristofferson’s new album, Closer to the Bone (after clicking this link, to the right of the page, you can check out the title track), is a quiet and soulful extension of 2006′s This Old Road. It seems that Kristofferson’s wise and grizzled vocals, acoustic guitar, and poetry along with producer Don Was’ dreadlocks, are the key elements that really stand out on this disc after the first couple of listens for me.

Cross Canadian Ragweed - I am one of those folks that seem to prefer the earlier work from this band’s catalog over the last couple of albums (not the earliest work though, I never need to hear “Carney Man” again). I will say this for the boys from Oklahoma, even though Garage and Mission California haven’t hit me as hard as Soul Gravy did when it first came out and continues to today, the two last releases were still solid albums that would’ve been many other so-called Red Dirt artists greatest work. Their latest album, Happiness and All the Other Things, is coming out on Sept 1st. You can pre-order the disc on the band’s website.

Radney Foster - Former Nashville hit-making singer turned Nashville hit-making songwriter turned producing guru to many of Texas’ great artists, Radney Foster seems to have it made. He only tours sparingly, thanks to the large checks he gets in the mail from royalties, and he records albums even less often. The new one is a great example of Foster’s ability to mix soul, rock, country and gospel all while still sounding like…Radney Foster. Revival also comes out on Spetember 1st.