Browsing Tag

country

Simona-Valentina compels her listeners to follow their dreams in her confessionally quaint country pop-rock single, Head Outta Washing Machine

London-based singer-songwriter and guitarist, Simona-Valentina, gave her listeners an intimate view into how her creative life began with her country-tinged pop-rock single, Head Outta Washing Machine, which officially released on October 22nd and spilt 90s nostalgia onto the airwaves.

With a similar snappy melody to Avril Lavinge’s game-changing earworm, Complicated, in the intro, along with a few nods to the 90s, Head Outta Washing Machine is an immersive unravelling of the singer-songwriter’s humble and adorable beginnings as a singer-songwriter. You only have to hit play to see how far she has come as an expressive advocator of following your dreams.

Head Outta Washing Machine is the 12th single released by Simona-Valentina after she made her debut with her single, Unspoken Love, in 2019. She’s also one-half of the acoustic duo SVRPoole, who are melodically enlivening the London music scene.

Here’s what Simona-Valentina had to say about her latest release:

“I used to sing with my head in the washing machine when I was around six years old. This is my genuine and retrospectively funny music story, and what I am basically confessing with this new song.

I was shy and introverted at that age, lacking the confidence and courage to sing in front of people; hence, the darkness and intimacy of singing with my head inside the washing machine appealed to me greatly.”

Listen to Head Outta Washing Machine on Spotify.

Follow Simona-Valentina on Facebook and Instagram

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Crystal Water: Swedish band Loveflowers sees the beauty within on Sea of Hope

Looking for the right way in the webs of illusions underwater, Loveflowers try to decipher the paths of cold and warmth in this vast ocean via the ear-tingling new release Sea of Hope.

Loveflowers are a Swedish alt-country/Americana 5-piece band who make those authentically wrapped smoothies we can all sip on with love.

Some of the most important things about their music are the rhythm, feeling and the sound of a particular song. The lyrics is hopefully something the listener can relate to in their own way.” ~ Loveflowers

Gleaning with hope and soothing vibrance which shall set your heart alight with so much radiant energy to swim inside, Loveflowers are that loving mood to deliver us a lofty delight which has come at precisely when we needed it most.

Sea of Hope from Swedish alt-country/Americana outfit Loveflowers is a calming soundtrack to when you just need to float away from the bad times and find that happy stream of contentment. Performed with care and love, whilst truly stimulating the soul, we are blessed by a fine experience to feel reinvigorated by.

When you see a welcome path open up, it’s best to take that gap when you can.

Lather yourself into this song on Spotify and see more news on their IG page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

The country rock renegade Brandon Bing is back in the saddle in his roughneck hit, Don’t Bring Your Car to a Rodeo

Before you head to your first rodeo, learn the ropes from the Floridian traditional country rock raconteur Brandon Bing. Taken from his latest whisky-soaked album, Huckleberry, his seminal single, Don’t Bring Your Car to a Rodeo, is an enlivening invitation into the roughneck culture of rodeos.

The foot-stompin’ rhythms drive good vibes right through the upbeat hit while the folky strings bring the gravitas that Brandon Bing is renowned for in the country music scenes far beyond his own turf. Off the back of his 2021 EP, Dyin’ Breed, he received accolades from the International Singer-Songwriters Association, and he’s toured his sound across the states with appearances at Live Oak in Nashville and at the BMI Songwriters Festival in Florida.

Don’t Bring Your Car to a Rodeo video is is now available on YouTube and you can also stream it on Spotify

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hodges Country stand and deliver raucous country rock euphoria in ‘Country’s Kicking’

https://soundcloud.com/steve-and-sheri-music/countrys-kicking-2

The country rock raconteurs behind Hodges Country are primed and ready to take you down the ramshackled county line in their latest upbeat single, Country’s Kicking, which has been picking up plenty of steam on the airwaves since its July 2022 debut.

With over 128k streams on SoundCloud alone, the father and son duo led by American singer-songwriter Steve Hodges paid a stunning ode to his late wife, who was the co-creator and muse behind many of his greatest hits; her legacy is in a blaze of glory on the basis of Country’s Kicking alone. How the wake and tragedy can translate into such euphoric country rock raucousness is the epitome of beauty in my book.

Delve into the bluegrass righteousness for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Copperhead Jones is down by the water in his narratively blissful country single, Cold Beers and Tight Lines

While deployed with the US Navy in 2012, the Texan country crooner, Copperhead Jones, started to pen his roots-deep Americana songs. A decade down the line, he is fresh from the release of his narratively escapist sophomore album, Anchor.

The standout single, Cold Beers and Tight Lines, lyrically sets the scene of a more serene time, while the upbeat Americana instrumentals feed the euphonic highs through the flair of the bluesy piano motifs, winding Country guitars and assuredly steady percussion that would have a dive bar crowd tapping their feet to the tight snappy rhythmic magnetism in no time at all. Regardless of the mood that Cold Beers and Tight Lines catches you in, the soulfully sincere soundscape is sure to brighten it.

