Shovels and Rope is a South Carolina lowcountry** staple. The folk/country husband and wife duo are also the founders of High Water Festival in Charleston, which has grown since its inception in 2017 to attract some pretty solid national acts to the little city over the years.

**Side note, for those who don’t know, SC is half hills and small mountains and half extremely flat land leading to the ocean, most of which is relatively low elevation - aka the lowcountry. Pretty much the entire lowcountry is flat and hot and muggy and swampy and full of pine trees and alligators. It’s not as extreme in any of those areas as New Orleans, but it’s from the same family tree for sure.**

This album is almost spiritual at times, with a stripped back sound that’s reflective of the duo’s two-piece concert performances. And be sure to miss “Love Song From A Dog,” which is perhaps the first ever country song about a dog where (spoiler alert) the dog lives! Thrives, you might say.

From the roundup Southern Sounds: South Carolina's Best Albums of 2024.