The record Colin Meloy has wanted to make for years: The new project featuring English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Olivia Chaney and The Decemberists draws on traditional English-Irish-Scottish repertoire to create a transatlantic musical conversation honoring the give-and-take relationship between British and American music while pulling from modern psychedelia and folk rock.
Contact: James Rainis
The Nashville native who co-wrote the Billboard Top 10 hit “If the Boot Fits” (Granger Smith) releases his debut EP. Named for the street on which his grandmother, a pioneering Nashville music executive and inspiration to Mitchell, once lived, the adventurous, genre-bending five-track EP flies in the face of the contemporary country formulas and shows off a diverse set of influences from Michael Jackson and John Mayer to the Oak Ridge Boys and R. Kelly.
Contact: Jaclyn D. Carter
The 21-year-old producer’s much-anticipated debut LP is his vision for what pop music should sound like in 2017: Prince-style funk sitting next to trap with Calypso-inflected house intertwined with acoustic balladry. These 13 tracks feature an extraordinarily diverse mix of collaborators, from Damon Albarn and Christine & The Queens to Charli XCX and A$AP Rocky.
Contact: Allen Nguyen
Six classic yet long-unavailable albums spanning the years 1982 to 1990 are being made available digitally for the first time. Nick the Knife, The Abominable Showman, Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit, The Rose of England, Pinker and Prouder Than Previous, and Party Of One represent a crucial bridge from Lowe’s trailblazing ‘70s work to the “remarkable second wind” (New York Times) and widespread critical acclaim of more recent releases. The reissue project also includes vinyl and CD releases.
Contact: Max Lefkowitz
The music series dedicated to reimagining popular works for classical instruments takes on this year’s biggest hits, including international chart-toppers from Ed Sheeran, Lorde and Imagine Dragons.
Contact: Andrea Evenson
This 10-album series collaboration between Amazon Originals and Fat Possum collects historic rarities and previously out-of-print recordings from 10 towering figures of 20th Century Delta blues including Skip James, Furry Lewis and Mississippi John Hurt. One song from each album is streaming now on Amazon Music Unlimited and Prime Music in advance of the full release date.
Contact: Amy Bailey
Multi-instrumentalist Mike Deni takes a candid look at the lifespan of a romantic relationship on his dreamy new EP. Deni juxtaposes diary-like lyrics with hook-driven, blossoming synths and electric cellos, creating pop music both meditative and elevating.
Contact: Spencer Foster
On his joyful and romantic new album, the nine-time GRAMMY-winning trumpeter and composer teams with GRAMMY-winning producer Jochem van der Saag (Andrea Bocelli, Destiny’s Child) to give a euphoric twist to timeless melodies spanning genres and generations, from Django Reinhardt to the Beatles. The album also includes a new Alpert original, the infectiously funky “Sugarfoot.”
Contact: Max Lefkowitz
