The album 'While the World Waits' will be launched on Saturday, August 21, featuring 15 original tracks by musicians from the Central West including two Cowra artists Josh Maynard and Andy Baylor alongside Canowindra's Nerida Cuddy.

The album was a response to the impacts of COVID-19 on the local music industry, with Arts OutWest commissioning the songwriters to each write a song reflecting their experiences of 2020.

Arts OutWest executive director Tracey Callinan said the album was a trip across the whole central west.

"This collection of songs is a cathartic expression about 2020, but it is also a musical journey across the Central West," she said.

"Styles of the songs range from acoustic ballads, soulful pop, foot stompin' rock, indie pop to some dreamy late night chill outs and good old fashioned finger poppin' a cappella.

"We hope these tracks can also be an entry point for people to discover these musicians' other work."

Maynard features on the album's second track 'Atomic War'.

"Atomic War is a concoction of different experiences and feelings. A mere window to my brain for people to peep through," he said.

"This song was built from complete surrender as I try to continue to navigate my purpose."

Canowindra's Nerida Cuddy features on the album's 12^th track 'Virtual Folk Club', a track celebrating her growth in the music industry.

"While I deeply appreciate that the pandemic has brought great tragedy to many people in the world, and difficult times for many in the music industry in Australia, 2020 has actually been an exciting year of growth for me as a musician," she said.

"I wrote 'Virtual Folk Club' for my friends in the weekly Bristol-based zoom folk club that I was lucky enough to be invited to join in April 2020.

"After several months I was very put out to realise that daylight savings here and there would make it impossible to keep meeting with that particular group, so I had to switch to another time slot - starting 6:30am on a Saturday."

A new resident of Cowra, Andy Baylor features on the albums 14^th track 'Pictures in the Clouds', a song written on a long family car trip.

The album will be launched via an online performance on the Arts OutWest Facebook page.

CD copies of the album can be purchased for $10 from artsoutwest.org.au and - when COVID restrictions ease - from visitor information centres and other retail outlets around the region.

Digital versions of each track will also be available from each artists' preferred platform or site, and Arts OutWest will share a Spotify playlist linking them together.