If I’ve said it once I’ve said it 100 times: The best country music right now is coming out of Appalachia.
And West Virginia native Philip Bowen is keeping that trend alive.
If you’re not familiar with Philip, he burst onto the scene with his incredible TikTok videos of himself playing fiddle alongside some great country songs. But he’s not just a fiddle player: Philip’s an amazing singer and songwriter in his own right, and now he’s ready to share some of his own music with the world.
Announced back in May, Philip’s debut album Old Kanawha drops this Friday, August 18.
But we’ve got your first opportunity to hear it before it’s released right here on Whiskey Riff.
The 13-track album is deeply rooted in his Appalachian upbringing, something that Philip tells Whiskey Riff was important to him when he set out to make the project:
“I wanted to try my very best to do as much as humanly possible in West Virginia, Appalachia, with talent from the region.”
It’s that sense of place that shines through on the album, while still remaining relatable to those outside the mountains of West Virginia, on songs like the previously-released “Vampire in Appalachia” and the companion song that follows, “A Murder.”