This dropping two singles at a time thing looks like it’s becoming a trend. But no one’s complaining about more music!
This time it’s Nashville singer, songwriter, and banjo player Brenna MacMillan, who for the past several years had a band with her brother Theo, called plainly enough, Theo & Brenna. These days the two are promoting their own new solo efforts, and hers is an album of her compositions, Dear Life, recorded with some of her favorite bluegrass and acoustic artists.
From that upcoming album come these two new songs, For Everything, featuring Sarah Jarosz, and If You Dare, co-written with Cory Walker and featuring Peter Rowan. Both are a little bit off the bluegrass track, though MacMillan’s banjo keeps them moored to the genre.
First up, For Everything, which finds a young woman unsure about whether a romance is taking her to the love of her life. It’s arranged in an acoustic country style, with pedal steel, piano, and drums. Very easy on the ear.
If You Dare takes even more risks, from the standpoint of a bluegrass artist, opening with Rowan’s Native American-inspired yodel, delivering an almost ambient track with saxophone from Eddie Barbash, twin fiddles from Billy Contreras – which always challenges the space-time continuum – electric mandolin from Mary Meyer, and Jake Stargel on guitar.
It’s a very interesting recording, though purists may balk.
Both of these new singles from Brenna MacMillan are available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
