Delta Spirit, Lucero [week's Top Releases]

This week is relatively quiet when it comes to new releases, but that’s probably a good thing. Most of the music world will be in Austin navigating the daunting landscape of SXSW, so listening to new albums will likely be put on the back burner until the festival is over. Lucky for those of us who can’t be there, we can listen to these two new albums and ease the sting of jealousy.

California rock band Delta Spirit (@deltaspirit) waited until their third album to release a self-titled LP, which Frontman Matt Vasquez claims is because the band is finally coming into their own sound — the sound they most want to be identified with. Apparently, that sound is very reminiscent of My Morning Jacket, but Delta Spirit still manages to maintain some of the old stripped-down roots aesthetic of their previous records.

Click to listen to Lucero’s album, Women & Work

Lucero’s (@luceromusic) brand of country-tinged punk rock took a bit of a soul turn with the addition of a horn section on 2009’s 1372 Overton Park, and Women & Work expands on this element. The new album was recorded in the band’s home base of Memphis and utilized veteran session players, giving Women & Work a warm Memphis soul that pairs nicely with Lucero’s gritty guitars and raspy vocals.