Sturgill Simpson has released his second surprise bluegrass album in two months: Cuttin’ Grass’ Vol 2 – The Cowboy Arms Sessions (Vol 1 released in October). Produced by David Ferguson, Cuttin’ Grass Vol 2 is out now digitally on High Top Mountain Records via Thirty Tigers/The Orchard. Vinyl preorder available now for release April 2, 2021. Stream and download it here.
For ‘Cuttin’ Grass, Volume 2: The Cowboy Arms Sessions’, Simpson reunites with an A Team of acoustic musicians — now dubbed “The Hillbilly Avengers” – to once again revisit and reinterpret his catalogue. But going back into the studio so quickly after releasing Volume1 didn’t mean simply repeating a formula.
“On Volume 2, we recorded everything I was too afraid to do on Volume 1,” says Simpson. “It’s hard to deny that this is a much more personal record. I was thinking about my kids, my grandfather, my wife.”
TRACKLIST for Cuttin’ Grass Vol 2 – The Cowboy Arms Sessions
- Call to Arms
- Brace for Impact (Live a Little)
- Oh Sarah
- Sea Stories
- Hero
- Welcome to Earth (Pollywog)
- Jesus Boogie
- Keep It Between the Lines
- You Can Have the Crown
- Tennessee
- Some Days
- Hobo Cartoon
*All songs written by Sturgill Simpson, with the exception of “Hobo Cartoon” which is written by Merle Haggard and Sturgill Simpson
PLAYERS
Vocals, Rhythm Guitar: Sturgill Simpson
Mandolin, Vocals: Sierra Hull
Bass: Mike Bub
Fiddle, Vocals: Stuart Duncan
Banjo, Vocals: Scott Vestal
Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar, Vocals: Tim O’Brien
Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar, Vocals: Mark Howard
Percussion, Vocals: Miles Miller
Executive Producer: Ora Simpson
Produced: David Ferguson
Recorded and Engineered by: Sean Sullivan
Mastered by: Richard Dodd
Since breaking through in 2014 with his Grammy-nominated, ‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music’ album, Sturgill Simpson has established himself as one of the most daring and most acclaimed artists of our time. His music stretches across genres and styles, from the psychedelic soul of 2016’s ‘A Sailor’s Guide To Earth’ (Grammy-nominated for Album of the Year and winner for Best Country Album) to the fuzzed-out rock attack of Sound & Fury in 2019, which is currently nominated for Best Rock Album for the 2021 Grammy Awards.
Simpson debuted in 2013 with his independent release ,’High Top Mountain’. Since then, he has challenged musical expectations—from recording with Kesha to touring with Guns n’ Roses—and branched out into the world of film and television. After making his acting debut in the CBS All Access series$1, he has appeared in several movies, including Jim Jarmusch’s ‘The Dead Don’t Die’ (for which he also wrote and performed the theme song), and had a pivotal role in the award-winning ‘Queen & Slim’.
The ‘Sound & Fury’ album was accompanied by a ground-breaking anime film (an interest he picked up during his years in the Navy), on Netflix. Simpson also remains committed to philanthropy, supporting such non-profit organizations as the Special Forces Foundation, Equity Alliance, and MusiCares.
