Exploring the lives and emotions of the characters he brings to life is how Austin Cunningham describes his formula for success. "When I write a heartbreak song, for example, I don't want to just say, oh so and so broke my heart, and leave it at that," he says. "I want to get behind the motivation of the breakup...what was going on in the characters mind and heart there's always more to the story than meets the eye, and that's something I want to try to capture when I write. I also like to try to put a positive spin on things and maybe add a little inspirational twist."

Texas-based troubadour Wade Bowen releases his first studio album in nearly three years, If We Ever Make It Home on Sustain Records. The lead single "You Had Me At My Best" is already a Top 3 single on the Texas Music Chart and is poised to be his second #1 hit.

Sharing a mutual love of roots, rhythm & blues (and cheap blended whiskey) Sam West, Calum McCann, Michael Law and Graham McGeoch formed soon-to-be internationally acclaimed band The Fortunate Sons in a smoky Glasgow West End flat in 2005. They cut their teeth in the wee hours jamming rhythm & blues in dark and dirty venues till the next morning when they picked up their coats and cases and moved on.

It's been 22 years since Luke Olson made his on-stage debut, and 13 years since he cut his first album. Pretty amazing when you consider the San Antonio singer/songwriter just turned 30. Now the decidedly un-grizzled veteran is releasing his fifth album, Red River Blue, on Sustain Records.

Muldaur departs from her signature romantic blues sound for what she calls her first protest album. She covers thirteen peace-centric tunes originally recorded by Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, Allen Toussaint, Buddy Miller, Edwin Starr, and even Garth Brooks, and is backed by "The Women's Voices For Peace Choir" composed of legendary female singers, activists, writers, and other prominent women.

Honestly, it's a mystery why Roger Creager isn't a bigger star. He's one of the hardest working men in country music, playing over 150 shows a year, and his music straddles the line between mainstream country pumped out of Nashville, and stripped down Texas Country for local purists. It's a winning combination, and one heard on his fourth studio album, "Here It Is."

"I've always written stories about people and how we get along," says Kate Campbell. "I kept thinking about that phrase, 'save the day,' and it can be used in so many different ways. It began to have a life of it's own in this album."

Home to Carolina is the sixth release for this North Carolina quintet. Since November 1997, The Grass Cats have been “prowling” the stages of North Carolina establishing a name for themselves as an exciting and entertaining band while gaining critical acclaim and a swelling fan base.

A true Canadian troubadour, Gordon Lightfoot has given the world some incredibly memorable songs. When you think of the "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", Lightfoot's voice is immediately remembered. "If You Could Read My Mind", "Early Morning rain", "Sundown" and "Baby Step Back" will never become less important to music history. Gordon Lightfoot has been hailed as one of the greatest songwriters by many fans and artists alike. Harmony is a new CD with new material, not a greatest hits package, I just wanted to set the stage for you before you get ready to experience Harmony!

Fayssoux McLean’s beguiling voice was an integral element in some of the finest country music recordings of our time. She sang harmony (under the name Fayssoux Starling) all over the great early Emmylou Harris records “Luxury Liner,” “Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town,” “Elite Hotel,” and “Pieces of the Sky.” and had prominent duets with Emmylou on the songs “Spanish is a Loving Tongue” and “Green Rolling Hills.”

Ten years after he re-launched his solo career with the "roots rap" album Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, former House of Pain leader Everlast has succumbed entirely to the contemporary alt-rock blues.

Dan Baird (Georgia Satellites) has made a habit of working with cool and talented rock & roll folks, and the first proper album from Dan Baird & Homemade Sin offers a lineup that should impress anyone with a taste for good and greasy hard rock boogie.

Chris Berardo embodies everything I love about poplar music - a pleasing voice, beautiful melodies and hooks, well crafted lyrics. Shades of The Eagles and Poco combine with a Southern rock sensibility, creating a fresh sound unlike the usual cookie cutter country-rock of today.

Sometimes labels get in the way of great music. Over the years, Bruce Robison, a singer-songwriter from Bandera, Texas, has acquired more than a few, and many of them have done him a disservice. While literally a “Texas singer-songwriter,” Robison’s range as a songwriter extends far beyond the borders of Texas. And while he’s played on “Americana” stations, his music can’t be pigeonholed into a category. One could just as easily see Robison’s music being played in a Boston coffeehouse or a Chicago blues bar, as in a Texas honky-tonk.