New Music Around Corner For Michael Martin Murphey, Patty Griffin, Chris Cagle & Allison Moorer

With 2010 just around the corner, we look ahead to some upcoming releases the first 45 days or so. We know there's a new Lady Antebellum and new Jessica Harp album forthcoming, but there are four additional albums that are very worthy of mention as well.

Michael Martin Murphey and his Bluegrass friends Ride Again on Buckaroo Blue Grass II (release date of 2/9/10)expanding on the passions of the first "Buckaroo Blue Grass" album, creating fully acoustic Bluegrass versions of songs about the region to which "Murph" has been deeply connected for a lifetime - the American Southwest. "Buckaroo Blue Grass II" reprises many of his classic songs performed with a stellar cast of top musicians and singers.

With Buddy Miller at the help producing the new album entitled Downtown Church, Patty Griffin's new album (1/26/10)will be a country artist's take on gospel. Mostly Buddy records in his living room, some blocks removed from Music Row in Nashville. Not this time. "One of the first things she said was she wanted a room where she could kind of feel her voice coming back to her," he says. "And my place doesn't necessarily fall in that category. So I thought of this downtown Presbyterian church. I'd just done a couple songs as part of a benefit there. It's the wildest looking thing, and it sounded beautiful," Buddy says. "So I thought it couldn't hurt to ask. The pastor said, `We're Presbyterians, we're very efficient, we only need it once a week.'" Buddy, too, is efficient; Downtown Church was cut live over the first week of January, 2009, with Patty Griffin singing from the pulpit.

Chris Cagle hasn't been heard from much lately, but Capitol Records will be releasing a new Best Of Chris Cagle album that will hit shelves on 2/9/10.

Oscar and Grammy nominated songwriter and alt-country artist Allison Moorer returns on 2/9/10 with a refined collection of songs that mark a stylistic departure from her previous work. On Crows, Moorer combines an astonishing vocal performance with new material primarily written on piano, rather than guitar.