B. B. Palmer

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Hailing from the heart of railroad country in Opelika, Alabama, cosmic country outfit B.B. Palmer have made a name for themselves over the past several years, honing a sound steeped in the traditions of American country music.

The band’s latest offering, Krishna Country, sees the group approaching their craft with a much more expansive worldview — folding traditional Indian sounds into their work and creating a further-mesmerizing brand of ethereal roots music. On paper, it might seem an unexpected or jolting shift in direction, but for B.B. Palmer it’s simply the next step forward in their collective journey.

Make no mistake, this is still country music at its core, but the addition of sitar and horns awash in reverb elevates the overall product to something more, standing on its own as a truly unique output. Imagine if Ravi Shankar recorded with the Byrds backed by Stax’s Memphis Horns, and you’d be pretty close to imagining this Alabama outfit’s forthcoming output.

“I found a copy of the Bhagavad Gita,” Palmer recalls. He pored over the text and found that it resonated with him on a deeply personal level. The book inspired Palmer to dive even deeper into Indian culture. He began listening to and studying raga: a classical style of Indian music. He applied these eastern influences in his own songcraft. Krishna Country Gold showcases his discoveries from this newfound styling, blending his honky tonk roots with a yet-untapped well of musical modes & instrumentation from India.

From the moment the Bhagavad Gita landed in Palmer’s possession, to the first drafts of these news songs, all the way through studio time and mastering, Krishna Country Gold seemed inevitable despite all the perceived challenges that stood in the way. It’s an undeniably singular output from these Yellowhammer State mainstays, and a worthy entry in the canon of cosmic “American” music — SWEETHEART PR