Tuesday Tracks: Your new music discovery for Feb. 21

Trapper Schoepp

Trapper Schoepp, courtesy Joseph Cash.

This week we have Americana from Joy Oladokun, folk-country from Jaimee Harris, gospel/soul from Gabriels, folk-pop from Fenne Lily, pop rock from Daisy the Great, swamp rock from Trapper Schoepp and soulful rock from Withered Hand.



Joy Oladokun, “Changes” – “Changes” is an uplifting song about making your way through life, despite the hard times. “I hate change, but I’ve come of age/ Think I’m finally finding my way,” Oladokun sings in a voice that’s comforting and understanding, like that of an old friend. “Even when I’m tired and low, there is gold in this/ River that is carrying me home,” she sings over folky guitar. You may have heard Joy Oladokun’s beautiful duet with Chris Stapleton, “Sweet Symphony.” Her new album, Proof of Life, is out April 28, and she said of it, “I started making music because I wasn’t hearing from the ‘everyday human being’ on the radio. I hope this resonates with anybody who feels normal and needs a little musical boost to get through the day.” You can catch her on tour this summer with John Mayer and Noah Kahan.

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Jaimee Harris, “Boomerang Town” – Jaimee Harris sings a sad tale of a couple who dreams of escape but is doomed to stay in its small town on the title track of her new album. “As for me, the only dream I’ve ever had/ Is gettin’ out of this boomerang town/ You think you’re soarin’, you think you’re flyin’ /Too young to know there’s no use tryin’,” she sings over a countrified guitar and piano. Harris’ voice is so beautiful that you can almost forgive her for breaking your heart with the way this song ends. Harris is currently on tour.



Gabriels, “Offering” – British American gospel and soul trio Gabriels brings us a banger that’s like a modern-day “Respect.” Gabriels is Compton gospel singer Jacob Lusk, Sunderland, U.K. producer and keyboardist Ryan Hope and Angeleno producer-composer and violinist Ari Balouzian. Lusk lists the things he’s done for his partner, singing, “Gave you the shirt off my back/ Gone through the fire,” and it’s clear he’s had enough; he wants a little reciprocity. Lusk will leave you impressed with his incredible pipes as he sings, “Give me something/ Show me this thing was meant to be/ Whatever it means it means it means something to me.” Gabriels’ debut album, Angels & Queens, Part II is due in June.

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Fenne Lily, “Dawncolored Horse” – Fenne Lily, a singer-songwriter from the U.K., took the title of this song from Richard Brautigan poem “The Horse That Had A Flat Tire.” “When you’re unsettled/ Find your breathing castle/ Double lives extricably tied,” Lily sings, referring to the freeing feeling of “absolute closeness” one can have with a partner. This mellow song features her beautiful arpeggiated guitar and ethereal voice, creating a dreamlike atmosphere for the song that makes it a sort of musical safe space. Lily opened for Lucy Dacus a few years ago, and this year she’ll be co-headlining a tour with Christian Lee Hutson. Lily’s forthcoming album, Big Picture, is due on April 14.



Daisy the Great, “I Don’t Want to Fall” – A poppy charmer, “I Don’t Want to Fall” is about enjoying the joyful moments in a relationship while you can. The lyric in the chorus is, “I don’t want to fall/ Out of love with you.” Daisy the Great’s Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker met when they were both acting majors at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, but they somehow ended up in a band together instead. The video is a fun behind-the-scenes look at the band on tour that will totally give you FOMO and make you want to check it out when they come to your town. Daisy the Great is still on the road for its album, All You Need is Time.

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Trapper Schoepp, “Devil’s Kettle” – You may have seen Trapper Schoepp’s name before; he got some ink a few years ago for being the youngest musician to ever share a co-writing credit with Bob Dylan (on “On, Wisconsin”). His forthcoming album, Siren Songs, was recorded at Johnny Cash’s famed Cash Cabin in Tennessee, and he recorded this and other songs with Cash’s actual 1930s guitar! He wrote this song about a mysterious rock formation and waterfall in Minnesota, where Al Capone was rumored to have disposed of bodies. “If you go down where the river splits,” Schoepp warns in this bluesy swamp rocker, “You’ll have to answer for it.” Siren Songs is out April 21.



Withered Hand, “Waking Up” – U.K. troubadour Dan Willson, who performs as Withered Hand, is putting out his first new album in nine years. “Waking Up” sounds like Van Morrison crossed with Elliott Smith, a folk-pop sensibility combined with soulful brass and Hammond organ. “I can raise my voice/ Nowhere to hide/ It don’t come easily to me/ Out stone cold/ Coming back to life/ I’m waking up inside in the dream,” Willson sings, and I think we can all relate to the “coming back to life” sentiment post-lockdowns. Withered Hand is revered and beloved at home, but How to Love, out on April 28, may finally get Willson some traction here in the U.S.

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Rachel’s pick: My pick is “Devil’s Kettle” by Trapper Schoepp. I saw him open for someone a few years back—I want to say it was Rhett Miller (but it might have been Social Distortion?)—and I think Schoepp is a great singer and a very underrated songwriter. I like his rootsy sound, and I’m excited to hear his new album, which is produced by John Jackson (The Jayhawks) and Patrick Sansone (Wilco).

Follow Rachel Alm at Twitter.com/thouzenfold and Instagram.com/thousandfold.

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