Oh, 2025, what musical delights will you bring to us this year? 2024 started off strong but then quickly lost momentum. Hopefully, you’re more of a marathoner than a sprinter. This is a solid start off the blocks. Keep it up! But pace yourself.

Let’s round ’em up.

Joel Timmons — Psychedelic Surf Country

Country? Well, it is and it isn’t. Kind of singer-songwriter, kind of outlaw, kind of something different. It’s country in the way John Prine or Jimmy Buffet are country. But those guys don’t have a rockin’ road song that suddenly breaks into a 10cc-style chorus about being pulled over with a van full of weed by a cop with a drug-sniffing dog named Turbo. There are also songs about watching his Dad light a Christmas tree bonfire, about being a bullfighter, and about life as an East Nashville cowboy. (Okay, that last one is full-on country.) Humor, truth, and a wonderful world to inhabit for 40 minutes.

The Altons — Heartache In Room 14

If you had told me this was recorded in the late 60s or early 70s I wouldn’t have questioned you for a second. Slow and sexy Latin beats (and sometimes lyrics) with soulful male/female duets. Light some candles, pour a little wine, and let the mellow retro vibe take you away.