New Jerry Douglas album in June

Reso-guitar sensation Jerry Douglas has a new album set for a June release. Like most of his recent projects, Traveler will feature a mix of his instrumental compositions with vocal interpretations by an eclectic group of singers.

And he’ll be using a lull in the Alison Krauss & Union Station schedule to tour in support of the record.

Though no tracks have been released yet, it’s safe to presume that the music on Traveler will run the gamut from Douglas’ bluegrass roots through and to the pop, rock and blues styles he has flirted with in the past. The list of guest vocalists bears this out. In addition to Jerry’s lead vocal debut, there are contributions from Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Mumford & Sons, Keb Mo and Alison Krauss. Del McCoury and Sam Bush sing some harmony.

On the instrumental side, Béla Fleck adds banjo, Sam Bush mandolin and Viktor Krauss bass, with performances from Dr. John on piano and Omar Hakim on drums.

Douglas says that the biggest difference on this project was putting himself under the authority of a producer, in this case the legendary Russ Titelman, whose writing, arranging and production credits in the American music industry are legion.

“For the first time in my career, I found myself ready to step completely out of my comfort zone to begin a solo recording project with a producer. Giving someone else the controls of a personal endeavor to allow myself the freedom to focus entirely on what I would want to play in this new situation was something I had never allowed myself.

This record is the culmination of a long career spent making friends and lending my sound to theirs. This time my friends have come onboard to lend their voices to me.”