Fresh Juice

Fresh Juice 16th February 2026

Cat Clyde – Man’s World

I have featured Cat Clyde in Fresh Juice in previous years but some artists are worth returning to again and again. It was the ‘Down Rounder’ record from 2023 and a blistering set at the End Of The Road festival that originally caught my ear, although that was actually her third long playing release having put a well received debut out in 2017. Over the years many have praised her ability to put a fresh spin on an old sound but I do not see things through such a retro lens. For me, the rocking country music that Cat delivers is raw and alive, very much a legitimate part of the 2026 landscape and I am excited to hear more of her vintage modernistic flavours when the new ‘Mud Blood Bone’ album is released on 13th March; you can pre-order that right away here: https://i.concordrecords.com/catclyde

GENA – Lead It Up

This is the latest single from the duo of Liv.e and Karriem Riggins who are about to release, on 27th February via Lex Records, a new album called ‘The Pleasure Is Yours.’ It is one of the most hotly anticipated records scheduled for the opening weeks of 2026 and this promo film tells you exactly why. These are subtle soulful sounds with a jazz flare and a cutting edge that could leave you bloodied and bruised. Just listen to those savage waves of distortion that tear it up as the song enters its finale. This is only one side of the sound GENA produce, flip things over and there are strong R&B and hip-hop elements as part of the cocktail too. This video film was directed by Cam Hicks and stars Liv.e, Karriem, Errol Chatman and Aijani Payne. Get your hands on this by visiting https://lexrecords.com/

Spencer Cullum – Rowan Tree

There are many acts around today who pull inspiration from the warm analogue sounds produced by British folk bands during the late sixties and early seventies. Sprinkled with a little acid guitar magic, buzzing with the throb of electricity against a deep traditional song structure and propelled by an organic rhythm section, it remains a sound that, the more it is repurposed for the present moment, moves way beyond the evocation of an era into an increasing timeless realm. Spencer and his various collaborators across different projects has proved himself to be one of the best, so it is fantastic to welcome ‘Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection 3,’ the concluding album of the ‘Coin Collection’ trilogy out on 27th March via Full Time Hobby. You can pre-order and reserve your copy via this link: https://spencercullum.ffm.to/cc3

Courtney Barnett ft. Waxahatchee – Site Unseen

This is a pairing that makes perfect sense on paper and is proving to be extremely fruitful in practice too. Courtney has been keeping that slacker, grunge energy, shot through with a little Lou Reed streetwise cool and wit, alive for more than ten years now whilst Waxahatchee has been responsible for some of the truly essential modern country sounds to come out of the US in the 21st century. She (real name Katie Crutchfield) appears with Courtney singing a high harmony part on this, a taster single from Barnett’s forthcoming ‘Creature Of Habit’ album which is due for release on 27th March. Get yourself a pre-order of the vinyl by following the link: https://cbmusic.lnk.to/CreatureOfHabit

John Andrews & The Yawns – Something To Be Said

Time for a bit of chilled reflection with this suitably laid back number, it comes from a modestly titled album arriving on 3rd April called ‘Streetsweeper.’ Like our previous artist, John Andrews has been on the scene for a good ten years or more now and, through his various connections in the indie rock world, has a growing reputation as a fine purveyor of vintage sounds and a classicists hand at song composition. The Yawns were initially an imaginary band as John played most of the instruments on his recordings himself but, gradually, he has evolved to the point we find him at today, capturing the authentic live sound of musicians cooking together in a room (albeit in a very relaxed manner). You can pre-order the album today via the link: https://earthlibraries.com/

The Claypool Lennon Delirium – WAP (What A Predicament)

I am sure they will not thank me for saying it but there is some real Beatle Juice bleeding into the kaleidoscopic audio of this new track. Of all the Beatles next generation, it is frequently Sean Ono Lennon that seems to be the most plugged in creatively and who so often delivers the goods. This is the band he formed with the Primus bassist and vocalist Les Claypool who have more recently expanded to include Joao Nogueria on keyboards and Paulo Baldi on drums. Once more for this weeks Fresh Juice, they are an act that have been around for about ten years and continue to evolve and stay relevant, this new music refining the ‘progadelic’ notion coined by Lennon in an effort to describe the bands music. Keep up with their new recordings and live dates here: https://theclaypoollennondelirium.com

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Fresh Juice

1st May 2023

Cat Clyde – Everywhere I Go

Brilliant opening track from the new ‘Down Rounder’ album released on her own Second Prize Records label. It is a record that has to be one of the most immediately enjoyable, familiar yet fresh records in a folky / country vein that I have come across in recent times. As this live version shows, Cat has a street wise edge to her delivery, a laid back nonchalance with a cutting edge and I strongly recommend checking out ‘Down Rounder’ for the highlights are many…

Miss Grit – Follow The Cyborg

Performing a new arrangement of the title track of their debut album, here New York based musician Margaret Sohn is incorporating strings and a strong visual aesthetic. The album is entirely self produced and the favourable influence of an artist like St Vincent is hard to ignore, particularly in the presentation style, the arch fusion of the melodic and electronic not to mention the fuzzy disturbance caused by the excellent guitar solo played here. Miss Grit is taking an already modernist sound and shaping it to their own vision with panache…

Night Beats – Hot Ghee

This band, the grungy kaleidoscopic vision of singer and songwriter Danny Lee Blackwell, are clearly not letting go of any momentum. It was in 2021 that I rated their ‘Outlaw R&B’ LP as one of my albums of the year, you can read my piece on that record here: https://fruit-tree-records.com/2022/09/28/night-beats-outlaw-rb/ ‘Hot Ghee’ is a heady psych storm taken from Night Beats’ new album ‘Rajan’ set to be released on July 14 2023 on Fuzz Club and Suicide Squeeze Records…

Mirna Bogdanovic – Wish I Didn’t Miss You

This is the superb official video for ‘Wish I Didn’t Miss You’ by Mirna Bogdanović from album ‘Awake’ set to be released on Berthold Records on May 12th. The song is probably best known in its original recording by Angie Stone but this version adds a delightful layer of menace and anguish. That is especially captured in this video where Mirna is portrayed torturing herself relentlessly observing the object of her emptiness as they move on to new beginnings in life whilst she remains weighed down with hurt and obsession. Powerful stuff amid a tasty new arrangement…

Sam Shackleton – Pretty Saro

Folk ballads are made to be sung and passed through generations but it takes a special kind of talent to inhabit them and make them breathe in the authentic way that Scottish singer Sam Shackleton does. He says of this busked performance from earlier in the year, “this was filmed in the courtyard of the Old College of the University of Edinburgh which dates back to the 1700’s. This place is very familiar to me and I was here many times during my 5 years studying ethnomusicology and folklore at this lovely university – I even took exams here! But now I’m back here playing my own Scottish version of this beautiful English folk ballad which also dates to the 1700’s. This song disappeared in England and Scotland but was later re-discovered in the musical folk tradition of the Appalachian mountains – carried there by early English and Scottish immigrants”…

Meshall Ndegeocello – Vuma

I will conclude this edition of Fresh Juice with a giddy, groovy slice of Africana that feels so right to welcome in the sunnier days ahead (weather wise at least). This is from Meshell’s new album, ‘The Omnichord Real Book’, which is released on Blue Note Records. That is a tantalising combination for the German born, American singer and songwriter once credited with helping to start the neo-soul movement and the legendary label famed for its quality releases and for remaining the first port of call for anyone investigating Jazz music now or any time over the past sixty or seventy years…

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