Cold Beers and Tight Lines is now available to stream on Spotify along with the rest of Copperhead Jones’ 2022 album, Anchor.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nicki Shakes shares a relatable thirst in her single, I Need a Drink

Country singer-songwriter-sensation Nicki Shakes shared a relatable thirst in the standout single, I Need a Drink, from her debut album, Rise. For everyone that has ever wanted to evade the nefariousness of their consciousness, the bluesy swagger of the melodically upbeat Country pop rock single has all the makings of a playlist staple.

Her eclectically matured sound may sonically take you to a dive bar in Tennessee, but the accomplished UK-residing artist tours her soulful tales of heartbreak and woe across Essex and London. What comes as much less of a surprise is the international airplay Nicki Shakes has garnered with her energy that epitomises artistic dynamism.

I Need a Drink is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Andrea & Mud are a rocksteady cinematic vision in their honkytonk classic country single, A World Just You and Me

https://soundcloud.com/andreaandmud/a-world-just-you-and-me-master?in=andreaandmud/sets/institutionalized/s-2umq8RxPBvk&si=fb659af527954dcd83a60414667dcbde&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Slip away from the 21st century with the honkytonk classic country single, A World Just You and Me, by the alchemically alluring Atlanta-based duo Andrea & Mud.

With Setzer-esque winding guitars which resound around the custom-crafted surf-western motifs between trickling piano keys and percussion that was crafted to jive to, A World Just You and Me is a rocksteady cinematic vision which transcends nostalgia by moving into the future of retro.

While Andrea Colburn vocally brings the grace and beguile, Kyle ‘Mud’ Moseley’s baritone vocal soul aches with sincerity, despite the playful tone of the romantically spurred lyrics.

A World Just You and Me will be available to stream and download from September 13th. Catch it on Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

When The River Took Over: Kit Lindsey watches the birds fly away on Appalachian Sunday

Showing us that shining style that was born from Mamma-taught hard work mentality, Kit Lindsey has reimagined an old tale that many will remember intently on Appalachian Sunday.

Kit Lindsey is a Landrum, South Carolina-based indie blues/country singer-songwriter who makes those nostalgic gems you can’t seem to forget.

A culmination of so many influences, experiences, and moods. It’s at the top of my list when it comes to songs that still jerk my emotions around no matter how many times I’ve sung them.” ~ Kit Lindsey speaking about the meaning of Appalachian Sunday

Time-travelling us back to an old school murder ballad that will catch your attention, Kit Lindsey shows us the hero and the villain in a modern way that is rather incredible to witness. Her tone is somber, honest, and takes us right into the moment where that fateful moment took place.

Appalachian Sunday from Landrum, South Carolina-based indie blues/country singer-songwriter Kit Lindsey is an excellent track that will stop you in your tracks for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. It’s sung with a dynamic aura that shall have you lost in thought. Speaker-rattling beyond previous comprehension, to bring us into a classic story, in her own way.

Relate to a song made with a true class on YouTube and see more via her IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

You Know I like It: Suzanne VanRandwyk wants to feel that tingle again on her spine with Kiss Me Again

Reminiscing about that time when her heart fell in love instantly, Suzanne VanRandwyk sends us one of the most romantic singles of 2022 so far with the joyful smooch-filled gem that is Kiss Me Again.

Suzanne VanRandwyk is a wonderful indie Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter who blends in Americana, folk-rock and country.

Creates heartfelt songs that tell stories of everyday people in vivid detail.” ~ Suzanne VanRandwyk

Soothing our worries away while she brings a ray of sweet sunshine inside our intrigued ears, Suzanne VanRandwyk shows us we are better off when we are in the zone of love. Her genuine vibes are there for all to see and hear, as there is a warm glow of fondness from a truly classy soul.

Kiss Me Again from Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter Americana/country artist Suzanne VanRandwyk is that hugely memorable song when you just want your whole body to feel so fine again, like it deserves. Sung with so much love and beautiful energy, this is a lovely effort to put on loud when you need to feel like innocent romance still exists.

Listen up to this fine new single on Spotify and see more via the IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Set yourself free with The Paul Clark Project’s sophomore Americana Folk LP, Sown from the Same Seed

Some say time is the greatest healer, but that empty idiom falls short of the mindful catharsis extended by artists, such as The Paul Clark Project.

The singer-songwriter’s sophomore album, Sown from the Same Seed, uses a timelessly transformative blend of folk, rock and Americana to remind us that even though there are billions of us spread across the globe, we all have the same unifying origin and intrinsic needs.

In a time where irrational tribalism splinters our society, artists and thinkers need to step up to the plate and act as the glue to bind us into peace, love and acceptance. No one could accuse Paul Clark of not pulling his mindfully resolving weight. The opening single, Consciousness, opens a can of candour, forcing into recollection our twisted reality where we shackle ourselves with anger and limitation.

Beyond the humbling textures and tones is an unreckonable intelligence; spurred by Clark’s experience as a clinical social worker and mental health advocate. For your sanity’s sake, take notes.

Sown from the Same Seed is now available to stream and purchase on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast