Lukas Nelson & POTR have done it again.
Their eighth studio album Sticks & Stones is out everywhere today, and it’s full of impeccable songwriting courtesy of Lukas, super tight production, and a lot of fun, upbeat songs that are a pretty stark contrast to their 2021 release A Few Stars Apart.
They previously put out the lead single with Lainey Wilson called “More Than Friends,” which just recently went #1 on the Americana charts and is easily one of my favorite singles released so far this year, in addition to the title track and “Alcohallelujah.”
And actually, the entire album was solely written and produced by Lukas, who is of course the son of legendary singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, and he says it’s a departure from the heaviness and introspective nature of their album A Few Stars Apart:
“This album is about celebrating the human connection, joy and excitement.
We went from quiet and introspective on ‘A Few Stars Apart’ to something big and fun to really showcase the band’s talent and performance.
You can listen to the album ‘Sticks and Stones’ from start to finish and get the songs to dance to and then the quiet, poignant songs. To me, this album is the perfect setlist.”
I’ve been a fan of these guys for quite a while now, and when I tell you that simply do not miss, I mean that wholeheartedly.
Every single track on the album is solid, and I can only imagine how fun they will be to hear at a live show, and if you’ve never seen Lukas & POTR in concert before, I highly recommend it. They’re one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen.
There are introspective moments, too, like “Lying,” which is a gorgeous acoustic moment on the record that Lukas says captured it exactly the way he wrote it:
“I wrote it feeling exactly what I’m singing about.
I was sitting there on the foot of my bed, writing the song with my acoustic guitar, and I just couldn’t beat that version of it on the demo.”
And songs like “Every Time I Drink” and the aforementioned “More Than Friends” bring a really fun layer to the record which is super dynamic and strong. Listening to it from top to bottom is a really great experience, which in my opinion, is the way it should be.
I can’t say enough good things about Sticks & Stones, honestly… it’s unique, interesting, very well-done, and gets better and better with every listen.
I don’t think there’s much more you can ask for when one of your favorite artists drops a new album, and if you’ve never listened to their music before or aren’t super familiar with the band, this is a great place to start.
I still think the duet with Lainey might be my favorite song on the tracklist, but I’ve listed some of my other early favorites below too.
Turn it up…
“The View”
“Lying”
“Every Time I Drink”
“Overpass”
