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Charles Wesley Godwin Announces New EP ‘Lonely Mountain Town’ Coming This Month
New music coming soon from one of the best in the game.
Over the past few years, you'd be hard-pressed to find anybody putting out better music than Charles Wesley Godwin.
From his debut album Seneca back in 2019 to his much-anticipated follow-up album How the Mighty Fall in 2021 and his major-label debut Family Ties in 2023, Charles has firmly cemented himself as one of the best storytellers in country music, and for my money it's not particularly close. In fact, I would have to say How the Mighty Fall might be one of my favorite albums of all time. Just a masterpiece in every sense of the world.
The West Virginia native signed with Big Loud Records back in 2023, and while it may have made some of his fans nervous to see their favorite Appalachian country artist sign with a Nashville record label, it's undeniable that the move has taken his career to new heights.
Charles spent much of 2024 on the road playing to packed venues across the country, but in between his own sold-out shows, he was able to open for Luke Combs on his massive Growin' Up and Gettin' Old stadium tour, while also making his late night television debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and performing at Stagecoach last spring.
Somehow though, he's also found time to write new music - and lucky for us, he's ready to release some of it into the world.
Charles announced today that he'll be releasing his next project, a 7-song EP called Lonely Mountain Town, on February 28. And ahead of that release, he's dropping the first single, "It's The Little Things," this coming Friday, February 7.
The new EP contains a couple of songs that fans who follow Charles on social media (or read our articles) may have heard already. Last summer, Charles dropped an acoustic teaser of "It's The Little Things," and also performed the unreleased song at the Grand Ole Opry back in December.
https://twitter.com/CharlesWesleyG/status/1806473435960508821
And in October, he teased another new one called "Dead to Rights," a Simon & Garfunkel song that he wrote with labelmate Ernest.
https://twitter.com/CharlesWesleyG/status/1845971071805084157
Well it looks like both of those songs made the tracklist for his new project, and Ernest will be joining him on the studio version of the song that they wrote together, his first collaboration with a fellow Big Loud artist.
But that's not the only collab he's got on the EP: The project also features a cover of "Hammer Down" by Jason Molina & Magnolia Electric Company, a song that Charles recorded with Avett Brothers frontman Scott Avett after the two teamed up to perform the song live while touring together last year as they were both opening for Luke Combs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvHQoD77QbE
And for those who were worried that being on a major label would change the music that we all love from Charles, that doesn't seem to be the case - at all. For the new project, Charles once again teamed up with his longtime producer, band member, and certified wild man on stage, Al Torrence, to record the album at Torrence's Music Garden Studios in Pennsylvania.
Speaking on the new songs, Charles said that the only thing that matters to him is keeping his head down and keep making music:
“I just want to continue writing like I have been and continue to record when I can and to keep producing and making music. Because that’s what makes me happy. If I keep doing that, then I think everything else will work out just fine.”
Charles has been the top artist on my Spotify Wrapped for three years now. And now that we have a new album from CWG on the way, it's safe to say that he's not in danger of losing that spot any time soon.
'Lonely Mountain Town' tracklist:
1. Lonely Mountain Town (Charles Wesley Godwin)
2. It’s The Little Things (Charles Wesley Godwin)
3. Dead To Rights feat. ERNEST (Charles Wesley Godwin, Ernest Keith Smith, Chandler Paul Walters)
4. It’s Her Move (Charles Wesley Godwin, Wyatt Flores, Aaron Raitiere)
5. Then I’m Gone (Charles Wesley Godwin)
6. She Don’t Love Me Anymore (Charles Wesley Godwin, Zach McCord)
7. Hammer Down feat. Scott Avett (Jason Molina)