As 2006 fades from memory, there’s a wealth of great music on the horizon in 2007. Here are a few eagerly awaited arrivals.
Jake Brennan
Its hard to believe that it has been three year’s since Love and Bombs, Jake Brennan’s last release. Brennan is expected to return later this year with a stripped down sound that features only Brennan accompanying himself on electric guitar. Picture early Billy Bragg as you listen to this preview.
Audio Download: Do You Remember What Joe Strummer Said
[source: Fenway Recordings]
The Rudds
Word has it that the band is taking a more rootsy turn for their forthcoming album although I expect that we’ll see a few of the hearty rockers for which the band has become known. Recent live performances have featured the enjoyable “Cranberry Windbreaker” and perhaps we’ll see the more rockin’ “Another Mile,” taken here from an April live show.
Audio Download: Another Mile
[source: The Rudds]
Glitter in the Gutter, Jesse Malin
The album title says it all. Long-time New Yorker Malin got his start in the punk band D Generation before establishing a solo career as a acoustic-based singer-songwriter. Early previews of this album show Malin recapturing the qualities that made 2003’s The Fine Art of Self Destruction such a gem. Imagine great hooks with a proper New York sneer.
Sample “Black-Haired Girl” from the forthcoming release, featuring the lyric “Wanna go for a ride, just like Bonnie and Clyde around the world. I can never resist my little anarchist, black-haired girl.”
Audio Download: Black-Haired Girl
[source: Jesse Malin]
Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers
One of rock’s most engaging live performers is marching towards an early spring release of their latest album. Clyne typically delivers heartland rock and roll with a high energy quotient and I expect no less with the latest release.
Mike Errico
Like Jake Brennan, it has been four years since Errico’s last release. I’ve little doubt that it will be worth the wait for Errico’s planned 2007 release. Sharp lyrics and catchy melodies are an Errico hallmark. Though he typically mines an acoustic-based sound, I’m partial to this rock re-mix of a long-standing Errico live staple
Audio Download: Daylight (Remix)
[source: Mike Errico]
Will Hoge
There’s little doubt that Will Hoge is a Twangville favorite and we are thrilled that Hoge is promising two releases in 2007. First up is a live album recorded during a two-night stand in Nashville last September. That will be followed later in the spring by a studio release. In anticipation of the live release, here’s a live version of a Twangville favorite expected on the next studio release.
Audio Download: Washed by the Water
[source: Will Hoge]
Push Me on Home, Mic Harrison and the High Score
Formerly of the late, great V-Roys and Superdrag, Knoxville Tennessee’s Mic Harrison returns with Push Me on Home, a new solo release. Let the PBR flow with Harrison’s pleasant mix of bar-room rock and country.
Audio Download: Mighty Good Wine
[source: Mic Harrison]
Jim Boggia
Popster extraordinaire Jim Boggia is kind enough to offer us a glimpse into the recording of his anticipated 2007 release. My favorite moment is Boggia asking keyboardist Mike Frank “Can I have a Partridge Family kinda ‘da-da-da, da-da-da…’”
’”
And don’t forget 2006 Honorable Mention artists Susan Cagle and The Feeling, who are both expecting 2007 releases.
About the author: To change this standard text, you have to enter some information about your self in the Dashboard -> Users -> Your Profile box. 
