Three brand new folk songs that bring classic elements into a fresh new sound

Neomi – “It’s Never Easy (Leaving Someone Behind)”
-For fans of Joni Mitchell. Full stop. End of review. I’m not sure I need to say anything else about this song. The overall sound is beautiful, unhurried, and has this blissful atmospheric quality to it. If you’re a fan of bringing classic songwriting from the 60s into contemporary production styles, this song will surely connect. The understated style of the vocal works really well, too. It reminds me of those soft early morning or late night conversations with someone you’re intimately close with, where you’re talking and connecting. It’s ultimately a song about leaving someone and how hard that can be, but the clarity on the bridge (with layered vocals) is absolutely outstanding. The whole song is a genuine production and a listening experience. It’s so much more than a “simple” folk tune; this is artful.

Salt Tree – “Cold Hard Ground”
-When the folk revival (revival?) hit in the early 2000s with bands like Mumford and Sons, I was happy to clap hands and grin along with those new tunes. That feels like “recent history” to me, but when I look at the calendar I realize that was a good 25 years ago. So if this sound was a revival of a revival, are we on the folk revival revival revival now? Anyways, jokes aside, I love this sound from Salt Tree. The banjo really pops on this one and the stomp n’ clap rhythm is really satisfying. The lyrical concept is about a friend (or maybe partner) who makes you feel better, who pulls you up out of your malaise. One of my favorite subtle elements is how the vocal harmonies have this almost haunting old-timey element to them. I’m not sure of the influences of this band, but it’s more than just the most recent revival; I can feel a connection to traditional rootsy sounds. This is a quality folk tune and I’m glad to have found it.

Andrew Buckner – “You Are My Sunshine (Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell cover)
-I rarely feature covers here, so when I do it’s because it’s on another level. There are probably some music terms I could use to describe this, but it’s the feeling that I got from first listen (and the many that have followed). It feels like a warm hug. It feels like childhood. It feels like family. But don’t forget that this is a heartbreak song. So while the composition has warmth, the lyrics are broken and painful. That’s exactly how it feels to live in 21st century America. There are all these beautiful lovely aspects that we love, the sunshine, but there’s so much brokenness and hatred. I don’t want to take away from the beauty of the song and write about political and social conditions; let’s just say that it resonated for more than just the heartbreak song that it is. It’s a lovely acoustic performance and an exceptional emotional vocal expression that elevates the meaning of the lyrics. It’s more than a cover of a classic tune; it brings the song back to life in a way that connected deep in my own soul. I may be writing about it again at the end of the year — it’s that good.