Face The Feeling [CD], Jobi Riccio, CD

Jobi Riccio is stepping into her next chapter with Face The Feeling, her forthcoming album on Yep Roc Records due May 15. An "Emerging Act of the Year" nominee from the Americana Music Association and a John Prine Songwriters Fellowship honoree, Riccio first broke through with her 2023 debut Whiplash, a coming-of-age record rooted in folk and country traditions. On Face The Feeling, she pushes far beyond those foundations, embracing a bolder, electric, indie-rock-driven sound that mirrors the album's emotional depth. Where Whiplash captured the restless search for escape, Face The Feeling finds Riccio choosing to stay, confronting grief, rage, self-doubt, desire, and devotion head-on. Written between Colorado and Nashville and co-produced with longtime collaborators Isaiah Beard and Jesse Timm, the album balances light and dark, restraint and release, as Riccio leans into discomfort as a path toward growth. Songs like "Pilar, NM," "Wildfire Season," and "Doesn't Matter" reveal an artist willing to sit inside complicated feelings rather than outrun them. Having performed at the Grand Ole Opry, made her national television debut on CBS Saturday Morning, and toured with Lucius, Jason Isbell, and Iron & Wine, Riccio arrives at Face The Feeling with clarity and confidence. The result is her most expansive work yet: a fearless excavation of self and a declaration of artistic evolution.