​British guitarist and singer‑songwriter Ben Poole has released his energetic new single “Time Has No Mercy” via Gypsy Soul Records. The track is the third preview of his upcoming album Post‑Midnight Behaviour, Poole’s first studio release of brand‑new material in eight years. Known internationally as one of today’s leading blues‑rock guitarists, Poole leans into a richer, more atmospheric sound on the new record, blending late‑night grooves with his trademark guitar fire. Poole says the single was written as a lighter, empowering counterpoint to the album’s darker material  sparked by a riff that now appears in the song’s outro. Post‑Midnight Behaviour showcases Poole’s evolution after years of touring across 20+ countries, weaving blues, rock, soul, country, and alt‑rock into a moody, cinematic whole.
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​Miko Marks has announced her forthcoming LP Hell Or High Water, arriving October 30 via Redtone Records, and introduced the project with its commanding lead single, “Death Rolls Like Thunder.” The album marks her first new studio release since 2022’s widely acclaimed Feel Like Going Home.

“Death Rolls Like Thunder” opens with acoustic guitar before Marks’ unmistakable voice takes the wheel. Harmonica, guitar, and a driving rhythm section soon kick in, building a rolling, roots‑rich groove. It’s an anthem of resilience of surviving hard times, calling out sinners, and pushing through the storm. Marks sings it like someone who’s lived every line. Her voice is deep soul, her delivery fierce and assured, backed by a band that hits with grit and precision.

The song draws on the Battle of Little Bighorn Custer’s Last Stand as its backdrop, using the historic clash to explore resistance in the face of overwhelming odds. Greed, ego, and inhumanity ride in like the devil on a pale horse, only to be turned back when the oppressed refuse to surrender.

“The battle is an example from our own history about the power of a people defending their land and their right to remain,” Marks explains. “It’s a reminder of people throughout history who have fought against the undoing of their world… Remembering these stories feels so important today, to remind us that we have that same power.”

That spirit of defiance and endurance runs throughout Hell Or High Water. Marks leans further into the blues than ever before, weaving gospel, country soul, and rock ’n’ roll into a sound that feels both timeless and newly sharpened. Produced and co‑written with longtime collaborator Justin Phipps, the album emerged from a period of profound personal change: the amicable end of her 29‑year marriage in 2024 and the beginning of her sobriety shortly afterward. Across the record, she confronts loss, injustice, grief, and uncertainty while fiercely holding onto hope, healing, and freedom.

“Hell Or High Water is an album about resilience, healing, freedom, and choosing hope in the face of pain,” Marks says. “These songs acknowledge the darkness without surrendering to it.”

For Marks, leaning deeper into the blues isn’t a shift it’s a homecoming. Born and raised in Flint, Michigan, and a granddaughter of the Great Migration, she has long blended country, gospel, blues, and soul into her own unmistakable sound.

“Blues is a part of who I am,” she says. “It’s woven into my upbringing, my experiences, and my musical journey. Joy is still possible. Freedom is still worth pursuing. Peace is still worth searching for… Even when the road is uncertain, there is power within us and beyond us that keeps us moving forward.”

​Fort Worth singer‑guitarist Michael Lee  known for his powerhouse blues vocals and a stint fronting B.B. King’s touring band  will release the self‑titled debut Michael Lee & The Wartime Limousine on October 30 via Skylark Soul Co. The album delivers a modern, horn‑driven twist on vintage soul, exploring the highs and lows of love with Lee’s trademark grit and vulnerability.

Alongside the announcement, the band shares the new single “Drowning,” a deceptively upbeat track about resilience. “This one comes from a very real, heavy place,” Lee says. “It’s about realizing no one else is coming to save you, you have to do the hard work yourself.”

Recorded live at Niles City Sound  the studio that launched Leon Bridges  the album features an all‑star lineup including keyboardists Chad Stockslager and Jordache Grant, pedal steel player Will Van Horn, bassist Daniel Balis, and drummer Matt Trimble. The sessions blend Motown, psychedelic soul, and Lee’s blues roots into a warm, lived‑in sound shaped by newfound personal peace. “There’s an ease to this album that comes from the love I have with my wife,” he says.

Lee’s journey spans Texas blues clubs, a viral performance on The Voice, and recording with The B.B. King Blues Band before touring with them in 2019. That momentum led to forming The Wartime Limousine, named after a WWII reference that reflects his old‑soul sensibilities.
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“The core of this album is love  lost and won,” Lee says. “I want people to feel optimism and resilience in these songs, maybe even see their own stories in them.”

​Little Feat’s Scott Sharrard and longtime band member Fred Tackett have teamed up for a new duo album, Honest Men, arriving September 18. The project grew from their effortless chemistry onstage — a connection Tackett describes as “total trust,” and Sharrard sums up simply: “We just want to jam.”

