The winds of change have arrived along with award-winning performer,

JJ Shiplett’s CCMA-nominated sophomore album, Fingers Crossed. Returning are Shiplett’s signature raspy sound and haunting melodies,

but what’s new is a sense of freedom and independence heard both

in JJ’s lyrics and composition.

Rather than simply “evolving” as an artist since gaining national recognition and plenty of accolades with his first album, Shiplett has consciously and passionately forged his own path musically with Fingers Crossed.

Spending a year pouring over every detail of this record, writing and arranging, playing many of the instruments, as well as a large portion

of the engineering/producing in his home studio, the singer is more immersed in his craft than ever before. Fingers Crossed features

co-writes with Dustin Bentall and Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, and the incredible sounds of fiddler Kendel Carson.

Bucking both the typical Nashville-style songwriting and production approaches, the musician delved deep and traveled wide to find inspiration to pen the seven track album that helps establish him as one of the country’s premier roots artists.

From the contemplative first single, 'Waiting on the Rain' and enticing

initial kick drum pulses of the love-torn song, 'Closer,' to the beautifully painful bridge in the song 'Freeman' (written by Daniel Huscroft), there

are many intoxicating reasons for his listeners -- both old and new -- to hit play and play again. 

Hearing the piano chords and Shiplett’s vocals echo into silence to close  out the album’s final track, Every Road, it’s hard not to wish for just one more song.