Editor's Note: Emily Nenni, whose new LP Movin' Shoes came out May 1 via New West, is No Depression's Spotlight Artist for May 2026. Check out the feature profile about her here and stay tuned for more from Nenni the rest of the month.

Living in San Jose, California through the '90s, life was good. We had two CD cabinets full of something for my mother and father, sisters and their friends, and myself. Including the soundtrack to That Thing You Do! and my mom’s favorite, Salt n Pepa’s Very Necessary. Thanks to my parents, sisters, and the radio, I had an early appreciation for music of every genre.

My father worked in radio under the moniker of “Ex-Con Ron” from the '70s until he retired last year. My mother, an educator, was just as passionate about music as he was. Not sure why I’m using past tense here, as parents are healthy, married, and still in love with music now as they ever were. I believe my parents initially bonded over rock 'n' roll, but have been avid listeners of jazz, funk, hip-hop, R&B, country, and classical music. My two older sisters were super fans of artists of the time like No Doubt and Hanson. As we grew older, I joined in on their listening and dance parties consisting of Prince, David Bowie, and ABBA. I grew up in this nurturing environment of music fanatics to the point where I decided to make my own. 

When I began to write songs in my bedroom behind closed doors, I was a year into lessons, with a limited skill on guitar. Much to a patient and kind teacher’s dismay, I could only play songs by ear and one-handedly on the piano. Thankfully, the songs I aimed to imitate in my teens were girl groups of the 1960s-70s, as well as Hank Williams Sr.’s personal, to the point lyricism and catchy hooks: It was three chords and the truth. I enjoyed the way girl groups displayed joy and pain through sing-along melodies and intelligent arrangements. I believe that’s what inspired my attempt to take the truth that country music manages with such simplicity one step further. 

May was one of the most intense months for new music that we've seen quite literally in years. Usually, No Depression clocks between 40-50 releases that fall under the wide umbrella of roots music. May 2026, however, saw 70! We did our best to cover as many stellar releases as possible here at nodepression.org, and you'll find a selection from each in the playlist below.

In particular, May saw the return of a number of heavy-hitters in roots music. No Depression launched its Criticism Fellowship at the beginning of the month to coincide with with country-pop star Kacey Musgraves' seventh LP, Middle of Nowhere. Blues living legend Taj Mahal has now released more than 60 albums in more than 80 years and sat down with No Depression to chat about his latest, Time. And in an unexpected twist, banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck teamed up with one of the most impressive sopranos in American operatic history, Renée Fleming for a mesmerizing debut of duets.

Of course, No Depression is also committed to highlighting the best of what's next in roots music. Check out Spotlight artist Emily Nenni, Brooklyn jazz and blues artist Dida Pelled, and New Mexico-based cross-cultural roots band Lone Piñon.

All these artists and more are included in the Spotify playlist below (we're also on Deezer while continuing to explore other streaming options). Become a member to the new No Depression to read about these musicians and discover others.

For the last seven years or so, No Depression has been honored to share a metaphorical roof with Folk Alley. In 2019, the FreshGrass Foundation (No Depression's nonprofit publisher), brought Folk Alley into the fold, helping keep the 24-hour streaming radio service playing when its previous radio host underwent structural changes. Executive Director/Producer Linda Fahey has been an absolute force, running Folk Alley — sometimes single-handedly! — for more than 21 years and keeping the love of diverse folk music alive and self-sustaining. Please join all of us at No Depression in wishing her all the best in her next adventures.

Incoming into that role at Folk Alley comes Sarah LaDuke. For the last two decades, she has served as a producer and host at WAMC Northeast Public Radio, an NPR-affiliate station in Albany, New York. If you need highly-curated, uninterrupted folk music in your life, be sure to visit folkalley.com and become a sustaining member today.

Over in Nashville at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), Executive Director Ken White has resigned, effective immediately. According to Bluegrass Today, Paul Schiminger (a former IBMA Director) will reprise his duties in an interim capacity, in order to ensure a smooth transition for the organization's next full-time leader.

