Browsing Tag

Country Pop

Love prevails in Phil Dutra’s retro pop single, It’s Not Enough

Posted on 6 November 2021
It's Not Enough (Falling For Your Love) by Phil Dutra

Break free of your ennui with the old school romanticism in Phil Dutra’s latest retro country-pop single, It’s Not Enough (Falling for Your Love). The Austin Texas artist’s sway-worthy guitar-driven melodies provide a sure-fire nostalgia hit as they croon through the crescendos as Dutra goes all-in with his robustly romantic vocals.

If you cranked up the intensity in Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love by 1000%, it still wouldn’t come close to the stridently visceral release that is the aural equivalent to holding a boombox up underneath an ex paramour’s bedroom window. Romance will never be dead, for as long as there are songwriters in the same gorgeous vein as Dutra.

It’s Not Enough is available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Laurel K Adams has released her artful country-pop crossover single, Dancing in the Eye of a Hurricane.

Posted on 20 October 2021

The 17-year-old singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Lauren K Adams has released her debut alt-county-pop crossover EP, The Introduction. The standout single, Dancing in the Eye of a Hurricane, carries the coveted gravitas of an artist that has dedicated their life to honing in on their craft, but discernibly, the melodies that her poetic lyrics breeze through are as natural as breathing. If you could imagine a hybrid of the best parts of Cohen, Stevie Nicks and Kate Bush, you’ll get close to imagining the ingenuity on offer here.

You’d be seriously hard-pressed to find another up and coming artist with such succinct talent when it comes to capturing the multifaceted complexities of the human experience. The airwaves are an infinitely better place for her debut. The motivation for it goes beyond the yearning for accolades; it stems from the far less factious inclination to empower her listeners.

Dancing in the Eye of a Hurricane is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spin out of control with Nav’s Hook latest indie folk-pop single, Drivin’ Me Crazy

Posted on 23 August 2021

In his latest single, Drivin’ Me Crazy, up and coming artist Nav’s Hook pulled up the roots of rhythm, country and blues to create an indie-folk-pop jam that pays ode to romantic mania. The infectiously uplifting track comes complete with shimmering Gretschy guitars, foot-stompin’ rhythms and some all too efficacious vocal hooks which make an earworm out of the release.

Any fans of Ryan Adams, Chris Cornell, John Mayer and Jason Isbell won’t want to miss out on this expressively seductive radio-ready track that practically begs for repeat attention.

You can check out the official lyric video for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

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

Joonas Tanner – Ordinary Day: A Cinematically Raw Sign of the Times

Posted on 14 May 2021

Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter Joonas Tanner finds the inspiration for his country-pop crossover singles by introspectively delving into the complexities of love, life and human emotion. His latest single, ‘Ordinary Day’, explores the relationships that reached a breaking point during the 2020 lockdown. Even if you didn’t feel that disjointing feeling first-hand, Ordinary Day still hits bruisingly hard by stripping the grandiosity out of modern romance and replacing it with the reminder of how mundane loveless ordinary days can be.

Ordinary Day was produced by Nashville’s very own Simon Reid, who allowed the soundscape to unfold as an all-consuming feat of country pop-rock that holds sonic reminiscence to the likes of Shinedown and Staind. If you want to test your soul’s capacity to feel, hit play on this cinematically raw sign of our times.

Ordinary Day is now available to stream via Spotify, Bandcamp and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rod Fritz – Stay with Me: a straight-from-the-soul indie pop rock serenade

Posted on 12 February 2021

With his catchy pop hooks, lyrics which act like sirens to the soul and the ardent air which drifts through his masterful sound, bonafide Australian singer-songwriter and alchemist of emotion, Rod Fritz, unsurprisingly hasn’t struggled to find international acclaim.

If you’re yet to be acquainted, their 2020 single ‘Stay with Me’ will make sure that it’s an introduction that you’re unlikely to forget.

Stay with Me may be sentimentally tinged with melancholy, but as you grapple with the emotions which transpire at the prospect at losing that person who you’d unequivocally fall apart without, the soundscape refuses you to feel any ounce of sadness. Instead, it captures the passion-driven determination which comes to fruition when you start to feel the gratitude for that irreplaceable human.

Any fans of Lumineers and Mumford and Sons will undoubtedly want to delve into this ardently sweet country pop rock release.

The official music video to Stay with Me is available to stream via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Charlotte Morris Bares Her Soul on new single ‘Three Hearts’

Posted on 26 December 2020

With a delicious blend of folk, pop, rock, and Americana comes ‘Three Hearts’, the new single from Charlotte Morris’ new album ‘Songs For My Next Ex’, and that title probably gives a pretty good lead into what’s on offer here; beautiful, soulful, confessional and personal, soft and gentle and tugging on the heartstrings. There’s a little of Joni Mitchell, a little Sheryl Crow, and a lot of Delta Rae and Brandi Carlisle; a tender and compassionate vocal sitting over gently strummed acoustic guitar chords and a sensitive backing of drums and bass.

Listened to in its entirety, ‘Songs For My Next Ex’ is a soul-bearing ‘story album’, tracing the highs and lows of relationships; her first full-length album, following up 2018’s ‘To New York With Love’ EP, it’s a perfect showcase for Morris’ stunning, plaintive voice. ‘Three Hearts’ is the impeccable, sublime introduction.

You can hear ‘Three Hearts’ on Soundcloud and follow Charlotte Morris here or on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

‘Holiday With Me’ is a fun song about fun times away from work with the multi-talented Travis Cloer

Posted on 20 November 2020

‘Holiday With Me‘ is a fun song about fun times away from work with the multi-talented Travis Cloer as he shows the world his refined voice and plenty of charm.

Travis Cloer is on top form with his latest single ‘Holiday With Me‘. This is a seasoned performer that shows his Broadway experience and sings with such flamboyant gusto. A top musician and actor, the sky is the limit for his career as he impresses yet again. This is the type of song to turn up loud with the whole family around.

This is a singer who loves to perform and you can feel his excellent energy here as he sings about the holidays. You feel like packing your bags and joining him for the good times.

So if you you are so tired of the year and want to just have fun, forget about stress and jump on a plane, leave your stress behind and enjoy holiday with me.

Click here for the Soundcloud music page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

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

Campbell Station – In Between: Timelessly Stunning Americana

Posted on 27 September 2020

The timeless tones in the standout single “In Between” from Campbell Station’s 2020 EP “West” leave you instantly transfixed. But that’s nothing compared to the effect which the stunning Country Pop vocals will have on you.

In Between does what every great Country track should, it tears you away from reality and fills your mind with escapism-aiding imagery which allows you to truly lose yourself in the soundscape. By tackling the subject of never truly feeling comfortable anywhere, there’s plenty of resonance to pull out of In Between. Especially for anyone homesick for a home they’ve never had.

You can check out Campbell Station’s single In Between along with the rest of their stunning EP for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast