Hi, Lee! Thanks for asking.
Normally I'd make this quick, but I feel like this is a forum of people that like to dig and explore.... so if you're ready for a deep dive, here we go.
So, Single Lock is based in Florence/Muscle Shoals, Alabama... so there's a lot of musical history that we try to live up to. The cool thing is that a lot of the guys that made those classic records still work in the studios to this day-- and they often appear on our releases. Our goal is to try to expose music from the South that you may not expect, but that we think you'll appreciate and grow to love. Our survival is based on a community of people that buy all of our releases because they trust our A&R... but every once in awhile, we have something that breaks out... which, again, brings people into our little musical community. It's a really neat thing to be a part of. We are distributed worldwide, but we're small enough that I can notice the traffic that a post on a great forum like this can generate... and to me, that's the best of both worlds.
We are a label that's run by musicians (John Paul White from The Civil Wars is a partner, as is Ben Tanner from Alabama Shakes. I play drums with John Paul White and Cedric Burnside and appear on a lot of our releases). Most of our releases are recorded in our studios, right here in the Shoals. So now that you've read the primer, here's some stuff I'd recommend! I'm really proud of this so there's a lot of recommendations... I'll try to make them brief.
St. Paul & the Broken Bones - Half the City - the record that broke our label out. Blue eyed soul music. Our biggest seller to date.
Dylan LeBlanc - Cautionary Tale - alt-country with groove and vocals that'll wow you. Another that re-launched a career.
John Paul White- The Hurting Kind - solo record from the former Civil Wars frontman. Cinematic countrypolitan from the best voice in the biz.
Belle Adair- Tuscumbia - power-indie-pop recorded at FAME Studios and mixed at Wilco's Loft. (I'm in this band!)
Cedric Burnside - Benton County Relic - R.L. Burnside's grandson continues the tradition of Hill Country blues. Grammy nominated in 2019.
Erin Rae - Putting On Airs - Indie-folk from the singer everyone in Nashville wants to be. Brilliant written and sung. Americana nominated in 2019.
Erin Rae · Album · 2018 · 12 songs.
open.spotify.com
Caleb Elliott - Forever to Fade - Indie-swamp-folk-pop from Louisiana singer, funky and grooving... like gumbo, but with acoustic guitars.
Caleb Elliott · Album · 2019 · 12 songs.
open.spotify.com
Donnie Fritts - Oh My Goodness - A 76 year old songwriting legend makes his finest record, with help from his legendary friends. Like Randy Newman with some grit in the vocals. Donnie recently passed, so we're especially proud we were involved with his career.
Donnie Fritts · Album · 2015 · 12 songs.
open.spotify.com
The Prescriptions - Hollywood Gold - Power-pop with some roots. Like Wilco in the beginning. New record in 2020 with music produced by Brendan Benson of The Raconteurs.
The Prescriptions · Album · 2019 · 11 songs.
open.spotify.com
The Kernal - LIGHT COUNTRY - Hyper literate country from a shit-hot band that writes some of the funniest, memorable tunes you'll hear.
The Kernal · Album · 2017 · 9 songs.
open.spotify.com
So there ya go. If you are a deep diver, I think your interest will be rewarded. If anyone has any questions, do let me know. Thanks for being voracious listeners... and if there's anything here you like (including, obviously, Nicole's wonderful
Goodnight Rhonda Lee, you can order it directly from us (
www.singlelock.com) and our crack staff of 3 will lovingly prepare and ship to you quickly, with extra goodies typically included like stickers and stuff. Sometimes Amazon beats us by a day (especially this week, as most of us are at Americanafest) but we think it's worth it to order direct... and we work hard to keep the prices low.
Thanks everyone! I hope you find something that brings you some joy. Y'all have a wonderful day!
You simply can not go wrong.