Blues hero Keb' Mo' announced a new record, The Breakdown, due out August 21 via Concord Records. Comprised of 10 songs recorded with just his guitar and voice, The Breakdown is one his starkest albums, yet. It also arrives in the wake of open heart surgery, a divorce after 20 years, and personal and social upheaval. Lead single "Fussing and Fighting" is available now:

Country artist Wyatt Flores dropped a new single today titled, "Half The Man." The song comes from his forthcoming album, Scared of Heights, due out July 31 via Island Records/MCA. Read more about Flores in the Fall 2024 issue of No Depression, still available in print here and available in the now-complete No Depression digital archives here.

Semi-itinerant blues musician Seasick Steve announced a new record titled The Last Season of America, due out September 18 via his new label Eastcote Recordings. The album comprises protest songs and reflections of the current state of the country, with the contemplative title track available now.

Brooklyn-based English singer-songwriter Fenne Lily announced her fourth record, Win Win, due out  October 23 via Nettwerk. Lead single "Uh Huh" is available now.

Vandoliers have surprise-released a new EP titled Afterglow, out now via Break Maiden Records/Thirty Tigers. Comprised of five songs — including the recently release single "Girl on the Run" — and others recorded during the Life Behind Bars (ND feature) sessions, singer Jenni Rose said in a press release that it "close[s] this chapter of Vandoliers, like the afterglow of the last 3 years in the band. ... This EP is a bridge between what was and what happens next with Vandoliers." Listen to fan-favorite "Together We Will Sink or Swim" here:

The Nude Party's drummer Austin Brose was in a horrific bike accident earlier this week and a GoFundMe has been set up to help with medical costs. The band shared the following on its social media:

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The band is known for its high-energy shows; here's hoping Brose is able to return to those party-rocking gigs soon. Read more about The Nude Party the Spring 2020 "Live and In Person" issue of No Depression, sold out in print, but available in the archives.

Harpist Calvin Arsenia announced on social media that he intends to buy the Greenwood Social Hall in Kansas City, Missouri. However, he has just been made aware of a $55,000 gap in closing costs and is reaching out to the public to help with those costs in order to save the venue. Learn more in his Instagram carousel below and check out his cover of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now."

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Pianist, songwriter, and activist Ben Folds has shared a three-page open letter raising awareness about the state of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Washington DC. He served as the Artistic Advisor to the NSO for nearly a decade before resigning in the wake of Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center. Read it and take action below:

WHAT WE'RE LISTENING TO

Evan Honer - "say anything"

Ruthie Foster - "Thank You" (from her forthcoming album Just Say Yes, out August 28 via Sun Records)

Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, and Dizzy Gillespie - Sonny Side Up
Marley Hale - "The Ballad of Spider John" (cover of Willis Alan Ramsey)

Johnny Bell - Mountain States

NEW RELEASES - 6/5/26

Zoh Amba - Eyes Full
Caleb Caudle - Heavy Thrill
Deer Tick - Coin-O-Matic
Iris DeMent - The Way I Should (30th Anniversary Reissue)
Sierra Ferrell - Live at Third Man Records
Futurebirds - Far Out Country
Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra - Night Blooms
Gina Leslie - I Love You Always No Matter What Happens
Charlie Marie - Signs
John R. Miller - The Great Unknowing (physical release)
Old Crow Medicine Show - Union Made
Red Clay Strays - Grateful
Bella White - A Sign In The Weather

COMING SOON - 6/12/26

Alex Amen - Sun of Amen
Bandits on the Run - Rough Magic
Duane Betts - Isle of Hope
Breakfield - Breakfield
Mike Campbell/The Dirty Knobs - Mission of Mercy
Courtney Hartman - With You From the Garden Shed
Samantha Fish - Paper Doll Live
Fruit Bats - The Landfill
ISMAY - Half Truth
Jess Klein - Dreaming Aloud
Kyle LaLone - Make My Own Way
Ike Reilly Featuring Shane Reilly - Blind and Surrounded
Pharis & Jason Romero - These Are The Days That Turn In To Years
Mike Richmond - Without an Audience
Jon Spencer - Songs of Personal Loss and Protest
Jesse Welles - Masks Off
The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow - Kept Rising

Canadian songwriter Cat Clyde shared two songs from her fourth full-length album Mud Blood Bone with us on her "day off" between shows at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn, and Club Passim in Cambridge.

