Browsing Tag

country

D Boone Pittman paints a panoramic picture of romantic disparity in ‘She Likes the Beach’

Posted on 27 May 2021

‘She Likes the Beach’ is just one of the instantly immersive bluegrass singles taken from country-folk singer-songwriter D Boone Pittman’s debut album, Emerge.

The 10-track straight from the soul album pays a fitting ode to the storytelling roots of folk. As the acoustic bluegrass chords lay out the welcome mat, Pittman paints a panoramic picture of romantic disparity with his endlessly magnetic vocals as he expresses his frustration at being with someone that you can’t quite see eye to eye with but you end up in a situationship regardless.

You can check out D Boone Pittman on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ralph Pezzullo sings the ‘Lockdown Blues’ in his latest single

Posted on 22 May 2021

Plenty of artists have released lockdown-inspired singles, but no one can sing the lockdown blues quite like a blues artist, case in point, Ralph Pezzullo’s latest sonically swampy bluegrass single, ‘Lockdown Blues’.

The up-vibe funk-bridled single comes complete with frenetic keys, quite simply virtuosic guitar work and Pezzullo’s expressively honest lyrics that come alive through his country pop-rock vocal timbre. If you could bottle what Lockdown Blues has to offer, we’d finally have bottled Serotonin.

The anthem is all too efficacious when it comes to reminding you that everyone can pull light out of the dark, even if we don’t have the multi-faceted talent that was exhibited in Lockdown Blues. If you could imagine what it would sound like if the Stray Cats merged styles with Wild Cherry, you’ll get an idea of the aural euphoria that laces the soundscape.

Lockdown Blues is now available to stream via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jennifer Alvarado is red hot and ‘Playing With Fire’

Posted on 17 May 2021

Songwriting from the tender age of four, and with an album of Christian music (2015’s ‘Hello Life’) already under her belt, Jennifer Alvarado was named ‘One To Watch’ by the Nashville Songwriters Association off the back of her 2020 single ‘I Break Things’ and its four follow-ups. With a Commscope award for original songwriting, Alevarado’s new single – from the freshly released EP of the same name – ‘Playing With Fire’ is a gentle, mid-tempoBlues-tinged Country ballad.

Acoustic-guitar and chilled Texas shuffle drums on the verses, with big powerchord uplifts on the choruses, ‘Playing With Fire’ is perfect summer driving music; simple and immediate, catchy as hell, gritty and honest, with a big pentatonic-focused guitar break and Alvarado’s excellent, emotive vocal carrying the song. There’s obvious reference points; Shania, Taylor, maybe a little of the Meredith Brooks, but it’s exactly the sort of song that should be all over daytime radio and Country Music Television. It’s a great single, and it’s easy to see why it’s already been voted Number 1 on Indie Star Radio’s ‘Top 21’.

Check out ‘Playing With Fire’ on Spotify now; follow Jennifer Alvarado on Facebook and here.

Review by Alex Holmes

Marshall Artz are ‘Coming Home’ with their twin guitars and a brand new album

Posted on 8 May 2021
Marshall Artz

Taken from their fifth album ‘What Matters’, Marshall Artz’ new single ‘Coming Home’ is a mildly folky, Louisiana-tinged acoustic-led duet, fast-paced and upbeat with some bluegrass vibes in places around the banjo-roll lead breaks and slide guitar pieces, all wrapped around the uber-tight fingerstyle rhythm work of Kevin Artz. There’s a folk-rock, Americana feel to the track, reminiscent of 70’s trio America, Bread, or Harry Chapin, with maybe an element of the Doobie Brothers thrown in in the way both players interact organically around the track to create something that sounds fuller than ‘just’ two guitars and vocals.

It’s an excellent track, pacey and tight; lyrically, the title’s pretty much on the money – a long time away, nothing but ‘FaceTime on my iPhone’ to connect with, and ‘today is the day that I’m coming home’. Gentle, fun, and uplifting, ‘Coming Home’ is a great introduction to Marshall Artz new album.

You can hear ‘Coming Home’ here.

Review by Alex Holmes

John Paycheck – bringing the toe-tapping back to country with ‘Lone Stars’

Posted on 21 April 2021

‘Lone Stars, crowded bars, fast women, and slow guitars’; that’s pretty much the job description for John Paycheck on ‘Lone Stars’ – a fast-paced, shuffly little slab of neo-trad country that’s laced with humour and proper musical pedigree. Paycheck is a self-confessed ‘nerdy high-tech redneck’, and what he’s aiming for – and delivering here – is a return to 90’s style fun country and western with toe-tappin’, foot-stampin’, whiskey-swillin’, country groove that people can dance to.

The son of a country music legend (and Grand Ole Opry member), part of Country’s ‘outlaw movement’ along with Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson, John Paycheck is proper country and western through and through; that comes across in the obvious enjoyment of ‘Lone Stars’, the Texas shuffle and lap steel slide guitar sit alongside the swing and the clear ‘lovin’ it’ grins that are evident across ‘Lone Stars’. It’s a cracker of a single, and frankly if this doesn’t make you want to tap your (cowboy-booted) foot then nothing will.

