O Brothers & Sisters, Where Art Thou?

Well, with the hot fall release months - September and October - nearly upon us, I'm starting to wonder what all my favorite artists are up to. Here's a few examples:

• Joe Henry
  Last release: Tiny Voices (2003)
  What he's been up to: Joe's pretty much excused, since he's produced no fewer than three releases this year (Ani DiFranco, Aimee Mann, upcoming Betty LaVette).
  Prediction: He still apparently has a relationship with Anti Records so I'm still hopeful that we'll see his next record this year or very early next. It's probably done and just depends on his own busy schedule.
  
  
• Emmylou Harris
  Last release: Stumbling Into Grace (2003)
  What she's been up to: Emmylou is always busy - she's touring with Elvis Costello right this second. She's apparently broken ground on some new songs, but I've not heard any rumblings about any serious progress.
  Prediction: She's got lots of touring on her schedule. Nothing this year for sure, though her deal with Nonesuch seems secure for the moment.
  
  
• Gillian Welch
  Last release: Soul Journey (2003)
  What she's been up to: Gillian spent the first half of this year in Nashville, playing occasional dates at The Station Inn and presumably recording.
  Prediction: She owns her own record label. So if the record is ready, I'm sure it will be out this year. With no big record company lead time, it is probably still reasonable to assume that it is forthcoming.
  
  
• Ryan Adams
  Last release: Cold Roses (May 2005)
  What he's been up to: Ryan and Lost Highway made a big splash about releasing three records this year. So far, Cold Roses made it out of the gate on time and the second release (September) is slated for a Sept. 13 release (though nothing official has materialized).
  Prediction: Lost Highway is going to look pretty silly if they get cold feet about this scheme. Cold Roses was very well received, and Adams appears to be ready to tour for a while to support all of the records. For once, it appears Adams is going to get his way.
  
  
• Julie Miller
  Last release: Broken Things (1999)
  What she's been up to: Not much. Julie Miller has been racked by family tragedy and health problems for the last few years. At one point, her husband Buddy declared her new solo record about two-thirds complete, and presumably she was signed to a deal with New West, along with Buddy. He has spent some time back in Nashville lately, taking a break from his usual breakneck pace and hopefully working on her record.
  Prediction: 50/50 for this year. New West has been juggling a lot of artists, but they have yet to release any information on their fall line-up. Could still happen.
  
  
• Lucinda Williams
  Last release: Live at the Fillmore (May 2005)
  (Last studio release: World Without Tears (2003))
  What she's been up to: Lucinda is currently touring behind her oft-delayed live record. There were some rumblings about dissatisfaction with her record label, Lost Highway.
  Prediction: No new studio material on the horizon. Lucinda may be returning to her former glacial pace.

So except for Adams, 2005 has been pretty devoid of A-List releases, from my standpoint. 2004 was pretty much a banner year (Patty Griffin, Allison Moorer and Sam Phillips released new records within three weeks of each other) so I guess it could be expected. Anyway, it has forced me to dig a little deeper for cool new albums, and there have been some surprises along the way.

Here is my current Top 5 for '05 (so far):

1. Aimee Mann - The Forgotten Arm
2. Ryan Adams - Cold Roses
3. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
4. Spoon - Gimme Fiction
5. Rodney Crowell - The Outsider