First Published April 2023
LUKAS NELSON + POTR RETURN WITH ‘STICKS AND STONES’ OUT 14TH JULY
GRAMMY Award-winning artist LUKAS NELSON has announced that he will be releasing his highly anticipated new album, Sticks and Stones, on 14th July via 6ACE Records/Thirty Tigers. Ahead of this, he has released the first single from the project, More Than Friends, featuring CMA and ACM Award-winning artist, Lainey Wilson. The official music video for the single debuted on March 23rd on CMT.
“When I wrote ‘More Than Friends’, I had always envisioned it as a duet. I am a big fan of Lainey and she was at the top of my list of artists I wanted to sing with me on this track” shares Nelson. “When we sent her the song, I was thrilled to hear back that she loved it and wanted to do it”.
“‘More Than Friends’ is a modern day take on the musical, kindred spirits of icons like Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers” adds Wilson. “I’m so honored to be able to work with someone as talented as Lukas. His artistry and storytelling within music is unlike any other”.
Sticks and Stones was written solely by Nelson with the hope of bringing people together at the forefront of his mind, with upbeat energy and a sense of fun. Across the album’s twelve spirited tracks, Nelson explores the universal human experiences of love, celebration, longing and humour. Self-produced by Nelson and his longtime band, POTR (Promise of the Real), Sticks and Stones captures the band’s musical power and fits perfectly alongside the canon of the electric live performances they’re known for.
Reflecting on the record, Nelson shares, “This album is about celebrating the human connection, joy and excitement. We went from quiet and introspective on ‘A Few Stars Apart’ to something big and fun to really showcase the band’s talent and performance. You can listen to the album ‘Sticks and Stones’ from start to finish and get the songs to dance to and then the quiet, poignant songs. To me, this album is the perfect setlist”.
~ Ahead of the release, Nelson + POTR have announced that they will be heading overseas to play nine shows across the UK & Ireland in June, with the Irish dates coming on June 22nd at Belfast’s Ulster Hall, and Dublin’s Academy the following day.
DEF LEPPARD WITH THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
May 2023 will see rock and classical royalty unite on a brand-new euphoric album titled Drastic Symphonies – DEF LEPPARD’s greatest produced tracks dramatically reimagined and sounding larger and more exhilarating than ever before, teamed with London’s iconic The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Def Leppard have deconstructed and rebuilt not only some of their most well known tracks but also some of their hidden gems as well. By and large, they have intertwined the audio from the original tapes and performed them alongside The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The album includes new vocals and guitars which culminates in stunningly beautiful symphonic arrangements. At different points you can hear Joe Elliott duetting with his younger self.
Vocalist Joe Elliott says, “Def Leppard has always enjoyed veering off the expected path – working with the likes of Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift & Alison Krauss for example. So, when the offer to revisit some of our back catalogue with the Royal Philharmonic was presented to us, to a man we all jumped at it. Although we’re far from the first band to ever do this, working directly with an orchestra at Abbey Road on some of our more orchestrated songs seemed too good of an opportunity to pass up.”
This album represents a bold new approach to Def Leppard’s most loved songs.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was recorded at Abbey Road in March 2022. Produced by Def Leppard, Ronan McHugh & Nick Patrick (producer of the following RPO/Orchestral albums – Elvis, Roy Orbison, Beach Boys and Buddy Holly) with arrangements by Eric Gorfain (Neil Diamond, Ryan Adams, Christina Aguilera).
Guitarist Phil Collen says, “When the offer of doing an orchestral album with the RPO was suggested we were honoured. But we didn’t just want an orchestra plonked over our previous recordings. We decided to create something special where we would have something classic but present it in a brand new way that would involve making everything work in the context of Drastic Symphonies. Recording new parts, remixing previous sounds, taking some of our instruments out so the orchestra could breathe and literally making a new album. It was an amazingly inspirational process culminating in the live recording of the RPO at Abbey Road studios in London. An absolute team effort that took a good part of a year. It’s a new Def Leppard album, it’s a greatest hits plus album, with some rarely heard songs, it’s a live RPO album and we think it’s perfect. We’re so proud of how Drastic Symphonies turned out and can’t wait to share it to the world.”
