A deeply honest, intensely personal record, 'How To Be Okay Alone' channels loss and anxiety into acceptance and triumph as Cowles learns to make peace with his demons and redirect his search for satisfaction inwards. Blurring the lines between boisterous indie rock, groovy R&B, and contemplative folk, the music showcases both Cowles’ infectious sense of melody and his stunning vocals, which seem to swing effortlessly from quavering intimacy to a soulful roar as they soar atop his exuberant, explosive arrangements.

One of the best Americana Singer Songwriters is over in the UK with his band and will be performing a run of dates for Black Deer Live. Jarrod Dickenson was a highlight on the Ridge Stage at Black Deer Festival, so these shows will be in high demand.   If Jarrod Dickenson's third studio album, BIG TALK sounds like a mighty roar of defiance, that's not a design choice or a marketing decision. The big Texan is settling scores all over town and he means every f*cking word. So what happened in the years since the release of Dickenson's soulful sophomore long-player, Ready the Horses, to have turned this honey-voiced southern gentleman into a brawler? After a major label deal-gone-bad threatened to choke off his career and Covid complications left him with a life-long medical condition Dickenson would have certainly been forgiven for retreating to his Nashville home to lick wounds and maybe write a collection of introspective self-pity anthems. Instead, the hardships and infuriation of recent years have only added steel to the resolve of an artist already willing to do it the hard way, prepared to stand in the face of a music business that shows dwindling regard for the brand of artistry that first inspired him to pick up a guitar and sing for his life. This album represents Dickenson's most direct and uncompromising body of song writing to date, and his decision to occupy the producer's chair has injected BIG TALK with a drive and coherence that compliments the muscle of its material.   Dickenson now exists as a fiercely independent artist, a look that suits him well and allows his creativity to follow whatever path it damn well pleases. Nowhere is this attitude better encapsulated than in the bluesy rock and roll growl of his ferocious new album BIG TALK.