The second solo LP from Andrew Gabbard, released March 24, 2023 on Karma Chief — the Cincinnati imprint that's home to Aaron Frazer and the rest of the Colemine Records family. Gabbard, half of the Buffalo Killers, took his 2021 debut Homemade and pushed it further down the dirt road: Cedar City Sweetheart is a 12-track, 36-minute trip into late-'60s/early-'70s cosmic country territory, the same stretch of road occupied by Sweetheart of the Rodeo-era Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers' Gilded Palace of Sin, and the New Riders of the Purple Sage's debut.
Gabbard wrote, played, and recorded most of it himself in true Karma Chief style — the result has the homemade warmth of his first solo record but with pedal steel, twangier guitars, and lyrics that lean fully into the country end of the country-rock spectrum.
Cool stuff:
- Gabbard cited The Byrds as a primary inspiration — particularly Sweetheart of the Rodeo, the 1968 Gram Parsons-led record that essentially invented the cosmic-country genre this album lives inside
- Pressed on clear vinyl with yellow and red swirl for the limited run — Karma Chief's signature high-effort color packaging
- Andrew Gabbard is half of the Buffalo Killers with his brother Zachary; this solo run started as bedroom recordings during the pandemic and grew into a full Karma Chief deal
- The album sits squarely in the Karma Chief / Colemine soul-and-country axis — the same Cincinnati label-family that's been quietly putting out Aaron Frazer, Durand Jones & The Indications, and the Frightnrs
- 12 tracks in 36 minutes — short, tight, no filler, in the tradition of the late-'60s country-rock LPs it's modeled on
Spin it for: cosmic country in the Gram Parsons / Byrds tradition, made by a Buffalo Killers guy with full Karma Chief production polish.
Standouts: "Cedar City Sweetheart" · "Glide Like an Eagle" · "Bury Me Down" · "Roll With Me"
Sources: The Fire Note review · Bear Family Records · Apple Music · Shuga Records