Between songs, Clyde discussed the album's creation, including her collaboration with producer Drew Vandenberg, friend and fellow songwriter Liam Duncan of Boy Golden, and a co-write with Courtney Marie Andrews on the track "Press Down."

Setlist:
"Night Eyes"
"Wanna Ride"

A voice like Charlie Marie’s doesn’t come along too often, but when people were floored by it in 2021 upon release of her phenomenal, hard-won debut Ramble On, she wasn’t prepared for the reverberations. As her golden-throated country songs were finally catching on, her personal life was falling apart. So, she did what any artist does in moments like this: she ran. But as it happens, when you run away, you’re running toward something, too, and in this case, it was her anticipated follow-up, Signs, independently releasing this Friday.

Those earworm hooks and impressive vocal runs to rival Linda Ronstadt’s are just as present as they were in her last batch, but there’s a newfound swagger and ease in them this time around. Chronicling a road of self-discovery she followed all the way from her hometown of Rhode Island to Alaska and back again, Signs is a statement record from an artist with two feet now firmly planted on the ground.

EDITOR’S NOTE: No Depression’s new “Top 5” series features a quick playlist in which roots musicians share what they’re listening to at the moment. It gives artists the chance to highlight their contemporaries, as well as classic songs getting them through the days. This installment comes from beloved Rhode Island roots-rock band Deer Tick, whose new album, Coin-O-Matic is due out June 5 via ATO.

Deer Tick has always repped its home state well. Founded by singer/guitarist John McCauleyin 2004 in Providence, the band grew to include guitarist/singer Ian O’Neil, drummer/singer Dennis Ryan, and bassist Christopher Ryan by the time of their 2007 debut, War Elephant. In the 2010s, they became staples at the Newport Folk Festival, playing the official three-day-weekend event multiple times (including on Friday this year), as well as organizing unofficial afterparties across downtown Newport with all their musical friends .

The band's ninth studio album, Coin-O-Matic, digs deep into Rhode Island lore — true, exaggerated, and fictionalized. Across its 11 tracks, Coin-O-Matic unearths mob histories with its album title, excavates Irish-Catholic immigrant guilt on songs like “Mary Singletary” and protest on the closing “Candy Cigarettes,” and offers multiple perspectives on crimes and criminals on “Exit Door” and single "ACI" (which stands for Adult Correctional Institutions). Still, Deer Tick channels Bruce Springsteen's 1980s' version of Americana throughout Coin-O-Matic — propulsive, contemplative, and straight to the heart.

Funnily enough, for a band that has basically perfected the three-and-a-half minute rollicking rock song, almost all of the band's picks for this Top 5 stretch longer than six minutes. Check out what Deer Tick is listening to right now.

In 1970, Linda Martell, the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry, released her album Color Me Country. “Color Him Father,” the first single from the album, hit number twenty-two on the Billboard country charts. Over fifty years later, Beyoncé was the first Black person to win the Grammy for Best Country Album. Now, in an entertaining and revealing book, Color Me Country: A Celebration of Black Women Who Shaped Country Music (Candlewick Studio/Candlewick Press), editors Kelly McCartney and Rissi Palmer, with illustrations by Rhiannon Giddens, offers an inspiring tribute to the enduring lives and music of Black and brown female country artists.

Palmer writes in her foreword to the book that Martell’s story moved her to launch her radio show Color Me Country in August 2020 to “shine a light on artists of color in country, Americana, and roots music and to challenge listeners to reconsider their perceptions and stereotypes surrounding people of color in the country music landscape.” Palmer and radio host and journalist McCartney (founder of the Rainey Day Fund, which supports roots artists with marginalized identities) established the nonprofit Color Me Country Artist Grant Fund in 2020 to “help support emerging artists of color.” In 2023, Giddens suggested the ideas for this book, and Palmer and McCartney asked several journalists and writers to produce short biographies of artists ranging from Martell and Sister Rosetta Tharpe to Tina Turner and Mickey Guyton.

Broken hearts and uncomfortable truths tell the story in Bella White’s unsettling A Sign in the Weather. The powerful third album from the Calgary-bred, New Orleans-based singer examines fatally-flawed relationships with brutal honesty, taking no prisoners. Rejecting sunny outcomes, her unsparing insights ensure memorable listening.

Co-producing with Ross Farbe (Esther Rose) and writing all the songs, White pivots from the polished, bluegrass-tinged country of 2023’s Among Other Things to embrace a rawer acoustic sound that lets her aching voice do the heavy lifting, with electrifying results. The album features some fine players, including Nikolai Shveitser (pedal steel) and Patrick M’Gonigle (fiddle), but they mostly hang back, occasionally adding lovely fills.

Rare is the bar that hasn’t had at least one heated debate about who is the best member of The Beatles. The opinion changes person to person, day to day. While this conversation is warranted and entertaining, it’s probably time to look to the future: Futurebirds, specifically. The Athens, Georgia-born, three-headed frontman monster celebrates the roots of American music while weaving in contemporary sonic exploration, which serves as the active chapter in real, rollicking country rock, written, played, and sung by real, rollicking songwriters — Daniel “Womz” Womack, Carter King, and Thomas “Tojo” Johnson.

Always a band to challenge where they’re headed while keeping an eye loosely on the rearview, Futurebirds are back with their latest album, Far Out Country. The ambitious double album chronicles the ongoing dialogue of a group of pals who met at the University of Georgia, growing from hometown heroes with little responsibility into fathers and family men navigating the tension between the road that made them and the home that is calling them back.

With his seventh album, Caleb Caudle tackles such themes as ageing, feeling like a misfit, and navigating the ups and downs we all endure. His first self-produced project, Heavy Thrill occasionally lacks the depth and mystery that a more strategic use of studio options might render. That said, his drier and restrained production puts the focus on his voice and pop-inflected melodies, spotlighting his gifts as a singer and a songwriter.

“Path of Desire” introduces us to Caudle’s brighter sound, his vocal trebly, clear, largely free of the reverb and echo of his previous projects. Wurlitzer-esque accents are well-timed, enhancing the upbeat vibe. “Slow Growth,” too, captures Caudle at his most natural or transparent (and least atmospheric), as he questions whether he’s fulfilling his partner’s expectations (“What’s wrong / am I growing too slow?”).

Of all the vinyl updates this column has done, this is the one I am most excited about. The reissues featured below come from legends in virtually every music genre that ND covers: Uncle Tupelo (alt country); Tony Rice (bluegrass); Robert Johnson and BB King (blues); Jimmy Scott (jazz); The Beach Boys (popular); and The J. Geils Band (blues rock).

As noted in previous columns, my purpose is to expose roots music fans to audiophile recordings and audiophiles to roots music. Even if  you are not a vinyl fan, these new reissues, remastered from the original tapes, are significant because many of them will also be available on CD and streaming. In other words, these recordings, most of which have been unavailable for decades, have never sounded better.

Unless otherwise noted all titles are currently available.  

One of the most astounding, moving collaborations in 2026 traverses the unexpected path between Europe's finest opera halls and America's deepest hollers. Star soprano and actress Renée Fleming and banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck teamed up to release The Fiddle and The Drum, which came out May 29 via Thirty Tigers.

The 10-song album honors some of the most influential musical works in the United States' 250-year-long history. These include canonic old-time tunes like "The Storms Are on the Ocean" by The Carter Family and "In The Pines," made famous by Lead Belly, as well as contemporary classics like the title track by Joni Mitchell and "The Scarlet Tide," written by T Bone Burnett and Elvis Costello for Alison Krauss for the 2003 film Cold Mountain. Likewise, the record includes an impressive range of special guests to help convey the depth and breath of this history: Dolly Parton lends her inimitable voice to "In The Pines." Jerry Douglas plays dobro on "The Fiddle and The Drum" and "The Cuckoo." And Sierra Hull and Sarah Jarosz complete the perfect trio with Fleming in an a cappella version of Hazel and Alice's "Pretty Bird" to close out the record. Other guests include guitarist and songwriter Vince Gill, vocalist and guitarist Aoife O’Donovan, and Fleck on producer duties, as well.

