The Boot’s Weekly Picks: Aaron Raitiere, Gina Venier

Known throughout the industry as an acclaimed songwriter, Aaron Raitiere comes out of the shadows on “Single Wide Dreamer,” the latest single from his debut album of the same name due out May 6.

The stand out track was co-produced by Miranda Lambert and Anderson East and co-written with Jon Decious of Towne. "Single Wide Dreamer" is a combination of two songs that Raitiere and Decious wrote about each other while they were living together in Decious’ trailer, following Raitiere’s home burning down. -- Matt Wickstrom

On "The Spur," Louisville native Joan Shelley marches on with frequent collaborator Nathan Salsburg to make the world a better place. Over a dogged rootsy sound, she sings gently of solidarity and encouragement, urging friends and enemies alike to "ride faster, now, until the old world's a blur." -- Annie Parnell

Gina Venier's stellar new track "Nora Jane" tells the relatable tale of the nervousness and worry that can bubble up when introducing your signficant other to loved ones for the first time. But for Venier, who happens to be queer, the honest and heartfelt song is especially personal.

With "Nora Jane," Venier looks back on her own experience of coming out and the questions that flooded her mind before that pivotal moment when family members were introduced to her girlfriend for the first time. It's hard not to feel a little teary when Venier finds that weight lifted, proclaiming "my dad wasn't so tough when I brought you home, mom gave me a hug when I told her you're the one I love." -- Lorie Liebig

Somerset, Ky. native Cody Lee Meece turns up to 11 on “Big Bad Love,” a country rock thrasher that leads off his just released Death Before Pop Country EP. The angsty tune describes a tumultuous relationship where, despite being treated badly, he just couldn’t walk away. This is alluded to throughout the song, but perhaps no more raw than when Meece sings “I didn’t learn to take you / along with a little tequila and some salt and lime / but all this drinkin’ can stop me from thinkin’ about you / my big bad love.” -- Matt Wickstrom

S.G. Goodman lets loose on her hard-driving new single "All My Love is Coming Back to Me." Over a rootsy psych-rock beat, Goodman uses her clarion voice to celebrate openness and connection. "I kept the fight within my soul," she celebrates, praising the return of a fulfilled self and a love so big you can see it. -- Annie Parnell

Journeyman musician and assistant producer for NPR’s Mountain Stage radio show, John Inghram steps into the spotlight on “Palisades.” The first single from his debut, self-titled album out May 13, "Palisades" leans heavily into 60’s and 70’s era psych-folk sounds with an ethereal organ and fuzzed out electric guitars as Inghram sings of embracing the present and living in the moment. -- Matt Wickstrom

Genevieve DeGroot composed this newest single for the indie-folk band Sadurn while participating in a work exchange program in North Carolina. Steeped in tenderness and earnest apologies, the lyrics ask to be invited back in after getting lost, confessing immediately that "honey, I was wrong" while also leaving space to explain what happened. -- Annie Parnell

76-year-old soul singer Johnny Ray Daniels testifies to the power of Jesus on “Jesus Is Waiting,” the latest single from his forthcoming debut album Whatever You Need, out May 6.

The song, full of swinging gospel harmonies, tells the story of a car crash Daniels suffered that he thought he’d need a kidney replacement from before getting told by doctors after a few days of praying that his kidneys were fine. -- Matt Wickstrom