Check out ‘Lone Stars’ on Spotify; find out more about John Paycheck here.

Review by Alex Holmes

Brandon Bing – Dyin’ Breed: Rapturously Raucous Country Rock

Posted on 31 March 2021

Singer-songwriter Brandon Bing is keeping modern country rock alive and breathing, ironically, with tracks such as ‘Dyin’ Breed’. The southern sun-kissed single plants itself firmly within the roots of country and resounds through the massive radio-ready rock production.

It’s a track that rhythmically commands you to move and lyrically compels you to see the beauty in the world in the same way the Florida & Nashville- based artist does. You almost don’t need the artist’s bio to know that he lives between Florida and Nashville, the gloss and grit delivered in Dyin’ Breed is a telling sign and just one of the reasons why Brandon Bing stands out so easily from the rest.

His rapturously raucous lyricism paired with their gritty southern twang will do infinitely more for your outlook on life than pawing your way through a mountain of self-help books. The energy from the stomping rhythms paired with the rich resonant vocals won’t fail to crawl under your ribs as you listen to the hook-filled feat of honkytonk.

Dyin’ Breed is now available to stream via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Big Regret: Jon Davis recalls that sweet love that got away on ‘My Ex Best Friend’ (feat. The Kenny Rogers Band)

Posted on 25 March 2021

With stories of love and closing doors when she went astray, Jon Davis brings back the best days of his life on his new single called ‘My Ex Best Friend’ (feat. The Kenny Rogers Band).

Jon Davis is a boot stompin’ Australian indie-country artist who make that classic music with real stories, that has a loyal following that sings each word, as you sip on a cold one and enjoy the ride of a lifetime.

After being in mostly tribute bands and playing cover songs, Jon changed direction and before covid-19, was recording his music in Nashville, Tennessee. His passion for creating his own works is obvious and this is a man on a mission to spread his original music to all corners of the world.

This is the story about how you loved her so much and the nights in each others arms still seeps in your mind all the time, as you dream of her so often.

He sings with that experience that has been picked up all the globe, his voice is clear and his lyrics set the picture perfectly without too much mystery. You rejoice as you listen, his catchy chorus has you smiling to his story as you remember the one that got away in your life.

‘My Ex Best Friend’ (feat. The Kenny Rogers Band) from the wise Darwin, Australian indie-country solo musician Jon Davis, is the tale of a passionate love that was incredible, but ended rather quickly in a way that you wish you could have back. Life goes quickly and regrets mountain up as you grow older, so wishing she could open the door again is natural, when you can’t stop thinking about her.

See this passionate track on YouTube and see his FB for more.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Joshua Dennis – Turn Around: A 2021 folk-pop playlist staple

Posted on 24 March 2021
Brand New Day by Joshua Dennis

North Carolina genre-blender, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Joshua Dennis has unleashed their affable folk-pop album ‘Brand New Day’ which will top up any optimism that you may be falling short of.

The instrumentals in the standout single ‘Turn Around’ merge indie with pop and folk while Joshua Dennis’ softly all-consuming vocals bring 21st-century modernity to the crooning soul-pop style.

If any album should be on a hipster’s turntable, it’s Brand New Day. Joshua Dennis’ commitment to bringing a sense of positivity to the airwaves is just one of the reasons why you’ll want to add him to your radar.

Turn Around is available to purchase and stream via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Award-winning bluegrass singer, Kevin Serey is set to release their wisdom-driven single ‘Old Man’s Eyes’

Posted on 9 March 2021

Singer-songwriter, Kevin Serey has been raking in the accolades since making their debut. As an Ohio Music Award Winner and an International Acoustic Music Awards finalist, his highly-anticipated forthcoming album holds plenty of promise. On the basis of the standout single, Old Man’s Eyes, he’s discernibly delivered.

As we’re collectively living through some of the most isolating times in living history, wisdom-fuelled singles, such as Old Man’s Eyes are priceless. Serey’s consoling words melodically shove you in a positive direction while his timeless bluegrass country folk tones leave you enraptured by evoking just as much emotion as the lyrics.

You’ll have to wait a little longer before you can check out Kevin Serey’s new album, in the meantime, hear their award-winning previous releases via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

cp howes plays the ‘Situational Worldwide Blues’

Posted on 27 February 2021
cp howes

Wisconsin-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, cp howes, lyrically captured the monotony of a lockdown lifestyle while freeing us from it with his liberatingly soulful infusion of Blues, RnB and Gospel in their latest single ‘Situational Worldwide Blues’.

‘situational worldwide blues’ sounds like it should be a paradox, the clever juxtaposition drives home the devastatingly unifying reality of our lives while refusing the listener to be saddened by it. The honkytonk piano, shimmering organ wails and the unique acoustics of a cigar-box-6-string guitar ensure that nothing but good vibes are transmitted on the airwaves through Situational Worldwide Blues.

You can check out cp howes’ latest single here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast