ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

Until now.

Coinman is releasing his first solo album in five years and the first record he’s made from start to finish in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.

“I just wanted to make something in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ because everything I have made has been made outside of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥,â€� said Coinman, who splits his career between his solo projects and his role in Kevin Costner’s Modern West band. Coinman is a principal songwriter for his longtime friend Costner.

“Under the Sun,â€� which Coinman will celebrate with a CD release gig at Hotel Congress on Saturday, Oct. 26, features Coinman’s longtime collaborators Larry Cobb and Blair Forward, who also are part of Costner’s band. Coinman also brought in a handful of notable ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ musicians including world musician Will Clipman on percussion, Sabra Faulk on backing vocals, keyboardist/backup vocals Duncan Stitt and violinist Nick Coventry.

“Nick played so beautifully that it kind of expanded his role on a lot of songs,� said Coinman, who brought in noted folk musician and producer Tony Gilkyson and Grammy winner Alfonso Redenas to mix and master the recording.

“I’m really happy with� the album, he said, adding that he made a concerted effort on the record to focus on his singing as much as his songwriting. “I really wanted to use my voice as more of an instrument rather than a conveyer of lyrics, which is how I have always looked at my voice. I’m singing a lot better nowadays than I used to so I really wanted to focus a lot on the voice.�

The emphasis paid off. Throughout the record’s 10 songs, you can hear a brightness to Coinman’s baritone from the album’s opening ballad “Love is Everywhereâ€� to the rollicking country rocker “Brothers on the Run.â€� There’s heartfelt country blues shining through on “ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥,â€� an ode to his longtime adopted hometown, and a softness on the ballad “Let Me Be the One.â€�

“I have a really great opportunity that over the last 15 years of working with Kevin Costner and those guys in the band and touring a lot and focusing on writing and writing in different ways, coming back and making my own record after a while has given me a new insight into how I look at myself,� said Coinman, 74. “I have just been working on my voice and found that I can sing higher and sing longer and I feel like I sing better. And that has given this new album a kind of freshness my other albums didn’t have.�

Coinman’s concert on Saturday is presented by Rhythm & Roots and Hotel Congress, which teamed up for a five-week outdoor concert series that wraps up Sunday, Oct. 2, with the Sunday Blues and BBQ headlined by Native American blues band Smokestack Lightning from the Gila River Indian Community.