Recorded live in the studio with no headphones and minimal overdubs, Honest Men pays tribute to Lowell George, Paul Barrere, and Gregg Allman, while revisiting classic Feat material and spotlighting the pair’s own songwriting. The tracklist includes Tackett’s ’70s tune “Dance to the Radio,” Sharrard and Allman’s “My Only True Friend,” and Feat staples like “Fool Yourself” and “Roll Um Easy.”
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Honest Men Tracklist:

Dance to the Radio – Fred Tackett
Fool Yourself – Fred Tackett
Anne Marie – Scott Sharrard
My Only True Friend – Gregg Allman and Scott Sharrard
Church Falling Down – Fred Tackett
Love Like Kerosene – Scott Sharrard
Midnight Flight – Scott Sharrard
Honest Man – Lowell George and Fred Tackett
Roll Um Easy – Lowell George

Website:
littlefeat.net

Blues guitarist and vocalist Bernard Allison will release his new album Loving You on October 16, 2026, via Ruf Records. The ten‑track collection showcases Allison with his core band and an impressive lineup of guest musicians from across today’s blues and roots scene. The album also features his fiery take on Rick Derringer’s classic “Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo.”

A familiar name to blues listeners, Allison has spent decades shaping his own musical identity while honoring the legacy of his father, the late Luther Allison. With Loving You, he steps forward once again with a full band and a series of standout collaborations.

The BandThe album’s core lineup includes:

• Bernard Allison – guitar, vocals
• George Moye – bass
• Sam Butts Jr III – drums
• Eric Roberts – keyboards
• Stevie J Blues – guitar

Guest Appearances One of the album’s most striking elements is its guest list:

• Larry McCray adds guitar to “Time Traveler,” alongside Matthew Mwangi.
• Devon Allman appears on the title track “Loving You,” contributing guitar.
• Matthew Curry delivers guitar and vocals on “Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo.”
• Victor Wainwright joins Allison on “4 O’Clock in the Morning (Waiting on You)” with piano and vocals.
• Heather Hardy brings violin to “Pay What You Owe Me.”

Backing vocals come from Stevie J Blues, Jasper Allison, and Lyndsey Allison, while Larry Doc Watkins adds hand claps to the title track.
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A Crossroads of Modern BluesTaken together, the musicians on Loving You create a vibrant meeting point of styles and personalities, with Allison firmly at the center. The album promises a dynamic blend of tradition, collaboration, and the unmistakable guitar work that has defined his career.

​Tracklist:

Side A
Left Me with My Guitar
4 O’Clock in the Morning (Waiting on You)
Time Traveler
Slide on Over
Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo

Side B
Busted & Disgusted
Loving You
Should I Wait
Pay What You Owe Me
Blues Thang

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BLUES CARAVAN 2026 – Celebrating 20 Years of Passion, Talent and Unforgettable Live Moments

Release Date: September 18, 2026
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​With the release of "Blues Caravan 2026 – Live", Ruf Records celebrates the 20th anniversary of a concert series that has become one of the most important launching pads for international blues talent. Recorded on January 31, 2026, at the renowned Blues Garage in Isernhagen, Germany, the CD/DVD set captures an extraordinary evening filled with energy, musicianship and the spirit that has defined the Blues Caravan for two decades.

Since its inception, the Blues Caravan has helped numerous artists take the next step in their careers. Former participants such as Ana Popovic, Samantha Fish, Aynsley Lister and Joanne Shaw Taylor have gone on to become some of the most celebrated names in contemporary blues.

The 2026 anniversary edition brings together three outstanding artists representing different facets of today's blues scene. Award-winning Californian guitarist Laura Chavez, whose work with Candye Kane, Nikki Hill, Vanessa Collier and Mitch Ryder has earned her widespread recognition, made her Blues Caravan debut as a solo artist. Alongside her, American blues rocker Matthew Curry impressed with his powerful blend of blues, rock and Americana, a style that has already brought him to the stage with artists such as Peter Frampton, the Steve Miller Band, the Doobie Brothers and Blackberry Smoke. Completing the line-up was French newcomer Elise Frank, who has already made a name for herself on prestigious European festival stages with her band FRANK and who adds fresh energy and a distinctive European touch to the line-up.

