Carsie Blanton writes anthems for a world worth saving. Inspired by artists including Nina Simone and John Prine, Carsie delivers each song with an equal dose of moxie and mischief bringing her audience together in joyful celebration of everything worth fighting for.

Dori Freeman

Ten Thousand Roses, the fourth studio album from singer-songwriter Dori Freeman, showcases an artist who has cemented an inimitable signature sound while simultaneously establishing her as capable of a wide variety of styles. Freeman is about as “bonafide” as an Appalachian artist can be:  she was raised among a family of musicians in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. Yet here she shows how multifaceted she is as an artist and how eclectic she is as a person, defying and expanding notions of what it means to be someone from the region, a young woman in the music industry, and as an Americana artist.

Her soaring alto and singular style are on fine display throughout this collection of nine originals and one cover. She wrote the songs during the pandemic, when, like millions of others, she stayed home and spent more time outside. “I really observed and appreciated nature during that time,” she says. Natural elements such as storm-clouds, wildflowers, and spiders show up as motifs throughout the record, which examines everything from being deeply in love with someone to realizing that you don’t need another person to complete you.