Productions by Kyle Nachtigal and friends

In the years since his first album, 2004's Last Call, Nashville singer-songwriter Stephen Simmons has wandered the wide landscape of American roots music, from contemplative country and finger-picked folk to rugged and ragged blues-rock.

 On his 12th album, Hunch, released October 24, 2025, he hints at the thread that ties 20 years of ideas together.

"It makes me feel better when I tap into the truth" he sings in the closing track on Hunch, "Someone Like You," a ballad brimming with Rhodes chimes and gentle longing.

Tapping into the truth doesn't only mean one thing, and the 10 tracks on Hunch show the breadth of what it means to mine what feels real, from connection and disconnection to wonder, sorrow, reflection and confusion.

"It's not therapy, but it's therapeutic," Simmons says. "People talk about when you first start writing, sometimes it's almost like clearing your throat. You're not really at the thing yet, and sometimes you write for a while before you get in some kind of flow. And then something starts coming together. And when you feel it, you know it's true — and you didn't know yet how you were gonna say it 'til it comes out. It's gratifying."

Hunch's predecessor, 2020's Family Album, explored the truth of where Simmons comes from in deep detail, with 18 songs about family and hidden history captured inside his grandmother's empty house in Woodbury, Tennessee.

Released amid the pandemic, it originated and unintentionally stayed close to home, as Simmons and so many of his contemporaries got stuck introducing and supporting new music virtually, smartphone sets streaming from living room to living room.

Hunch is the post-pandemic door flung wide open, carrying Simmons back to the road and miles away from Tennessee. He's in a Dresden sushi bar, wondering how and why love sparks. He's in a rented car in Amsterdam, tracing what takes us toward wrong turns. He's gazing at the moon.

But wherever Hunch travels, the narratives always seem to pull Simmons back home.

Mid-tempo country cut "Grandpa's Jacket" considers how we crave ties to where we came from, even while we chase adventure. The album's title track, while just as imbued with truth, comes at life decisions with a wink and a bluesy lurch. Everyone had ideas for where that kid from Woodbury might go. But, "Uncle Glen had the best plan of the bunch," Simmons sings, "strummin' on the guitar and live your life on a hunch."

"That's the only one that's a little cheeky," Simmons says. "It's tongue-in-cheek. It's a blues-rock song. Then everything else goes a completely different direction. I don't know why, it just kinda felt like a pivot."

 To render the full pivot, Simmons turned to folks who've been part of his musical story tracing almost back to when he first left Woodbury.

 Goffrey Moore (Jonatha Brooke, Maia Sharp) produced Hunch in his Madison, Tennessee, studio, and he and Simmons invited contributions from lap and pedal steel player Paul Niehaus, singer/pianist Molly Jewell, bassists Dave Jacques and Billy Mercer, and drummers Matthew Crouse and Bryan Owings.

 All accomplished players who've collaborated with country and Americana greats from John Prine to Patty Griffin, they've all played with Simmons on various songs and stages over decades.

These well- and long-established personal and musical connections allowed Moore and Simmons to experiment in comfort, letting songs go where they seemed to want to. The songwriter's initial intent was to hole up in Moore's century-old cabin to capture a stripped-down set. But as the recording progressed and friends came in, Hunch took a more dynamic and textured turn.

 "It was a different way to do it for me," Simmons says. "It kinda lent itself to, like, 'OK, well, maybe we'll go big on this one.' And then all of a sudden, it presents itself."

 Call it following intuition. Call it living on a hunch.

Alice Smith is a Brooklyn-based Grammy-nominated, singer, songwriter & producer.

The Knoxville News Sentinel, Knoxville, Tennessee.

Where and when can you hear us?

The show currently goes out on the following stations:

106.9FM WHCR - Monday 7-8PM www.whcrfm.com
Vixen 101.8FM - Monday 8-9PM www.vixen101.co.uk
Beverley FM - Tuesday 7-8PM (repeated Sunday 6pm) www.beverleyfm.com
Drystone Radio - Thursday 8-9PM 


The Music Max Plays

The Folk Hour plays folk music in all it's guises:
- Acoustic Music
- Folk Rock 
- Folk Blues
- Alternative Country
- Americana

Folk Music means different things to different people, it flows naturally from people's lives. It's an inseparable mix of words and music, it's music about life. It has been around from the earliest times and still gives voice to the deep feelings and unspoken needs of our times.

Live Guests and Local Music

On the Folk Hour we like to promote local, up and coming artists and bands by featuring their music, promoting their gigs and where possible getting them to perform live in the studio on the show.

www.thefolkhour.com

A podcast featuring interviews with music industry professionals, focused on actionable advice for anyone seeking a career in the music business.

For more in-depth analysis and actionable items, please subscribe to our newsletter at https://mymanager.substack.com/

If you enjoy listening to my free music, I invite you to make a contribution to support my work.

Visit my Gift Page — https://paypal.me/GiftsForRob — and contribute via the "Friends and Family" option.

No pressure, though! Whether or not you donate, I will continue to give away my music. And I understand that some of you don't have enough money yourself, and it wouldn't make sense for you to give some to me.

MusicTechPolicy.com has been a leading voice in policy issues affecting the creative community since 2006.  Narrated by music lawyer Chris Castle (www.christiancastle.com), the podcast takes a more in depth look at issues for creators and curated news covered at www.musictechpolicy.com and the MusicTech Solutions blog at www.musictech.solutions

StephenSimmons is following