In advance of The Fiddle and The Drum, No Depression checked in with Fleming and Fleck together to chat about the record, its making, and its symbolism. Like other pieces in No Depression’s In The Deep End series, questions start easier then get progressively…deeper. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Ella Langley’s erstwhile lover may be choosing Texas, but LGBTQIA+ Texans are leaving in droves. There is a slow-moving migration of trans people away from the South – and even from this country. Against this context, it feels like many LGBTQIA+ folks are casting a leery eye on Pride next month: striking the right balance between celebration and resistance is nothing new for LGBTQIA+ people, but the collective exhaustion, disappointment with “allies,” and miasma of fear is a bit of a damper.

There’s been plenty of music and catch phrases to define the movement as it sashays into the 21^st century – unfortunately, they tend to be cis-het people: “Born This Way” (Lady Gaga) is a bop, sure, and the banners proclaiming that “Love is love” (Lin-Manuel Miranda) do not acknowledge the material conditions that are not guaranteed to LGBTQIA+ people: healthcare, employment opportunities, housing equality, reproductive freedom, county clerks who won’t spit on us when we try to get our marriage licenses signed. We need bold declarations that for us – by us.

As we lumber towards America’s 250^th anniversary, queer country artists are doing their part to illustrate how America’s promise can uplift us – and where the words of the Founders have fallen far short of reality.

Adam Mac strikes a delicious balance of pop country jubilation with sassy finger-wagging on “Hate To See Me Coming.” It’s the kind of song that might be obnoxious and swaggering in the hands of a trucker-hatted bro: a fuck-the-haters bravado that rests on the knife’s edge of Mac’s easy winking charm. The big hooks here give Mac the platform to fling stilettos (heels or knives – your choice of metaphor) at homophobes. Like any good country song, Mac invites us to make his struggle ours – so we can be defiant together.

EDITOR’S NOTE: No Depression’s new “Top 5” series features a quick playlist in which roots musicians share what they’re listening to at the moment. It gives artists the chance to highlight their contemporaries, as well as classic songs getting them through the days. This installment comes from up-and-coming jazz and blues artist Dida Pelled, whose new album, I Wish You Would was released May 1 via La Reserve Records.

Dida Pelled may be a newcomer to this corner of roots music, but her fifth LP, I Wish You Would, plays well with others. A fixture in New York City's jazz scene, she hosts and produces “The Dida Show” on Radio Free Brooklyn, featuring artists like Cécile McLorin Salvant, Rachael Price (Lake Street Dive, Rachael & Vilray), Cassandra Jenkins, and more.

I Wish You Would boldly embraces the blues of jazz in the style of Nina Simone Sings the Blues. Pelled imbues these nine classic songs and deep cuts with elements of her own heritage (with Iraqi, Thai, and Polish roots) and the musical history of New York City, delivering them through a sultry, queer lens. While some songs like "Hesitation Blues" and "Sittin' On Top Of The World" are quite well-known, thanks to performances by Willie Nelson, Janis Joplin, Jerry Garcia, Taj Mahal, Eric Clapton, and more, Pelled also explores the breadth of the blues, bringing to life songs by jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams and obscure vocalist Gladys Shelley.

Pelled took this same kind of deep-dive approach to music when asked to tell No Depression what her top five songs are right now. She cites the masters, of course, like Dinah Washington and Nina Simone, as well as what she calls the “lost women of song.” Take a listen below.

No Depression doesn't often get to cover jazz, but that deep canon falls well within the broad term of roots music. This week, jazz titan and tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins passed away at the age of 95. The New Yorker, The Atlantic, POW Mag, and more shared excellent pieces about his life, work, and lasting influence.

Read a few tributes from roots musicians and watch some incredibly cool footage from other musical and historical institutions below. Additionally WKCR in New York will be programming a memorial broadcast for 48 hours. Listeners can read more here tune in here.

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In fact, Chris Pierce announced his new album Songs for the Heavy Hearted, due out August 21, and featuring guest artists including Allison Russell, Steve Earle, Grey DeLisle and Garrison Starr. The thoughtful, conscientious singer-songwriter also penned an essay for the Summer 2021 "Voices" issue of No Depression, which is available in print here and digitally here by becoming a member.

Nearly 80 years old, Texas legend Ray Wylie Hubbard has announced another album in his storied career. Reel 2 Reel 4 Real is due out August 21 and lead single "Casette Mix Tape" is available now. Read two reviews from No Depression's archives from the 1990s — Crusades Of The Restless Knights and Live At The Cibolo Creek Country Club.

The Highwomen, the supergroup featuring Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires, surprise-released a live album today titled Live at The Gorge 2023. In a press release, the band wrote:

We weren’t planning on releasing a live album. But in preparing for our upcoming reunion we recently listened back to The Gorge, and whatever happened out there that night came rushing right back…the adrenaline, the near misses, the harmonies locking in at exactly the right second, and the sound of thousands of people singing like they meant every word with their whole chest. The recordings sound wild, emotional, electric, human and exactly how that night felt…We could really feel the connection, the community and that rare oneness where everybody carried each other for a little while. And maybe that matters right now because when the world feels like it’s coming apart at the seams, music still gives us a place to meet each other in the middle of it all, to sing too loud, cry in public, laugh at dumb shit, hold each other upright, and walk back out into the world feeling a little less alone a little more whole and a little more ready to keep fighting for each other. Just us, the crowd, the canyon, and whatever that feeling was. We sure hope you feel it.

Check out a video for "Redesigning Women" below and read ND's feature profile about the band from 2019 here.

Elsewhere on the internet, check out Karly Hartzman from Wednesday reviewing a new book about Gary Stuart over at Stereogum. The band's cover of "She's Actin' Single" has become a fan favorite.

WHAT WE'RE LISTENING TO

Humbird - "Daughter of Empire" (from their forthcoming album, Morning When It Comes, due out September 25 via Nettwerk)

Mama's Broke - "The Nameless" (from their forthcoming album, Reunion, due out August 28 via Free Dirt Records/Forward Music Group)

The Tallest Man On Earth - "Colors"

John Gallagher Jr. - "Mitsuko"

NEW RELEASES - 5/29/26

Amani Burnham - Roots & Wings
DERVISH - The Great Irish Songbook Vol. 2: Poets & Storytellers
Béla Fleck and Renée Fleming - The Fiddle and the Drum
Nathan Evans Fox - Heirloom
John Gallagher Jr. - Almost Ok [EP]
Robin Ganz - Hypnos
Lone Piñon - Hot Carne Seca
Paul McCartney - The Boys of Dungeon Lane
Willie Nelson - Dream Chaser
Joey Quiñones - Inna Soul Steady Situation
David Serby - Broken Heart in a Honky Tonk
JP Soars - Gypsy Blue Revue
SUSTO - Susto Stringband (Volume 2)
Kurt Vile - Philadelphia's been good to me
Joshua Ray Walker - Ain't Dead Yet
Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan - Where the Willow and Dogwood Grow

COMING SOON - 6/5/26

Zoh Amba - Eyes Full
Caleb Caudle - Heavy Thrill
Deer Tick - Coin-O-Matic
Iris Dement - The Way I Should (30th Anniversary Reissue)
Sierra Ferrell - Live at Third Man Records
Futurebirds - Far Out Country
Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra - Night Blooms
Gina Leslie - I Love You Always No Matter What Happens
Charlie Marie - Signs
John R. Miller - The Great Unknowing
Of Montreal - aethermead
Old Crow Medicine Show - Union Made
Red Clay Strays - Grateful
Bella White - A Sign In The Weather