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MICKY AND THE MOTORCARS Micky & The Motorcars LP
€ 24,90^*

MICKY AND THE MOTORCARS Micky & The Motorcars CD
€ 14,90^*

Micky Braun is finding no lack of songwriting inspiration, even after more than two decades fronting a relentlessly independent country band. Time to act on that inspiration, though, is another story. “I got a lot more songwriting books that have notes than I do that have full songs,” the Micky and the Motorcars co-founder tells Rolling Stone. Micky’s older brother, Gary, on the other hand, has just hit his stride as a writer, to the point that half of the 10 tracks on the Motorcars’ self-titled eighth studio album, out now, are written or co-written by Gary. It’s a far cry from the Motorcars’ 2002 beginnings, when Micky wrote and sang nearly every song the band released while Gary played rhythm guitar. “I didn’t start out writing,” Gary Braun explains, “but as I started writing more, I wanted to use my songs too. If I’m gonna do this for another 20 years, then I want to be a bigger part of it.”

Micky and the Motorcars is the five-piece Austin outfit’s first record since 2019’s Long Time Comin’ — produced by the late Keith Gattis. Micky wrote most of the songs on that record, but the Gary-penned “Stranger Tonight” became the album’s signature tune and reached the top five on the Texas radio airplay charts. When the time came to record the new LP, Gary’s equal partnership on the composing side was fully established. “Gary’s writing a lot more, and he’s writing really good songs,” Micky says. “He’s breaking off, doing a lot of co-writes. It helps me out a lot. He had a few songs on the last record, but this one was 50-50, and not by being the Everly Brothers’ ‘You get six and I get six’ kind of a deal. We just picked the best songs that we had, and we ended up pretty much right down the middle.”
In a departure from the approach they took with Gattis on Long Time Comin’, the Motorcars brought the entire band into Austin’s Arlyn Studios to record. Micky and Gary were joined by Pablo Trujillo on lead and steel guitar, Bobby Paugh on drums, and Bill Corbin on bass. David Abeyta — close friend to Micky and Gary and former lead guitar player in Reckless Kelly — produced the record. The result is an album that showcases the range and depth of veteran musicians playing off of one another. Paugh and Trujillo set a soulful tone on the opening track, “Laramie,” before the album veers into rock, folk, and traditional country. “I think that having the actual band that we tour with will give us a more relatable sound to who we are currently,” Gary says. “I hope people kind of appreciate that.”
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Kommentare deaktiviert für Finally available on CD and vinyl in Europe: MICKY AND THE MOTORCARS and their selftitled new album – exclusively at the Blue Rose webshop!

RILL, MARKUS Good As New CD
€ 15,00^*

Good As New – as good as new – is how Germany’s number one roots songwriter, MARKUS RILL, presents himself on his new album. With a wink, of course, since his debut album was released back in the last millennium. And yet, he has perhaps never sounded as fresh, energetic, and distinctive as on his 15th studio album. With his newly formed band, The Troublemakers, he presents eleven songs that are powerful, moving, and surprisingly diverse: hearty country-rock, atmospheric storytelling, straightforward rock ’n‘ roll, groovy, humorous songs, gothic folk, and more – the whole spectrum of Americana songwriting.
Markus Rill hardly needs an introduction. Rolling Stone calls him a „German roots-rock master with a raspy voice“ and raves about his „brilliantly written songs that shimmer with ambiguity,“ the FAZ calls him „the most renowned representative of the Americana genre in Germany,“ and No Depression from the USA attests to his „great depth as a songwriter, producer, and arranger.“ The SZ writes enthusiastically: „When Markus Rill sings, […] a whole world emerges, the world of rock ’n‘ roll. Magnificent!“ No wonder, since Rill learned his musical craft in Austin, Texas, and honed it on several album productions with the studio aces of Nashville, Tennessee. This time, the newly formed Troublemakers (Benny Haupt – guitar, Sebbo Bach – keyboards & vocals, Chris Reiss – bass, and Konrad Patzig – drums) enhance Rill’s songs with infectious enthusiasm and imaginative arrangements.

