Arden, North Carolina — Lexington, Kentucky progressive acoustic outfit NewTown releases their full album, Old World, today on Mountain Home after the release of two successful singles, “Naomi Wise,” and “Heart of Stone.”
Produced by Barry Bales of Alison Krauss and Union Station, NewTown’s Old World is a selection of material that shows how this band is transforming and rejuvenating traditional Southern music for the modern age. It’s a skilled blending of the conventional and the current.
With songs like “Heart of Stone” and “Long Hard Road” from acclaimed Roots/Country/Americana songwriter Tyler Childers, the material of Old World makes a statement about the band’s urgency to push boundaries beyond the expected conventions of Bluegrass.
The music is made dynamic by the shared vocals of Kati Penn Williams and husband Jr. Williams who each chose material for the release.
On “Naomi Wise,” Kati and Jr. capture the heart of the album with its lean on current material that harkens back to British Isles music where the roots genre finds its undeniable origins.
With their band, ace mandolin player Mitchell Cannon and bass aficionado Travis Anderson, Kati and Jr. are joined on vocals by each of the members and masterfully perform on fiddle and banjo/guitar. Acclaimed guitarist Aaron Ramsey also plays on the album.
Listen to Old World HERE.