Today, it ws announced that on May 12, 2015, Della Mae will release their second full-length set for Rounder.
Della Mae expands upon the musical achievements of the group’s widely acclaimed, Grammy-nominated 2013 breakthrough album This World Oft Can Be, which established the multi-talented female combo, which features Celia Woodsmith on vocals and guitar, Kimber Ludiker on fiddle and vocals, Jenni Lyn Gardner on mandolin and vocals, and Courtney Hartman on guitar, banjo and vocals, as a potent musical force.
With a sensitive yet assertive approach that’s steeped in tradition yet firmly rooted in the present, the four versatile instrumentalist/vocalists create vibrantly original music that conveys the band’s expansive musical vision with timeless lyrical truths and an unmistakably contemporary sensibility that places them alongside such roots-conscious young acts as the Avett Brothers, Punch Brothers, the Lumineers, and Hurray for the Riff Raff.
Della Mae finds the foursome embracing a fresh set of musical challenges with eleven compelling new tunes, including original compositions “Boston Town,” “Rude Awakening” and “For the Sake of My Heart,” as well as vivid, insightful readings of the Rolling Stones’ classic “No Expectations” and the Low Anthem’s haunting “To Ohio,” which showcase the quartet’s world-class musicianship and deeply expressive harmonies, as well as Celia Woodsmith’s subtly commanding lead vocals. Mandolinist Jenni Lyn Gardner and guitarist Courtney Hartman also step up to the mic to take memorable lead-vocal turns on “Good Blood” and “Long Shadow,” respectively.
Della Mae’s boundary-pushing direction is the product of the musicians’ fortuitous collaboration with producer Jacquire King, an iconoclastic sonic visionary who’s won Grammy awards for his work on such landmark albums as Tom Waits’ Mule Variations, Norah Jones’ The Fall, Buddy Guy’s Blues Singer, and Kings of Leon’s Only by the Night.
The producer’s talent for capturing creative chemistry and spontaneous moments of inspiration proved to be an ideal match for Della Mae’s vocal and instrumental skills, which were augmented on the album sessions by noted standup bassist Mark Schatz and Elephant Revival frontwoman Bonnie Paine, who contributes percussion and musical saw on several tracks. The album was recorded at Nashville’s storied Sound Emporium, and mixed at the LBT/Blackbird Studios.
Della Mae will announce touring plans in the coming weeks.