The record unfolds as a tightly wound batch of songs, jabbing us with a feeling and a melody, never staying too long on one theme before needing to tell another batch of truths. It’s as if there isn’t enough time on a record to say everything Jax wants to say, so she flies through the songs to get as many of them in as possible.
On the lead single for her sophomore album, Jax Hollow describes herself as “feral.” She doubles down on the sentiment later in “Wolf in Sheepskin” with a howling “But I’m better sleeping alone!” But the true wildness on Only The Wild Ones (debuting here exclusively on Americana Highways two days before release) comes anytime Hollow straps on a guitar. No matter what she’s playing, the Nashville singer-songwriter brings a fresh, loose energy and ends up giving listeners what might be the best guitar record this year.
In a month, prolific singer/songwriter David G Smith will release is 11th album, Witness Trees (June 2nd) and the album is about equality, love, death and legacy. Collaborations with artists like Keb’ Mo’ and Mary Gauthier through the years and times spent sharing the stage with the likes of Griffin House, Rory Block, Kelly Willis and the late Justin Townes Earl combine with his own stellar voice and songwriting to inform the Americana style of music David G Smith makes.
Late next month, LA-based singer/songwriter and guitarist Leeann Skoda is set to share her new EP entitled Living Room Sessions. Skoda debuted in 2018 with her alt country effort, Call Me Back Home, before going in a more indie folk direction in her 2021 EP, Lucky Penny. In the intervening years, she has also fallen into a collaborative mode, backing up Noah Cyrus on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, touring with Psychic Temple, and playing with Brian Bell of Weezer.
Recorded in Nashville she has assembled a fine body of backing musicians who have worked with the likes of k.d.lang, Brothers Osborne, and Miranda Lambert to name but a few. Her guitar work honed with playing over two hundred shows a year is exceptionally clean and precise. Not only that her vocals are also very strong throughout, reminiscent on a number of tracks of Sheryl Crow at her finest.