Browsing Tag

Nashville Pop

Kennedy Bane confronted heart-wrenching grief with grace in her debut, Pushing Up Daisies

Posted on 27 May 2024

Kennedy Bane, a 15-year-old pop singer-songwriter from Nashville, TN, rendered hearts raw with her debut single, “Pushing Up Daisies.” The debut instantaneously proved her mettle as a heart-wrenching lyricist as it showcased her evocatively immense vocal finesse. The single belies her 15 trips around the sun, as she tackles the tender subject of grief with a maturity that artists with decades in the industry would struggle to match.

The indomitable sincerity within her standing ovation-worthy performance, paired with the achingly ornate indie-pop instrumentals, won’t leave a dry eye in the proverbial house. The solemn gravity within “Pushing Up Daisies” is superlatively affecting. Kennedy’s ability to convey profound emotion through her music is nothing short of extraordinary.

As “Pushing Up Daisies” unfolds, it’s clear that whatever subject Kennedy turns her talent to next will make for an equally impactful journey. Her collaboration with Platinum Grammy Producer Bryan Todd for her first EP of six original songs is naturally highly anticipated after the release of what will become revered as one of the strongest debuts of the year.

Pushing Up Daisies was officially released on May 10th; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Amy Corey instilled compassion into country pop with ‘If I Could’

Posted on 16 August 2023

When Amy Corey isn’t writing and recording radio-ready hit singles, she’s giving TEDx talks, being an Ambassador to the HCMC Peace and Development Foundation in Vietnam and being proactive in her role as a mental health motivational speaker.

The Vietnam-born artist, who was adopted to America at six months old, has melodically extended her mental health advocacy in her latest single If I Could, which soulfully shares some of the sonic proclivities with Taylor Swift’s country pop records as Corey strides into her own with her compassionately compelling vocal and lyrical lines, which allude to the immense crushing gravity of loss.

There’s just enough ambiguity in the lyrics to allow the listener to wrap their own meaning around the lyricism, which amasses an emboldening energy through the momentum of the classic pop crescendos. It’s a stunning release from an artist evidently intent in her mission to spread empathy and understanding in a world that can all too often feel devoid of it.

If I Could was officially released on August 8th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lindsey Sampson – Sand: An Elemental Folk-Pop Triumph.

Posted on 27 January 2023

With frenetic synth sequencing that made us nostalgic for the soundscapes from Alan Vega, the pop singer-songwriter, Lindsey Sampson’s latest single, Sand, is an elemental triumph.

Oceanic momentum flows through progressive rising tides in the un-archetypally structured single that harnesses deep reverence for natural phenomena and articulately observes how nature often works to reflect introspective sensations.

Lindsey Sampson, who spends her time between Nashville and New England, marries the soul of country with a contemporary indie folk pop edge that is definitively hers. We can fully attest to her ability to appeal to the spirituality that lies within us all – regardless of whether we nurture that relationship or not.

Since her humble beginnings, the singer-songwriter has been nominated for the award of Best Female Performer at the New England Music Awards and received many other accolades along the way while performing solo and as part of her folk-rock band, Visiting Wine. 

Sand will officially release on January 27th. Dig your toes in on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Layla Frankel evades genre and embodies soul in her standout single, Dear Jennie.

Posted on 28 September 2021

Layla Frankel’s recent releases may evade genre, but they revolve around style and soul. Her standout single, Dear Jennie, is a stunning testament to her effortlessly uplifting sound. With her influences ranging from Bonnie Raitt to Sheryl Crow to Joni Mitchell to Bob Dylan, she found her own voice in between, and what a voice it is.

With the same ABBA-Esque piano chords that allowed the Manic Street Preachers to get to the top of the album charts when they used them in their latest album, The Ultra Vid Lament, Dear Jennie brings just as much euphoria with her complexly layered sound that indoctrinates unpredictable progressions, cathartic crescendos and sheer vocal dynamism.

Dear Jennie is available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nashville indie-pop icon Tanner Carlson has released his latest single, Stuck 

Posted on 27 August 2021
For his latest single, 21-year-old Nashville pop artist Tanner Carlson created an indie RnB pop track that won’t fail to win you over with the dreamy melodies, intimate lyrics and straight from the soul vocals that make ‘Stuck’ anything but your average love song.
With his contemporary indie vibes that allow you to get swept up in the cinematography of the Broadway pop single, Carlson put themselves in the same league as artists such as Post Malone, Lil Nas X and Mac Miller for the way he can leave you utterly arrested by the narratives he weaves. Stuck is just one of the singles that you will find on Carlson’s 2021 4-track EP that explores coming of age quandaries with poetry, vulnerability and pure emotion.
His EP, Stuck, is now available to stream on SoundCloud. 
Review by Amelia Vandergast

Madelyn Jones prescribes indie-pop tranquillity in her latest single, ‘Carolina Blue’.

