The Highwomen, Williams, Nelson, Springsteen, Atkins, Moore introduce new music

The late Don Williams' music comes alive with "EPILOGUE: THE CELLAR TAPES" on Craft Recordings. The previously unheard songs were recorded about three decades ago by Williams and discovered by his son, Tim, in the cellar of the Williams family's rural Tennessee home, dating back to his 1979–1984 era. Some of the music had to be re-recorded due to deterioration sustained in storage. The record contains 12 songs and was produced by the Gentle Giant's long-time producer Garth Fundis. To complete the collection, Fundis and Tim recruited musicians who toured with Williams. Musicians included Joe Allen on bass and Kenny Malone on drums and congas. String arrangements by Charles Cochran, who's also on piano and organ, Lloyd Green on steel guitar, guitarists Jimmy Colvard, Dave Kirby, Billy Sanford all helped out as did Tim.

Willie Nelson continues putting out new music with "Dream Chaser" on Legacy Recordings. This is Nelson's 79th solo studio album and his 156th album overall, according to Texas Monthly's interactive All Willie Nelson Albums Ranked. Dream Chaser is a brand-new release that brings together a collection of reflective, story-driven songs focused on relationships, personal growth, and life on the road. Once again, Buddy Cannon produced, the 20th record he's produced in 13 years. The two co-wrote six of the songs, half of which were written with the Nashville songwriter Bobby Tomberlin and one of which was co-written by one of Willie's tour mates from 2025.

"I HOPE THIS HELPS" is the autobiographical sophomore album from 25-year-old Alana Springsteen via Santa Anna Nashville. The follow-up to her full-length debut "TWENTY SOMETHING," the record was born from a moment of personal transformation. " I HOPE THIS HELPS" took shape as Springsteen confronted the fear-based faith she inherited growing up and also looked at her reflex to keep the peace at her own expense and the tendency to make herself small for the sake of pleasing others. Springsteen co-produced the 16 songs with Ido Zmishlany and Zach Crowell

Rodney Atkins is out with his first record in seven years, "True South" on Curb Records. This is a bit of a family affair as his wife, Rose Falcon, helps out on "Believe Me." The album also features 'Watching You 2.0 (feat. Elijah Atkins)', a reimagining of Atkins' career-defining 3x-Platinum number one hit recorded alongside son Elijah, who first inspired the original hit nearly 20 years ago.

Kip Moore returns with "Reason To Believe" on Virgin Music Group. Co-produced with Andrew DeRoberts, the album finds the Nashville-based artist confronting grief, faith and the weight of time. This is the follow-up to 2025's "Solitary Tracks." While recording the album, Moore lost his mentor, champion, first producer and songwriter Brett James. He even named the album after a song James loved that Moore wrote years ago alongside longtime collaborator Dan Couch and Scott Stepakoff.

RECORDS Nashville/Columbia singer Mack Geiger releases his debut EP, "Walk A Straight Line Walk A Straight Line," on RECORDS Nashville. Produced by Jared Adlam, the six-song collection features five tracks written solely by Geiger, a native of Australia. He broke out in 2024 with his debut single "About Time" reaching 35 on the CountryTown Australia Chart. A follow-up single, "String Me," also boosted his presence.

Wesko, a North Caroline native, makes his major label debut with the four-song "Familiar Spirits" on Warner Records/underscore works recordings. He has been releasing music since 2022 and occupies a more traditional sound. Ross Copperman produced the set.

In a pairing of seemingly strange bed fellows opera star Renée Fleming teamed up with bluegrass ace Béla Fleck for "The Fiddle and the Drum" on Thirty Tigers. Fleming had an interest in recording a bluegrass-based album. Dolly Parton helps out on a cover of "

Country popper Bellah Mae debuts with the EP "Keep It Peachy" on Sony Music Nashville. Produced by Brett Truitt, JANEVA and Steven Solomon, the project features a total of six tracks, including track "Love Me Less." A lifelong fan of country music raised in the English West Midlands, Mae, 24, was schooled on everything from Dolly Parton and Hannah Montana to Black Sabbath and Avril Lavigne. Her grandfather was a keys player in the British hard-rock scene, and she learned to play guitar at eight years old. Mae spent over 10 years training as a classical soprano, and by 18 had made hung in Nashville. She had United Kingdom pop releases, including 2022's "Boyfriend Of The Year," 2023's "Drama King" and "On Purpose (For My Future Daughter)," and 2025's "Bad Day to Be My Ex."

Susto Stringband dropped "Susto Stringband (Volume Two)" on Missing Piece Records. This is the second installment in a series featuring bluegrass and old-time reworkings of SUSTO favorites, alongside new compositions, in collaboration with Asheville, N.C.'s Holler Choir. The Susto Stringband began to take shape in 2022 when Susto front man Justine Osborne moved to Asheville and met members of the local bluegrass and Americana community including vocalist Clint Roberts, clawhammer banjoist Helena Rose and upright bassist Joey Brown. Rounding out the full lineup is multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Jackson Grimm and fiddle player Nat Copeland, with Morgan Wade and Joshua Hedley helping out. Last year, they released the first volume of Susto Stringband material,

Joshua Ray Walker returns with the jocularly-titled record, "Ain't Dead Yet" via last Dallas Records/Thirty Tigers. The title is a reference to the honky tonker's bout with cancer. Three years ago, when he started writing "Ain't Dead Yet," Walker hadn't yet received the cancer diagnosis that threatened his life (he currently has a clean bill of health). But that year was fraught with mental, physical and career stresses. Finalizing songs for the album, he rewrote and reworked almost all of the songs.