True to the Blues Caravan tradition, the evening opens with a joint performance by all three artists, followed by individual sets before the musicians reunite for the show's grand finale. These spontaneous collaborations and the unique chemistry between the performers have always been at the heart of what makes the Blues Caravan experience so special.
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"Blues Caravan 2026 – Live" captures that atmosphere in all its authenticity. More than just a concert recording, the release serves as both a celebration of twenty years of Blues Caravan history and a testament to the enduring power of live music, exceptional guitar playing and genuine musical passion.
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​Three-time Grammy winner Billy Strings will release his fifth studio album, So Much For Goodbyes, on August 28, 2026 via Reprise Records. The 16-track collection, co-produced by Strings and T Bone Burnett, follows his acclaimed 2024 release Highway Prayers.

The announcement caps a remarkable run for the American guitarist, singer, and songwriter  including a sold-out 2025 performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The album’s lead single, “Burn the Other End,” is available now alongside an official music video.

So Much For Goodbyes is deeply shaped by personal loss. Strings’ mother, Debra Apostol, passed away in 2025, and the album is dedicated to her memory. Her original artwork appears on the cover, and the closing track, “Debra’s Waltz,” carries her name.

Strings and Burnett recorded most of the album at Sound Emporium in Nashville, with additional sessions elsewhere in the city. While bluegrass remains the foundation of Strings’ sound, the new record continues his exploration of Americana and broader roots traditions.

Across sixteen songs  including “Mill Town Flood,” “Bluewater Breakdown,” “I Like Train Songs,” and “Wrestling an Angel” Strings pushes his songwriting into more reflective, emotionally charged territory, blending virtuosity with vulnerability in a way only he can.
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Tracks:
01. I’m One of Those
02. Burn the Other End
03. Carry Us Home
04. Lay Me Down
05. Lucid Daydream
06. Mill Town Flood
07. Live to Tell
08. Bluewater Breakdown
09. Light the Way
10. I Like Train Songs
11. 10,000 Miles From a Friend
12. Still I Crash
13. I Wish I Wanted To
14. Remember to Cry
15. Wrestling an Angel
16. Debra’s Waltz

Website:
billystrings.com

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​More than half a century after Buck Owens & the Buckaroos lit up the stage at Las Vegas’ legendary Mint Hotel and Casino, a stunning snapshot of the band at full power is finally emerging. At The Mint, Las Vegas, 1968  a previously unreleased, professionally recorded live album sourced from long‑lost Capitol Records reels arrives October 23 via Sundazed Music, and is now available for pre‑order.

For an artist as famously prolific as Owens, the discovery is nothing short of astonishing. Throughout the 1960s, he rarely let a worthy recording sit on the shelf. Yet an entire concert — captured with studio‑grade fidelity and featuring one of the strongest Buckaroos lineups ever assembled  remained unheard and undocumented for nearly six decades.

The performance features Owens alongside Don Rich, Doyle Holly, Tom Brumley, and Jerry Wiggins, tearing through hits and deep cuts with the precision, fire, and unmistakable Bakersfield sound that made the Buckaroos one of the most formidable country bands of their era.

But At The Mint is more than a newly unearthed live album  it’s a time capsule. The tapes preserve the night almost exactly as it unfolded, beginning with legendary broadcaster Ralph Emery warming up the crowd and ending with his closing remarks. In between, listeners get candid stage banter, between‑song chatter, and the kind of unfiltered moments that would have been polished away had Capitol prepared the tapes for release back in 1968.

That rawness gives the album a rare intimacy, offering fans a front‑row seat to an unreleased performance from one of country music’s most iconic artists  a vivid reminder of just how electrifying Buck Owens and the Buckaroos were at their peak.

Tracklist:
Side One:
1. Ralph Emery Introduction and Overview
2. Buckaroo
3. How Long Will My Baby Be Gone
4. X-Lax & LSD (comedy)
5. Cryin’ Time
6. Your Tender Loving Care
7. Act Naturally
8. Love’s Gonna Live Here
9. Together Again
10. Sam’s Place
11. Everybody Needs Somebody
12. People from NY (comedy)
13. Under Your Spell Again
14. Above and Beyond (The Call Of Love)
15. Excuse Me, I Think I Have A Heartache
16. Fool Around With Me
17. Hello Trouble
18. Truck Drivin’ Man
19. Outro
Side Two:
1. Intro
2. Happy Times Are Here Again
3. I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail
4. Open Up Your Heart (and Let My Love Come In)
5. Don Rich Introduction
6. Orange Blossom Special (ft. Don Rich)
7. Tom Brumley Introduction
8. Steel Guitar Polka (ft. Tom Brumley)
9. Second Fiddle
10. Sweet Rosie Jones
11. People Like You Introduction
12. It Takes People Like You To Make People Like Me
13. Welfare Line Introduction
14. Waitin’ In Your Welfare Line
15. Ralph Emery Closer
16. Buck’s Polka Introduction*
17. Buck’s Polka*
18. Sally Was a Good Old Girl*
19. Ralph Emery Outro*
*CD only