Posted on 7 July 2021

Colorado-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Madelyn Jones has followed on from the success of her 2020 debut single, For You, with the release of her tranquil indie-pop track, Carolina Blue.

Carolina Blue is the perfect soundscape for those chilled summer nights; as the lyrics inspire affectionate nostalgia, the mellow pace of the sun-bleached indie-pop instrumentals brings Nashville-style catharsis

At a young age, Madelyn Jones is already exhibiting the same level of maturity and finesse as her dynamic array of influences. The singer-songwriter who has been writing songs since the 5th grade takes inspiration from everyone from Taylor Swift to the Beatles to Frank Sinatra. Discernibly, she can authentically mimic all of the aforementioned’s abilities to evoke emotion through music, and got her money’s worth from her music degree at Belmont University.

Carolina Blue is now available to stream on all platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Cailyn Currie opened up the conversation around mental health with her sonorous lullaby ‘Dying Star’

Posted on 14 March 2021

Nashville singer-songwriter, Cailyn Currie extended the conversation around mental health with her latest single, ‘Dying Star’, it’s a sonorous lullaby for anyone contending with feelings of futility and a delicate reminder that while you’re still breathing, life isn’t over.

Cailyn Currie’s vocals carry sincerity as she shares her hard-fought for introspection while the sparse folk-pop instrumentals create the perfect atmosphere to fall into as powerfully meta wisdom wraps around you.

Dying star was recorded in Nashville and mastered in London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios, so it comes as no surprise that the quiescently resounding single cuts deep while simultaneously tending to open wounds. If tracks such as Dying Star started hitting the airwaves decades ago, we’d undoubtedly be better prepared for the global mental health crisis we’re facing today.

Dying Star is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Zoe Clark – Last One Standing: country-tinged upbeat pop

Posted on 26 February 2021

Poppy, irreverent, and clever, Zoe Clark – from the Music City itself, Nashville Tennessee – has a history of well-thought out, relatable tunes; ‘Last One Standing’, her newest single, continues that tradition, a country-tinged upbeat pop song with hints of what might happen if Katy Perry somehow crossed with Taylor Swift and a dash of Avril Lavigne, self-deprecating but insightful lyrics over the catchiest of catchy tunes. It’s humorous, emotional, and charming all at once, instantly familiar and approachable, whilst having a style and sound that’s ultimately unique.

Clark’s debut EP, ‘Lovers Mark’, released in spring 2020, garnered top reviews as well as getting added to over 140 Spotify playlists; now ‘Last One Standing’ has gone Tik Tok viral prior to release, with 2.3 Million views and over 30,000 presaves. It’s not hard to see why – one listen isn’t enough, it’s memorable, catchy, and snappy as hell. ‘Last One Standing’ deserves to be played. Often. And loud.

Hear ‘Last One Standing’ on Soundcloud; check out Zoe Clark on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Becky Raisman has sweetened the airwaves with her eccentric Pop single ‘Summertime Sugar’

Posted on 12 November 2020
Becky Raisman

Becky Raisman is here with her eccentrically sweet Alt Pop single ‘Summertime Sugar’, if you could imagine a mash-up of the stylings of the B52s and the Beach Boys, you may just get an idea of what is in store if you hit play on this vibrantly quaint, ardently amorous summer Pop single.

The Jazzy piano pop number uses a solid backbone of acoustic drums along with synth keys which carve lush melodies which will definitely leave you feeling enamoured while Raisman runs you through the candidly unfiltered lyrics.

You’ll have to wait a little longer before you can check out Summertime Sugar for yourselves. In the meantime, you can stay up to date with news of the release via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LIV brings in the next generation of Pop with ‘Just Wait’

Posted on 12 November 2020

Aptly, Just Wait definitely isn’t about the instant gratification. LIV’s smoothly funk-riding electropop single kicks off with a tantalisingly beguiling start which makes it impossible to find any complacency in the progressions. Instead, you’ll be hooked into the delectably bold ingenuity right from the intro.

Vocally, Just Wait pays ode to 90s RnB, with the genre-crumbling grooves and beats, any time spent pigeonholing those instead of appreciating their authenticity would be wasted.

The track may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the Virginia-born, Nashville-based Pop artist is on a mission to bring in the next generation of Pop instead of assimilating what has been. (She’s succeeding).

You can check out Just Wait for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast