Laura Cortese Announces LUCKY WATER Album, Shares Face the Rain

Laura Cortese has announced LUCKY WATER, her first studio album in six years, set for release October 9 on Compass Records. The album is now available for pre-order, and Cortese has released the first single, Face the Rain, along with an acoustic performance video of the track. The announcement also includes North American tour dates.

Written at her kitchen table in Ghent, Belgium, staring out a sliding glass door at a grey sky that, more often than not, gives way to rain, of 'Face the Rain' Cortese offers: 'Living here, the relentless grey days can get you down. I've learned that the sun does come out once a day. If only for 30 seconds, and you've gotta run outside and see it when it's there. When it's raining, I try to remind myself that if the sun peeks through, I should check for rainbows. One day when my daughter was pretty young, we were in the house, and she said: 'Mama, Mama, it's sunning and raining. Let's go find the rainbow.''

Nearly a decade after moving to Belgium, Cortese has built a life she never could have predicted. Now married and raising two young children while navigating what it means to call more than one country home; she channels that profound shift in perspective into Lucky Water.

Lucky Water finds Cortese looking at identity, belonging, and connection through a new lens as mother, dual citizen, and foreign resident. Moving fluidly between chamber folk, roots rock, and indie pop, the album transforms uncertainty and displacement into an affirmation of the relationships, creativity, and communities that sustain us.

On Lucky Water, Cortese finds wonder in the chatter of childhood on 'You're All Sound,' explores commitment and shared struggle on 'Tied in a Knot' and 'Starry Ceiling,' and revisits childhood memories on the nostalgic 'Lucky Water' and 'Calling Across the Lake.' The album looks outward on 'Hush Now Child,' inspired by Belgium's 'Iron Harvest,' the ongoing discovery of unexploded munitions from two world wars, while 'Half Mile Away' explores the lasting impact of conflict across generations, before 'Adieu, Adieu,' closes with a communal toast to resilience and better days ahead.

'Living in another country can really put things into focus,' Cortese reflects. 'When I'm back in the U.S. or Canada, I'm struck by the relentlessness of the 24-hour news cycle, and the stress and existential dread at the forefront of everyone's minds. People in Belgium follow the news, but it doesn't dictate their lives. I'm reminded regularly that we can choose where to expend our energy, and that every time we step into a museum, onto a trail, or into a venue, we can reconnect with our neighbors and begin to find our way back toward radical hope.'

With the musical communities she had spent decades building now scattered across continents, Cortese had to rethink collaboration. As the songs took shape, she first turned to acclaimed Nashville singer, songwriter, and producer Mary Bragg to help hone them. Five intensive days at Betty's followed, with sessions centered on Cortese's voice and fiddle alongside reed instruments from longtime collaborator Matt Douglas (The Mountain Goats, Hiss Golden Messenger). A chance reconnection with songwriter Clare Reynolds, a fellow transplant, later helped expand the album's sonic world while preserving the raw intimacy.

In support of the album, Cortese will embark on a North American tour in October, with stops at FIDDLERS! Festival, Celtic Colours Festival, and Gatineau Hills Fiddle Festival, along with stops at The Rockwell in Somerville, MA, Jalopy Theatre in Brooklyn, NY, Blasty Bough in Epsom, NH, and P'tit Ours in Montreal.

Born in San Francisco, Cortese was introduced to folk music via fiddle camps. A Berklee College of Music graduate, she has built a career bridging folk traditions and fearless musical exploration. She's performed from Carnegie Hall to Madison Square Garden, shared stages with Pete Seeger, Band of Horses, The Mountain Goats, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Aoife O'Donovan, among others. She also served as a musical ambassador for the U.S. State Department and co-founded both the Boston Celtic Music Festival and Miles of Music Camp before launching an award-winning concert series in Belgium.

Tracklist

1. Face the Rain

2. You're All Sound

3. Lucky Water

4. Calling Across the Lake

5. Tied in a Knot

6. Hush Now Child

7. Starry Ceiling

8. Half Mile Away

9. Calling Across the Lake (Reprise)

10. Adieu, Adieu

Laura Cortese Tour Dates

October 11 – FIDDLERS! Festival @ Roxbury Arts Center – Roxbury, NY

October 13-16 – Celtic Colours Festival – Cape Breton, CN

October 18 – The Rockwell – Somerville, MA

October 19 – Jalopy Theatre – Brooklyn, NY

October 21 – Blasty Bough – Epsom, NH

October 22 – P'tit Ours – Montreal, QC

October 23-25 – Gatineau Hills Fiddle Festival – Chelsea, QC

Recorded primarily at Betty's, the North Carolina studio opened by Sylvan Esso, and produced by LOLLIES, LUCKY WATER moves between chamber folk, roots rock, and indie pop across tracks including You're All Sound, Tied in a Knot, Starry Ceiling, Lucky Water, Calling Across the Lake, Hush Now Child, Half Mile Away, and Adieu, Adieu.

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