Mandy Barnett is releasing her first new album in five years, and the new project, Strange Conversation, is a little out of the box for the torch singer with the chameleon-like chops. Produced by Marco Giovino and Doug Lancio for Thirty Tigers and Barnett’s own label Dame Productions and due out September 21, Strange Conversation positions the vocalist somewhere between obscure vintage pop and modern progressive songwriting.

“We went to Muscle Shoals to make the record,” Barnett says. “Which was a big thing, because that environment, all the music that happened there, just seeps in. I was working with all new players, and we were going deeper into some things I’ve always touched on, but never really explored.”

Among the tracks on the new album are her take on Neil Sedaka’s “My World Keeps Slipping Away,” which was pitched directly to her by the songwriting legend himself, a McCrary Sisters-embellished version of Andre Williams’ “Put a Chain On It,” which offers a soul-gospel turn, and a carny Western take duet on Sonny & Cher’s “A Cowboy’s Work Is Never Done,” which features John Hiatt.  

Barnett finds herself reaching new ground vocally on the new collection, which is saying something for the artist who’s been recording since she was a teen. “I’ve come to a place were I didn’t want to be as polished and as lush as before. I’ve always felt like a rebel, because I never did all the flavor-of-the-month stuff, but you can get stuck in that, too. This time, I discovered facets about me I didn’t know. I heard shadings, nuances to bring out. I can still belt, but you know, you don’t have to hit a high C every time.”

Strange Conversation Track Listing:
“More Lovin’”
“It’s All Right (You’re Just in Love)”
“Dream Too Real to Hold”
“Strange Conversation”
“A Cowboy’s Work Is Never Done” (featuring John Hiatt)
“Puttin’ on the Dog”
“All Night”
“My World Keeps Slipping Away”
“The Fool”
“Put a Chain on It”

Woman Walk The Line: How The Women of Country Music Changed Our Lives has been chosen as one of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2018 Author’s Series Selections, and anchors a Women in Country Music Day on Saturday, July 21 with Wanda Jackson.

Moderated by editor Holly Gleason, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame panel will feature several of the book’s contributors including Jackson, Aubrie Sellers, former CREEM editor Deborah Sprague, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Director of Artist Relations Shelby Morrison reading and discussing a woman’s place in country music. The day of celebration will conclude appropriately with music, culminating in a performance by the legendary rockabilly queen herself.

Along with appearing on the panel, Jackson is busy working on brand new music. Fellow female Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame member Joan Jett is producing the as-yet-unnamed project, which is currently anticipated for a 2019 release. After decades of recording covers, Jackson hit the writing room for this project, co-writing with many Nashville songwriters including Angaleena Presley of the Pistol Annies. “Ex’s and Oh’s” singer Elle King also contributed a song to the new project.

On August 4, Woman Walk The Line: How The Women of Country Music Changed Our Live will also serve as the focal point for a final panel in conjunction with the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Loretta Lynn: Blue Kentucky Girl exhibition. Brenda Lee, Jeannie Seely, Gleason, and Aubrie Sellers will discuss Lynn’s impact, as well as the power of women’s voices in contemporary life across country music. Book signings will follow each event.

Jim Lauderdale will release two albums on Aug. 3, including his new project Time Flies, as well as Jim Lauderdale And Roland White.

Lauderdale’s 30th and 31st studio albums respectively, the releases mark the singer/songwriter’s return to the Yep Roc roster after a decade apart.

Time Flies was produced by Lauderdale and Jay Weaver at Nashville’s Blackbird Studio and House of Blues Studio. Meanwhile, Jim Lauderdale And Roland White is Lauderdale’s previously unreleased first full-length album, a collection of bluegrass classics recorded in the basement of Earl and Louise Scruggs’ Nashville home in 1979. The master tapes went missing for 39 years and were only recently rediscovered at the bottom of a box by White’s wife.

Brandi Carlile’s Girls Just Wanna Weekend music festival will take place Jan. 30–Feb.3, 2019 at the all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico. The brand new destination concert vacation will feature an all female-fronted lineup produced by Cloud 9 Adventures in partnership with The Bowery Presents. In addition to multiple shows by Carlile, Girls Just Wanna Weekend will feature Maren Morris, Indigo Girls, Margo Price, Patty Griffin, Lucius, KT Tunstall, The Secret Sisters and Ruby Amanfu.

“Mainstream festivals in the U.S. habitually exclude women as headline artists equal to men,” Carlile says. “I was brought up by Lilith Fair to believe that men and women enjoy live music equally and that women can not only headline a festival—they can BE a festival. I’m proud to announce that our festival has an ALL female-fronted lineup. I would absolutely LOVE to see a ton of men there supporting women in rock and roll, I want to see mothers with children, single people, LGBTQ brothers and sisters letting it all go for a weekend together in harmony (with bottomless tequila on hand to assist).”

Tickets to Girls Just Wanna Weekend go on sale to the public Wednesday, Aug. 1 at 12:00 p.m. ET. Members of the Bramily Fan Alliance—Carlile’s official fan club—will get access to opt-in to an exclusive pre-sale through the Bramily website until Wednesday, July 25. Those who register will be eligible for a pre-sale beginning Tuesday, July 31. Complete details regarding the festival and packages are available via girlsjustwannaweekend.com.