The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Night After Night (New Release)
Night After Night marks the first studio recordings of original material since 2009’s Speed of Life – and their first release since 2022’s Dirt Does Dylan. Composed of only five songs, the EP highlights the signature mix of country, folk, rock, and pop that Jeff Hanna and company are so well known for. The title track harkens back to the feel of early recordings like those found on Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy.
According to Jeff, “My friend, Buddy Miller sent me the tune ‘Night After Night,’ written by two of my favorites, Paul Kennerly and Daniel Tashian. The band and Jerry’s response was an immediate ‘Oh hell yes!’ It’s right in our wheelhouse. Pretty easy to tell what a blast we had playing and singing it.” Jerry is Jerry Douglas who both produced the EP and plays Dobro and lap steel guitar on the recording.
Jeff Hanna co-wrote three of the remaining songs, including “Nashville Skyline” which was a bit of a family affair. Son Jaime Hanna sings lead on the song while Jeff and his wife, Matraca Berg, provide backing vocals. Jaime also co-wrote “For All The Good It Did.”
In addition to Jeff, the Dirt Band lineup includes longtime members Jimmie Fadden, and Bob Carpenter, along with Jaime Hanna, Ross Holmes, and Jim Photoglo. Night After Night is available to stream now. A vinyl edition – featuring the songs on one side and an etched graphic on the other – is available for pre-order on the band’s website. Orders are expected to ship on December 5, 2025.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band also has announced the next leg of their “All The Good Times: The Farewell Tour – 60 Years of Dirt.” The tour will include a show at the Grand Ole Opry House on May 13, 2026 – the 60th Anniversary, to the day, of the band’s formation.
Night After Night proves the Dirt Band is still creating music as vibrant as their legacy.
Tony Joe White – The Real Thang (Reissue/Archival Release)
As recently noted in American Blues Scene, the estate of Tony Joe White has re-released his 1980 album The Real Thang, now featuring the original tracks plus ten previously unreleased recordings. Tony Joe’s music blended blues, rock, R&B, and country into the swampy, funky sound that earned him the nickname “The Swamp Fox.” Few artists sounded like him – and even fewer played with such swagger.
The Real Thang did not garner much attention at the time it was released yet it contained standout tracks like “Red-Neck Women,” “Disco Blues,” “Mama Don’t Let Your Cowboys Grow Up To Be Babies,” and a harder edged “Polk Salad Annie.” The newly discovered tracks – including “Good-bye L.A.” and “Cowboy Singer” – are gems in their own right.
Waylon Jennings, Tony’s long time and frequent collaborator, appears on “Mamas Don’t Let Your Cowboys Grow Up To Be Babies” and is mentioned it the new track “Good-bye L.A.” Tony and Waylon also co-wrote the new release “Cowboy Singer.” Leann White, Tony’s wife, co-wrote half the tracks on the album.
According to Jody White, Tony’s son and long time manager, streaming numbers Tony Joe White are up over 60 percent in the last year. And there is “a lot more” unreleased material. According to Jody, “I can release new Tony Joe White music as long as I’m here.”
The Real Thang proves Tony Joe White left more than a legacy; he left a vault full of treasures.
Corey Ledet Zydeco & Black Magic – Live In Alaska (Live Album)
The Zydeco master’s 16th album, Live In Alaska, will be released on December 23rd – just in time for the chilly days of winter. Despite the season, the album will warm you up and have you dancing like a fais do-do (a Cajun dance party) on a Saturday night.
What can you expect from Live In Alaska? You can expect nothing less than energetic live renditions of English and Creole hits from Ledet’s previous fifteen albums – plus “Alaska Funk,” a new track that is an impromptu, onstage jam with Ledet and his skilled, Louisiana entourage.
“We created that song live on the spot,” said Ledet. “Like I told the audience ‘It’s amazing when you have great musicians, you can almost create a song off the top of your head’.” Improvisation seems to be in his blood. A self-described fan of all music, Ledet’s family connections include musicians who have played with Louis Armstrong, Ike & Tina Turner, Bobby “Blue” Bland, B. B. King, and others. All trace their roots to Parks, Louisiana – a village with less than 700 people.
Ledet may be rooted in Zydeco, but his heritage also enables him to embrace blues, jazz, Creole music and more.
“I love it all,” he says. “I want my music to be like a good gumbo – full of different styles. Everybody likes gumbo… That’s what I want my music to be.”
As for “Black Magic,” that is Ledet’s mysterious, new accordion featured prominently on the album. You can taste that musical gumbo when Live In Alaska drops on December 23.