~ The album will be available on CD, 2LP black vinyl, limited 2LP coloured vinyl, limited 2LP picture disc, CD/Blu-Ray (Atmos) and digitally. The first track from the album, ANIMAL, is OUT NOW. Def Leppard play Dublin’s Marlay Park on 4th July, tickets on-sale now.
TWINNIE RELEASES NEW SINGLE ‘THE WAY I LOVED YOU’
TWINNIE returns with the release of her newest single The Way I Loved You which is the start of a brand new chapter for the singer/songwriter with the ballad offering the first taste of what’s to come from the Blue Hour EP.
The heartbreaking ballad which is lyrically inspired by a real-life loss has gone viral on TikTok with fans calling for its release and now they will finally have it on their playlists.
This is the first track to be lifted off Blue Hour which will be released later this year and is the first record from an exciting new musical era that Twinnie is creating following the success of the 2020 debut album Hollywood Gypsy, and 2022 EP Welcome to the Club.
Twinnie is always evolving sonically and this new catalogue of music sees her innovatively capturing life’s emotions through her songwriting which encapsulates the country genre.
Speaking about the track, Twinnie says: “This song is about closing a chapter, acknowledging loss but celebrating the love. I never intended on putting this song out, but seeing it connect with people the way it did will hopefully bring some healing in the way it did for me”.
~ THE WAY I LOVED YOU, the new single from TWINNIE, is OUT NOW.
CHARLIE WORSHAM JOINS WARD THOMAS ON UK TOUR, STARTING MARCH 30TH
Prolific recording artist and multi-instrumentalist CHARLIE WORSHAM will be making his long-awaited return to the UK at the end of this month to tour with British duo Ward Thomas. Playing thirteen shows with them across the country.
“I was literally ten minutes from the Nashville Airport, trying to get back to the UK to sing when the Covid lockdown began. I won’t take a single note for granted on this visit”says Worsham. “Plus, in all the years I’ve loved touring in the UK, this tour with Ward Thomas is my first time being part of a Trans-Atlantic lineup. It means so much to me to be a part of this particular tour, because it represents how deeply connected Nashville and London have become in the country music space”.
The UK Tour kicks off in Glasgow’s Old Fruit Market on March 30th, before finishing up at Bath, The Forum in Bath on April 18th.
Worsham’s most recent release was his 2021 EP Sugarcane. Produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town), it was an emotional homecoming for Worsham. What began as personal reflections from a daily writing exercise, grew into something much more universal — six songs that celebrate the love, perseverance, struggle and joy experienced through life and the people who are there through it all.
Sugarcane features single Fist Through This Town which Billboard declared “compelling from the first note”, while Music Row praised it this way, “Super powerful…the hard-times lyric and its blue-collar attitude grab you by your coat lapels and command you to pay heed. Brilliance all around.”
At the end of 2022, Apple Music Country launched Pickers Radio, hosted by Worsham. The 12-episode feature has most recently seen him chatting to Vince Gill and Dierks Bentley, who Worsham will be joining on his Gravel & Gold tour across the US in his band this summer.
One of Nashville’s most respected and beloved artists, in addition to his own work, Worsham is a frequent collaborator, having recently worked with Eric Church, Brandy Clark, Luke Combs, Vince Gill, Kacey Musgraves, Marty Stuart, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban among several others. In 2022, he was honoured with the ACM Award for Acoustic Guitar Player of the Year, and played in Dierks Bentley’s band for the Beers On Me Tour.
~ The UK Tour kicks off in Glasgow’s Old Fruit Market on March 30th, before finishing up at Bath, The Forum in Bath on April 18th.
On The Right TRAX 