Jesse Colin Young - Highway Troubadour (2020)

Veteran singer/songwriter Jesse Colin Young, former frontman of the folk-rock band The Youngbloods, will release his 22nd solo album, Highway Troubadour, on November 27.

The 11-track collection features new solo acoustic versions of songs from throughout Young’s 50-year-plus career, including renditions of the Youngbloods tunes “Darkness, Darkness” and “Sugar Babe,” and the recent song “Cast a Stone” from his 2019 solo album, Dreamers.

Highway Troubadour was inspired by Young’s online video series “One Song at a Time,” which he launched during the COVID-19 lockdown and features him playing various songs from his back catalog accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. You can check out the series on Jessie’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.

“Highway Troubadour is not only a return to my roots, but the beginning of a surprise adventure of solo performing,” says Young. “I have begun to take guitar playing to a whole new level while revisiting my decades of musical catalogue.”

The album will be available as a digital download and via streaming services. Those who pre-order the record now will immediately receive a free download of Young’s new version of “Cast a Stone.” A video for the tune also has premiered at Jessie’s official YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, Young also recently launched a video and audio podcast called Tripping on My Roots that features interviews, performances, storytelling segments and more. Among Jesse’s recent guests on the podcast was Steve Miller, who collaborated with Young on a new version of the classic Youngbloods hit “Get Together” that was released this past June as part of the WhyHunger charity’s SongAid campaign.