The Way I Should - 30th Anniversary
Iris DeMent
The Way I Should – 30th Anniversary is a remastered reissue of Iris DeMent's third studio album, originally released on October 8, 1996 and now brought back into print by Yep Roc Records on June 5, 2026 — with a limited Record Store Day pressing on summer sky color vinyl marking the album's first-ever appearance in that format. The remaster was handled by Mike Westbrook of Material Mastering. Working for the first time with producer Randy Scruggs rather than longtime collaborator Jim Rooney, DeMent expanded considerably beyond the spare acoustic sound of her first two records, employing a fuller, more electric backing featuring an exceptional cast of session players: Tammy Rogers on fiddle, mandolin, violin, cello, and viola; Chuck Leavell on organ, piano, and accordion; Paul Franklin on steel guitar; Dave Pomeroy on bass; and Harry Stinson on drums, among others.
Across its 11 tracks — all written by DeMent except for two co-writes with her husband Elmer McCall and a collaboration with Merle Haggard — the album moves freely between country, folk, blues, and rock, covering ground both political and profoundly personal. "When My Mornin' Comes Around" opens with a sweeping piano meditation on self-forgiveness; "Wasteland of the Free" is a driving electric broadside against social inequality; "There's a Wall in Washington" reflects on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial from the perspective of those left behind; and "Letter to Mom" addresses sexual abuse with unflinching honesty. Quieter moments include the Haggard co-write "This Kind of Happy," a gorgeous meditation on love, and the stately piano ballad "Walkin' Home," which drifts through childhood memories toward mortality. The title track features Mark Knopfler on National guitar, while the album closes with the seven-and-a-half-minute blues stomp "Trouble" — a jubilant duet with Delbert McClinton featuring Lonnie Mack on guitar and Chuck Leavell on rollicking piano.
The Way I Should – 30th Anniversary is a remastered reissue of Iris DeMent's third studio album, originally released on October 8, 1996 and now brought back into print by Yep Roc Records on June 5, 2026 — with a limited Record Store Day pressing on summer sky color vinyl marking the album's first-ever appearance in that format. The remaster was handled by Mike Westbrook of Material Mastering. Working for the first time with producer Randy Scruggs rather than longtime collaborator Jim Rooney, DeMent expanded considerably beyond the spare acoustic sound of her first two records, employing a fuller, more electric backing featuring an exceptional cast of session players: Tammy Rogers on fiddle, mandolin, violin, cello, and viola; Chuck Leavell on organ, piano, and accordion; Paul Franklin on steel guitar; Dave Pomeroy on bass; and Harry Stinson on drums, among others.
Across its 11 tracks — all written by DeMent except for two co-writes with her husband Elmer McCall and a collaboration with Merle Haggard — the album moves freely between country, folk, blues, and rock, covering ground both political and profoundly personal. "When My Mornin' Comes Around" opens with a sweeping piano meditation on self-forgiveness; "Wasteland of the Free" is a driving electric broadside against social inequality; "There's a Wall in Washington" reflects on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial from the perspective of those left behind; and "Letter to Mom" addresses sexual abuse with unflinching honesty. Quieter moments include the Haggard co-write "This Kind of Happy," a gorgeous meditation on love, and the stately piano ballad "Walkin' Home," which drifts through childhood memories toward mortality. The title track features Mark Knopfler on National guitar, while the album closes with the seven-and-a-half-minute blues stomp "Trouble" — a jubilant duet with Delbert McClinton featuring Lonnie Mack on guitar and Chuck Leavell on rollicking piano.
The Way I Should - 30th Anniversary
Iris DeMent
The Way I Should – 30th Anniversary is a remastered reissue of Iris DeMent's third studio album, originally released on October 8, 1996 and now brought back into print by Yep Roc Records on June 5, 2026 — with a limited Record Store Day pressing on summer sky color vinyl marking the album's first-ever appearance in that format. The remaster was handled by Mike Westbrook of Material Mastering. Working for the first time with producer Randy Scruggs rather than longtime collaborator Jim Rooney, DeMent expanded considerably beyond the spare acoustic sound of her first two records, employing a fuller, more electric backing featuring an exceptional cast of session players: Tammy Rogers on fiddle, mandolin, violin, cello, and viola; Chuck Leavell on organ, piano, and accordion; Paul Franklin on steel guitar; Dave Pomeroy on bass; and Harry Stinson on drums, among others.
Across its 11 tracks — all written by DeMent except for two co-writes with her husband Elmer McCall and a collaboration with Merle Haggard — the album moves freely between country, folk, blues, and rock, covering ground both political and profoundly personal. "When My Mornin' Comes Around" opens with a sweeping piano meditation on self-forgiveness; "Wasteland of the Free" is a driving electric broadside against social inequality; "There's a Wall in Washington" reflects on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial from the perspective of those left behind; and "Letter to Mom" addresses sexual abuse with unflinching honesty. Quieter moments include the Haggard co-write "This Kind of Happy," a gorgeous meditation on love, and the stately piano ballad "Walkin' Home," which drifts through childhood memories toward mortality. The title track features Mark Knopfler on National guitar, while the album closes with the seven-and-a-half-minute blues stomp "Trouble" — a jubilant duet with Delbert McClinton featuring Lonnie Mack on guitar and Chuck Leavell on rollicking piano.
The Way I Should – 30th Anniversary is a remastered reissue of Iris DeMent's third studio album, originally released on October 8, 1996 and now brought back into print by Yep Roc Records on June 5, 2026 — with a limited Record Store Day pressing on summer sky color vinyl marking the album's first-ever appearance in that format. The remaster was handled by Mike Westbrook of Material Mastering. Working for the first time with producer Randy Scruggs rather than longtime collaborator Jim Rooney, DeMent expanded considerably beyond the spare acoustic sound of her first two records, employing a fuller, more electric backing featuring an exceptional cast of session players: Tammy Rogers on fiddle, mandolin, violin, cello, and viola; Chuck Leavell on organ, piano, and accordion; Paul Franklin on steel guitar; Dave Pomeroy on bass; and Harry Stinson on drums, among others.
Across its 11 tracks — all written by DeMent except for two co-writes with her husband Elmer McCall and a collaboration with Merle Haggard — the album moves freely between country, folk, blues, and rock, covering ground both political and profoundly personal. "When My Mornin' Comes Around" opens with a sweeping piano meditation on self-forgiveness; "Wasteland of the Free" is a driving electric broadside against social inequality; "There's a Wall in Washington" reflects on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial from the perspective of those left behind; and "Letter to Mom" addresses sexual abuse with unflinching honesty. Quieter moments include the Haggard co-write "This Kind of Happy," a gorgeous meditation on love, and the stately piano ballad "Walkin' Home," which drifts through childhood memories toward mortality. The title track features Mark Knopfler on National guitar, while the album closes with the seven-and-a-half-minute blues stomp "Trouble" — a jubilant duet with Delbert McClinton featuring Lonnie Mack on guitar and Chuck Leavell on rollicking piano.