The Boot’s Weekly Picks: The Whitmore Sisters, Allison Moorer + More
Every week, The Boot highlights recent favorites from country, Americana and everything in between. In every list, you'll find picks from our contributing team that we think you'll love. Keep reading to check out the latest installment of The Boot's Weekly Picks.
Trixie Mattel ft. Shakey Graves
"This Town"RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars winner Trixie Mattel is gearing up to release her double album project The Blonde & Pink Albums later this year. She recruited alt-folk standout Shakey Graves for "This Town," a reflective, nostalgic tune driven by acoustic guitar. The song's music video was filmed in Mattel's hometown of Wausaukee, Wis. and brings fitting imagery to Mattel's lyrical painted landscape. -- Lorie Liebig
Allison Moorer
"Wish for You""Wish for You" is the first single from Allison Moorer's upcoming self-titled EP, due out Feb. 11 via Thirty Tigers. The inspiration for the project was her 11-year-old son, John Henry Earle, who is autistic and lives with a severe speech disability. When John Henry began creating his own unique melodies and humming them on repeat, Moorer wrote lyrics around them, turning them into full songs.
"Doing this EP set me free as a singer," she said in a statement. "John Henry's melodies are so interesting —they lean classical to my ear, and they're not necessarily western in tone — who knows how he's coming up with his tunes. I tried to get out of my comfort zone and be as open as possible when writing music around them."
-- Blake Ells
River Whyless
"Heaven and Light"River Whyless tucked themselves in the quiet hills just outside of Asheville, N.C. to record their latest batch of music. That experimental retreat resulted in Monoflora, due out April 8, and their recently shared lead single "Heaven and Light." The track's richly layered sound and perfected blend of vocals bring a lightness to their introspective, existential lyrics. -- Lorie Liebig
The Kernal (ft. Caitlin Rose)
"The Fight Song""The Fight Song" is a modern story of toxic love, backed by the twang of a steel guitar. He's mad about her Instagram posts. They're trying to work it out in therapy. But at this point, it's too far gone. The track, which also features standout vocalist Caitlin Rose, is from The Kernal's brand new album Listen to the Blood. -- Blake Ells
The Whitmore Sisters
"Big Heart Sick Mind"Bonnie Whitmore and her sister Eleanor (of The Mastersons) have teamed up for their first album as a duo, Ghost Stories. "Big Heart Sick Mind" is the fourth single released leading up to the record's release, and it fits perfectly into a collection of up-beat Western swing that's dark under the surface, with tales of death and love lost. -- Blake Ells