Billy Strings - Renewal

Renewal was released on September 24, 2021, on Rounder Records, which is also the label home to many prominent bluegrass and Americana artists. The album was Strings' fourth studio release and followed his breakthrough 2019 album 'Home,' which won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album.

Renewal was nominated for Best Bluegrass Album at the 64th Grammy Awards in 2022, though it did not win in that category. Billy Strings had previously won the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album for his 2019 album 'Home,' which was widely credited with bringing progressive bluegrass to a broader mainstream audience.

The album features Billy Strings' touring band, which includes Billy Failing on banjo, Royal Masat on upright bass, Jarrod Walker on mandolin, and (at the time of recording) Drew Matulich or similar lineup members on additional instruments. Strings himself plays guitar and sings lead vocals, and the record also includes guest appearances and collaborative writing credits that reflect his genre-crossing approach to bluegrass.

Renewal pushes further into genre-blending territory than Strings' previous album 'Home,' incorporating more pronounced elements of progressive rock, heavy metal, and psychedelic jam band influences alongside the traditional bluegrass instrumentation. Tracks like 'Hidden Depth' and 'Love and Regret' showcase his flatpicking virtuosity while also drawing on his background in Michigan's heavy music scene, making the album a more experimental and expansive statement than his earlier, more conventionally bluegrass-oriented releases.