Kristina Train - County Line [LP]

The elegant Kristina Train has a voice for the ages — and a resume to match. Hand-picked by Herbie Hancock to join his band, being on Bruce Springsteen’s permanent playlist, and collaborating with Dr. Dre are just a few of the highlights. The Savannah-bred, Nashville-based singer started at Blue Note Records as the last artist signed by Arif Mardin, paving her own trail between Americana, country, jazz and pop. Now, after a foray in London and appearances at the legendary Later show with Jools Holland and the BBC’s Abbey Road Sessions, Train has four critically-acclaimed albums to her credit, including her 2009 debut, Spilt Milk, plus Dark Black (on Mercury Records), Rayon City and 2022’s Body Pressure, as well as a brand new recording set for a September 2025 release: The lush and melodic 'County Line' was produced by Colin Devlin and Kirk Pasich.

Cowritten by Train and writers including Ed Harcourt, Kim Richey, Jimmy Hogath, Mike Mattison and Paul Olsen, County Line happened almost by chance over the past couple of years. As studio availability, producers and players – including the strings of the Oklahoma Philharmonic in arrangements by Golden Globe nominated composer Brian Byrne – magically lined up, Train recorded live vocals with piano, drums, guitar, bass and pedal steel. The result is a collection that includes stunning originals, a flipside remake of Cher’s iconic anthem, “Believe,” and a trio of reinvented country classics by Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson—now sung from a strong-woman perspective in Train’s raw-edge alto, which steeps each nostalgic phrase in the emotional immediacy of 2025. Train says the album represents a culmination of life events in a rapidly changing and chaotic world. “It’s where I came from and where I’m going. Yes, I’m still trying to get there, but these songs are who I am, past and present.” Across 11 tracks, there are lost loves, revenge, daydreaming, psychotherapy and two-stepping — all wrapped around the sweet and sorrowful tones of Train’s voice, which is at once familiar and fresh. With its stalwart major-key piano chords that evoke hymns, winsome yearning, and powerful storytelling, County Line is a parade of evocative slow grooves and honest choruses with hopeful hooks that burrow deep into memory. When Train pulls out her own violin in a reprise of the title track, it’s the perfect end cap to a tour of the modern Americana musical landscape.