Colby Acuff, Benjamin Dakota Rogers

With five albums released in the past five years, Colby Acuff has forced a seat at the poker table of rising country songwriters. The North Idaho troubadour antes up a distinct high whine across his Western sound that cuts as sharp as his lyrics on 2023 breakout Western White Pines. New album American Son, out Aug. 23, mixes darker and more rocking turns like “Scared of the Dark” with the quiet poignancy of “Hello Rain” and the title track. Canadian picker Benjamin Dakota Rogers rides in the crooning warble and howl of last year’s Paint Horse to open. – Doug Freeman