Six podcasts in featuring some of the best in country and Americana music and I do believe I’m hitting a stride. Or something. Whatever, it getting even more fun!

This episode may be  the best yet! On the cut, “Hero,” Willie Nelson shares the spotlight with Jamey Johnson and Billy Joe Shaver off his new release “Heroes.” Austin Lucas with Glossary sends me a rough mix of “Alone in Memphis” being backed by his current tour mates Glossary. Delta Rae proves the power of the voice in the fiery ” Bottom of the River” from their debut album “Carry The Fire.”things end out with a tribute to the great Levon Helm from his Grammy award winning “Dirt Farmer.”

I hope you all enjoy the great Americana and roots music featured in this and all the podcasts  and hope you seek out the musicians and buy their music, merch and , most importantly, take all your friends and see them live. Remember you can leave requests or feedback below or email me at baron(at)twangnation(dot)com.

Now, kick back with your adult beverage of choice and let Twang Nation remind you what great music sounds like.

1. Jason Eady – song:  “AM Country Heaven”  album: “AM Country Heaven” (Underground Sound)
2. Marty Stuart -  song:  “Tear The Woodpile Down” -  album: “Nashville, Volume 1: Tear The Woodpile Down”  (Sugar Hill Records)
3. Delta Rae -  song: “Bottom of the River” – album:  “Carry The Fire” (Sire Records)
4. Shawn Mullins – song: “Give God The Blues” – album:  “Mercyland – Hymns For The Rest Of Us” (Mercyland Records)
5.  Giant Giant Sand  -  song: “Detained”  – album: “Tucson” (Fire Records)
6. Paul Thorn  -  song: “What the Hell Is Goin’ On”- album: “What the Hell Is Goin’ On” (Perpetual Obscurity)
7.  Willie Nelson - song: “Hero” – album: “Heroes” (Sony Music Entertainment)
8. Austin Lucas with Glossary - song: “Alone in Memphis” album: Demo
9. The Mavericks – song: “Born To Be Blue” – album: “Suited Up and Ready EP” (The Valory Music Co.)
10. Levon Helm – song: False hearted lover blues album: Dirt Farmer (Dirt Farmer Music)

Were you there? That December night in Raleigh when Delta Rae crashed the Lincoln? I would like to have been there since live albums generally don’t quite recapture the essence of what went down between the band and the fans. Nonetheless, this is a pretty darned good stab at it and one that I’m sure will mean a lot to Delta Rae’s hometown crowd.

What we’ve got here is a lean, mean recording of a terrific gig. Musically, there is very little fat to trim. It’s a six-person band with four singers. A Southern sound, to be sure, something I imagine that Gregg Allman might get behind. Something Ronnie Van Zandt might have appreciated, casting an old timer’s approving glance their way.

“Holding on to Good” is a lovely piano-driven start to the night. Funny, because of the keys, I can imagine Meat Loaf singing, “Sometimes I think about the way you held me in the morning.” Meat’s good but he’s no four-part harmony.

So, if you like intricate vocal harmonies, there’s a hell of a lot to like here. This band sings. From the gut. Out loud. Without irony. Nearly every song is rich with three- and four-part harmonies. Anyone can appreciate the effort that goes into creating that labyrinth of voice. The potential for missing pitch and getting lost in the mix is big. Holding distinct notes and making room for what the next person is doing is hard. Like Ghostbusters-not-crossing-streams-hard. And for the most part, as in “Bottom of the River” and “Fire,” Delta Rae showcases its best assets beautifully.

Over the entire 11 tracks, there are few sour notes. Kudos to the band for keeping those human moments on tape. After all, no gig is perfect. And in the age when auto tuning is at everyone’s fingertips, it’s refreshing to hear the wild, frenetic, real thing. Soundboard recordings are notorious, too, for turning bright acoustic guitars into dead fish being slapped with boat oars. Not so here. It’s a respectable mix.

“Chain on Love” is a bold standout, written in reaction to California’s gay marriage ban. Sample lyric: Jesus taught it but now we’ve caught it / And we won’t let it run wild again / Love doesn’t know that it’s a sin.

Does the Tarheel crowd boo? Is there raucous applause? Have to get the album!

“Rain Down on Me,” the center point of the recording, is about as heavy as it gets. Drums bash away, lead vocal is scratchy as a wooden leg, and the distortion pedal gets its due.

This record finds Delta Rae in that middle place between self-titled e.p. and forthcoming major label debut (Sire). It’s fun to hear the sentiment, the unabashed sleeve-heartedness that occurs in the banter between songs and in the music itself. I get goose bumps wondering what the road is going to do to these six musketeers, their songs, and their all-for-one-for-all dynamic. What will change?

Let’s follow Delta Rae and find out.

TIP: YouTube has videos from songs at the gig that didn’t make the album. While you’re there, look up the official video for “Bottom of the River.” It’s addictive.