It starts off well with the laid-back, earthy country rocker „Brand New Man,“ followed by the relaxed yet profound look back at youth, „(We Used To) Ride Our Bicycles.“ The presumptive hit „Walk In Light“ then powerfully jolts listeners awake. Written after Rill’s (mis)diagnosis of a serious illness, the song is a premature farewell to his daughter—moving and energetically rocking. The songwriter’s narrative strength unfolds in „A Night In Jerusalem,“ which recreates the biblical encounter between Nicodemus and Jesus in dialogue form and a shimmering atmosphere—with Joseph Parsons as his duet partner.
“Why Would I Want To” impresses with humor and groove and a razor-sharp slide guitar from Hank Shizzoe, while “Just Might Happen Yet” provides charming variety with its bouncy pop appeal and mischievous lyrics: “May not have reached my full potential but it just might happen yet.”
After that, the themes become more serious: The roots-rocking „Anny Got Angry,“ featuring backing vocals by Elizabeth Lee and Rebecca King, is inspired by the experiences of many women with abusive men. Following this, the long-simmering and finally eruptive „Daughter At The Water“ reflects the thoughts of an overwhelmed mother.
“Chasing The Wind” surprises with a crisp 6/8 time signature and Dylan-esque influences. “Wildfire Kinda Love”—already a live favorite—is an irresistible rocker with nods to Jerry Lee, Elvis, and the Georgia Satellites, before the acoustic title track, “Good As New,” which lyrically oscillates between solace (“no big deal”) and irony (“I’ll be good as new”), gently guides the listener out of the album.
Rill’s songs are presented with remarkable versatility by the Troublemakers, sometimes with traditional roots sounds, sometimes with decidedly more modern elements—whether grippingly rocking or layered and atmospheric, always with a keen sense for the right approach.
Good As New sounds direct, unpretentious, and mature. Markus Rill & The Troublemakers combine powerful rock energy with intimate moments, big stories with personal insights – a captivating album from a great songwriter with a congenial backing band.

Kommentare deaktiviert für New album by MARKUS RILL & THE TROUBLEMAKERS – Good As New!

ARNOLD, BEN XI CD
€ 14,90^*

ARNOLD, BEN XI LP (coke bottle green vinyl)
€ 24,90^*

For decades, BEN ARNOLD has been creating his own version of amplified American roots music, broadcasting that sound from venues across America and Europe. He turns a new page with XI, a roots-rock record that finds the road warrior bridging the gap between personal insights and universal statements. Intimate one minute and anthemic the next, XI highlights just how wide-ranging Arnold’s songwriting has become over the past quarter-century.

By the 2020s, he’d already contributed to more than 30 albums. When the Covid-19 pandemic brought everyday life to a halt, though, Arnold found himself stuck at home, unable to continue collaborating with others. Looking to make sense of an unsteady world, he dug into his craft — and into himself.
Ever the traveler, Arnold headed to Los Angeles once restrictions lifted. There, he reunited with producer Shane Smith (his musical partner in the band Pistol For Ringo, as well as engineer of Los Lobos‘ acclaimed record Tin Can Trust) while simultaneously working on the East Coast with Barrie Maguire (The Wallflowers, Natalie Merchant, and more). What began as a casual recording session at Hetson Sound, the SoCal studio owned by Circle Jerks guitarist Greg Hetson, quickly turned into something more substantial, with Arnold assembling a band of longtime friends and collaborators from multiple different genres. Others contributed to the sessions remotely — including Pete Thomas, longtime drummer for Elvis Costello and the Attractions, who tracked songs like „Catch The Lightning,“ „Anywhere But Here,“ and „Peace, Love & Understanding“ (which found him warmly commenting, „I love this song! You know I played on the first one!?“) from home. Back in Philadelphia, Ben and Maguire recorded songs like the gorgeously heartbreaking „My America“ in a series of fast, inspiring takes, breathing new life into Arnold’s timeless influences.
Arnold certainly owns it with XI. The album reaffirms his spot in the long lineage of hard-touring songwriters who blur the lines dividing musical traditions, flying somewhere below the mainstream and high above the American underground, swirling together their own combination of folk, blues, soul, rock & roll, and classic pop. He isn’t reinventing the wheel; instead, he’s redefining the sound that kickstarted his career during the early 1990s, sharpening his songwriting with each release. In an industry that’s forever changing, he’s remained a constant force… and with XI, Ben Arnold reminds us that there’s strength in numbers.

Kommentare deaktiviert für New BEN ARNOLD album XI now available at the Blue Rose webshop!

HOPKINS, RICH & LUMINARIOS Heart And Soul CD
€ 12,90^*

For years, Rich Hopkins has said after each new album that it will be his last. And yet, he continues to surprise us with new songs, recorded with his band Luminarios, who are based in both Tucson, Arizona, and Austin, Texas, and whom Rich and his wife Lisa commute between. What does he have to say about the new album, Heart and Soul? „Lisa and I are proud to release our new album Heart and Soul which was recorded in Austin, Texas this year. I thought I was done writing and recording but my God inspired me again to write more music with Lisa. There are some guests : Salvador Duran from Tucson on Amor de la calle and Hannah Novak singing some beautiful harmonies on Beautiful Day and Heart and Soul. Is this.our 30th Luminarios album?! Might be our best album ever!? Who knows. you be the judge. But I love it! So grateful to the players on this album: Jon, Lisa, Russ. Mike and Paul. And especially to Lars who is an amazing engineer. Love and miss you!“
Twelve new songs were produced for Heart and Soul, all but „Amor de la Calle“ composed by Rich and co-writes by Lisa on a few tracks. Lisa Novak has been an integral part of the Luminarios for many years and regularly contributes her own songs to the albums. She has proven her talent for this not only with her own releases, and her contributions to Heart and Soul, as with previous Luminarios albums, fit perfectly. This is evident not only in her compositional skills but also in her vocals, which generally remain in the background, giving precedence to her husband. Rich, of course, dominates as always with his unmistakable guitar work and consistently impressive solos, which give each Luminarios album its distinctive sound. If Rich Hopkins & Luminarios decide not to tour Germany and Europe again, fans can at least enjoy a new album, which is definitely the case with Heart and Soul.

Kommentare deaktiviert für New album „Heart and Soul“ by RICH HOPKINS & LUMINARIOS europe-exclusive available at the Blue Rose webshop!

US RAILS All In CD
€ 14,90^*

US RAILS All In LP (blue vinyl)
€ 24,90^*

In the 2000s, the prominent quartet US Rails was one of the most reliable and hard-working acts on the Swabian Blue Rose label. The Americans released no fewer than five major studio productions – in addition to numerous live, cover, and acoustic albums – in the past decade alone, and numerous European tours led to a steady growth of their fan base. Ben Arnold, Tom Gillam, Scott Bricklin, and Matt Muir (as well as Joseph Parsons at the beginning) are each strong singer/songwriters in their own right, with a long list of individual solo projects.

Almost three years after the last studio album, Live For Another Day, the perfectly titled sequel, All In, follows – just in time for another European tour! Songwriting and lead vocals are, as usual, very democratically divided among the creative minds. Ben Arnold and Scott Bricklin each contribute three songs, Tom Gillam contributes two new numbers, drummer Matt Muir contributes one, and Gillam/Arnold contribute a jointly composed piece, creating a very lively, highly dynamic, consistently rocking 10-track album that continues the band’s long tradition with the usual quality.
Starting off this time is regular bassist Scott Bricklin, who also excels as a multi-instrumentalist, including on various guitars and mandolin, and sings with a powerful, bright voice. „My Old Friend“ is the title of his promising Good Time Boogie to start off with. ‚Light My Way‘ follows as a restrained rocker with several powerful acoustic and electric guitars over organ and dominant vocals from Ben Arnold, before Tom Gillam celebrates his entry into this album with ‚Reckless Heart‘ in his familiar, confident manner – including compelling guitars, a striking chorus and a strong lead vocal. ‚Dirty Shame‘ is a swampy, groovy slow rocker by Scott Bricklin that captivates with its feverish, sultry atmosphere, and ‚Heavy‘ is a typically keyboard-driven, creamy, soulful Ben Arnold ballad with a clear message of community spirit, especially for those times when life isn’t going well.
Tom Gillam processes his personal relationship ups and downs in the crisp boogie rock of ‚Beautiful Mess,‘ vocally and on slide guitar very close to Joe Walsh! This is followed by ‚Promise Broken,‘ the only song by Matt Muir. With this fluid straight-forward shuffle, which dissolves beautifully into the chorus with melodic guitars and four-part harmony vocals, the drummer/singer has undoubtedly created another one of his signature songs!
‚Own The Game‘ is a successful co-write by Tom Gillam and Ben Arnold, who also complement each other as lead singers on this mid-tempo rocker. ‚Esta La Noche‘ is strikingly reminiscent of the legendary Sir Douglas Quintet: a Spanish pop rocker with a catchy chorus reminiscent of ‚Nuevo Laredo’/’Mendocino‘. US Rails concludes their new album with another Scott Bricklin song. ‚Songs Of Freedom‘ sends us off with an irresistible, catchy chorus, plenty of retro ’60s charm, and a very simple, perhaps naive, yet so true message for these times: „Songs of love, we need them, we need songs of freedom, everybody gonna sing it now!“

Kommentare deaktiviert für US RAILS are back with new album and extensive tour through Germany, Spain and Italy!