One old, one new-
'Dangerous' Don Rich & The Buckaroos-Country Pickin' The Don Rich Anthology.
At Christmas I got the Bear Family Bakersfield Sound boxset. Don was the bandleader, guitarist, fiddle player, and harmony singer with Buck Owens until a motorcycle accident killed him at a young age. Though I loved the classic Buck Owens stuff already, I didn't know much about Don, but he was arguably the star of the set, both in the number of photos of his always smiling presence, but for his musical skills which were on many of the other artists in the Buck Owens empire. I bought this one because it features him on lead vocals, but also let his fiddle work shine.
Kaia Kater-Strange Medicine- released just last Thursday. For those who may not be familiar, Kaia is a Canadian singer songwriter, and talented banjo player. At a record fair a few years ago, I was struck by the vibrant sight of her previous album 'Grenades' and bought it on the spot. After just a few listens, this effort really expands exponentially from Grenades however. Mostly minimalistic music, along with Kaia's unique phrasing vocally and well crafted songs makes for a beautiful and original listen. Attached is her song 'The Internet' which I think is really provocative.
https://youtu.be/5IE0F3wViDk?si=--Rv-dC8gQX_hFTp