Pardi, Kristofferson release CDs

Friday, June 17, 2016 – California country singer Jon Pardi is out with his second disc, "California Sunrise." The first single is "Head Over Boots." Pardi has a cowboy feel to his song titles with "Cowboy Hat" and "Dirt on My Boots" among the dozen songs. Bart Butler and Pardi produced the disc.

Kris Kristofferson gathered in June 2014 at a studio in Austin to record for 3 days. The result is "The Cedar Creek Sessions," recordings of his favorite songs with Shawn Camp (guitar), Kevin Smith (bass), Michael Ramos (keys) and Mike Meadows (drums) aboard. Sheryl Crow sang a duet of 'The Loving Gift,' a song done by Johnny and June Carter Cash.

Sarah Jarosz's fourth release, "Undercurrent," marks a few changes for her. It's her first disc since she moved to New York and also is her first where she wrote all the material. While her previous discs had a bluegrass feel, this release is more of the confessional folk variety.

Locash, formerly LoCash Cowboys, releases its third disc, "The Fighter," on Reviver. The duo is Chris Lucas and Preston Brust. The disc contains the hit "I Love This Life" and the single "I Know Somebody." The pair co-wrote Keith Urban's 2011 single "You Gonna Fly" and Tim McGraw's 2012 single "Truck Yeah."

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CD reviews

Heartache Medication

Jon Pardi may sing about heartache medication with this collection of songs, but his focus on arrangements filled with traditional musical elements (fiddle, steel guitar and twangy electric guitar) is joyfully medicinal for anyone sickened by so much mainstream country music that lacks many (if not all) of these essential country instruments. These songs read as well as they sound, though. For example, the drinking song "Me and Jack" begins with a thumping, Johnny Cash-inspired country groove. »»»

California Sunrise

Jon Pardi apparently isn't worried about chasing something new. He makes that clear on the opening "Out of Style" where he sings "The common way we work and play/Are still alive and well today/Don't' need to find a new way to say/We don't get out of style." He may not have penned the song, but Pardi continues mining a more traditional sound on his recordings (his live shows tend to rock far too much as if he's trying to figure just who he is musically). »»»

Undercurrent

No longer just a startlingly talented young bluegrass musician, on her latest, Sarah Jarosz shows her growth both as a person and an artist. This is her first recording done while she wasn't in either high school or college, the first since her move to New York City three years ago, and the first time she has included only new original material. It may be the middle one of those firsts that had the most influence on the end results; there is little to no traditional bluegrass material here »»»

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