Guitarist, singer and songwriter Eli West works with a quiet designer's mind in the Pacific northwest, and everything we hear from him has a rare depth and gravity. He's an avid collaborator who attracts greatness, having worked with Bill Frisell, John Reischman, Dori Freeman and others. I was taken with his album Tapered Point Of Stone in 2021, where West's musicianship blended organically with great east coast musicians Christian Sedelmyer (fiddle) and Andrew Marlin (mandolin). So it was exciting to see West release his new Shape Of A Sway album arrive in July. We've selected the gracefully swinging "Ever Lovin' Need To Know" for this week's roundup of new music. But we open by celebrating the first single in ages from our beloved old-time quartet The Onlies, followed by a sentimental new song from Hall of Famer Larry Sparks. The novelties continue with Kentucky's Carla Gover, fiddle wizard Darol Anger, and trad torchbearer Junior Sisk.
Hog-eyed Man - 40 Weight of Gingerbread
The Onlies - Spectacle Lake
Larry Sparks - Way Back When
Mac Wiseman and the Osborne Brothers - Pins And Needles
Carla Gover - Raise A Little Cane
Zeb Snyder - Pamela Brown
Darol Anger - I Coulda Told U
Asheville Mountain Boys - Last Night
Missy Raines - Coal Black Water
Hog-Eyed Man - Georgia Belles
Leftover Salmon with Del McCoury - Twisted Pine
Eli West - Ever Lovin' Need To Know
R. Crumb and His Cheap Suit Serenaders - Fine Artiste Blues
Junior Sisk - The Devil's Train
Cahalen Morrison - All Over Babylon
Cathy Fink - 1st String Fling
Jimmy Martin - Sophronie
