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With his 2020 album Starting Over, Chris Stapleton demonstrates just maybe there is still hope for country music of the major label variety. Whereas Stapletonâs excellent new one holds tightly to the traditional side of country music equation, the thinking here is itâs more of an anomaly and country will stay the course on the road to pop-ville. Then again, the album did debut at the number one position on the Billboard country album charts in the first week of release, so obviously the traditional side of the genre is still resonating to people somewhere. Simply put, it is an album highly worthy of ears and receives the Ear Bliss look-see this week along with the latest album from Americana country cat Brent Cobb. Keep âEm On They Toes is the name of Cobbâs latest. His first album since relocating back to his native Georgia after stints in Nashville and Los Angeles, it is a reflective affair about his thoughts and feelings about both his own life and what heâ�
Youâre a musician, so what do you do when locked down during a pandemic? Well, you certainly canât tour. In the case of many musicians, you make a record which is exactly what the two artists in this weekâs Ear Bliss spotlight accomplished. First up is the latest album from Sturgill Simpson called Cuttinâ Grass. If you are looking for the blues and rockinâ Sturgill Simpson shredding Hendrix-like on electric guitar, his latest will not be your cup of tee. Shredding on acoustic guitar, banjo, and fiddle is more like it with Cuttinâ Grass on which Simpson goes bluegrass reprising some of the best songs from his previous albums. From there we head to Sweden for an album by a newcomer to these ears named Christian Kjellvander. Titled About Love and Loving Again, it was recorded in May of 2020 at a time, when of course, much of Europe was under strict lockdown, with the famous exception of Sweden. The lack of COVID restraints allowed Kjellvander to enter a Sto