Browsing Tag

Country singer songwriter

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

Posted on 17 September 2022

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

London’s Savannah Gardener obliterated the boundary between country and soul in ‘City of Cowboys’.

Posted on 11 May 2022
https://soundcloud.com/savannah-gardner-music/city-of-cowboys-2/s-ar9HC1kMc9r?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Her sound may scream Nashville, but Savannah Gardener’s roots are implanted in London’s landscape; she’s captivated audiences across the breadth of it, and she’s set to swoon plenty more with her latest single, City of Cowboys.

How many songwriters have perpetuated the myth that making one single entity your ENTIRE world is romantic? Millions? All it took was one soulfully demure single from Savannah Gardener to dispel it. Her emboldening approach to lyricism on the subjects of heartbreak, adversity and triumph carries an intuitive resonance that makes her soundscapes captivating from the first breath.

The twang of the bluegrassy resonator guitars, the accordance of the gentle chords and her anachronistically sweet vocals pull together to deliver the ultimate urban county redemption story that you’ll want to aurally turn the pages of time after time.

City of Cowboys is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Americana goes pop in Marcus Liuzzi’s latest single, I Met Her in Memphis

Posted on 29 March 2022

Marcus Liuzzi’s latest single, I Met Her in Memphis, has shifted his alt-country sound to a poppier territory; it is a move we more than approve of. With the playful college rock radio vibes in the vein of R.E.M., mixed with the Memphis Americana instrumentals, you’ll get just as hooked in the narrative lyrics as you will the poppy country guitars that compliment Marcus Liuzzi’s viscerally upbeat vocal style.

It is impossible to listen to the roots deep record that comes with a twist of modernity without turning a smile. We can’t wait to hear what follows. If there’s anything the world needs more of now, it’s stellar songwriters that know how to bring the escapism.

I Met Her in Memphis is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Casey Freedom is right on time in his country folk single, On My Own Time

Posted on 25 March 2022

The country singer-songwriter Casey Freedom soothingly proved that pace is the trick with his latest single, On My Own Time, which kicks back the tempo and allows you to lull yourself into the breezy Americana cool and collected atmosphere.

After graduating as a music student from the University of Oregon, Casey returned to his hometown to replant his roots enamour crowds at open mic shows. Over lockdown, he started writing his own material, which is becoming increasingly defined by the evocative themes, narrative lyricism and glistening country charm.

His songwriting style already carries decades of maturity and nuance, even after such an inexplicably short span of time; this may seem hyperbolic, but the proof lies in the slice of Americana. Take a bite.

On My Own Time is now available to stream via Spotify and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Buddy Greenbloom revives the Western ballad in ‘I Remember Those Times’

Posted on 25 March 2022

(Better Off) I Remember Those Times is the latest single from the nostalgically inclined singer-songwriter Buddy Greenbloom. His vocal timbre resounds with the same magnetic pull as the likes of Dylan and Cohen, but there’s plenty of extra twang from the notorious singing cowboy who made a name for himself in 2003 with his alt country covers of infamous punk rock tracks.

With reminiscing on how it felt to smoke in bars, drink in cars and be carefree in hedonism, it is so easy to find yourself at the centre of this western Americana trip into the past before mediocrity and polarised arguments surrounded us.

With his debut studio LP currently in the works, the Houston-born, LA-based artist is definitively worth a spot on your radar.

I Remember Those Times is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Dreamy Modernism entwines with country roots in Kimberly Atwood’s latest single, ABY (Anything But You)

Posted on 23 March 2022
Kimberly Atwood

Kimberly Atwood brought a touch of dreamy modernism to her country roots in the effortlessly arrestive single, ABY (Anything But You), which explores our innate human inability to forget the people that became the centre of our gravity before leaving us listless and directionless.

There’s no void quite like it, and that’s exactly what Kimberly Atwood poignantly articulates in ABY through the lyrics, “I’ve never had a problem forgetting anything but you”.  Atwood’s fearlessness when it comes to vulnerability and humility is simply stunning to witness. Notably, Nashville has a new icon in the making in its midst. If you pride yourself on keeping your finger on the alt-country pulse, make room on your radar.

Check out Kimberly Atwood via her official website, on Bandcamp or Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

cowboy cody arms kept his tribute to Smoky Martin anachronistically classic in “Waltz of the Bride”

Posted on 3 March 2022
https://soundcloud.com/user-967304589/waltz-of-the-bride-smoky-martin-cover

The Canadian country singer-songwriter, cowboy cody arms, paid tribute to Smoky Martin’s timelessly haunting style in his recently released single, Waltz of the Bride.

The crops of country music may have been sullied by the likes of the Lumineers and Mumford & Sons. But the Southern Ontario, Canada-hailing artist keeps it anachronistically classic in the stripped-back production that features yodelled and evocatively mournful vibrato country vocals atop of the rugged twang of the acoustic guitar.

It may not be everyone in the 21st century’s cup of tea, but there’s definitely a time and a quintessential place for such roots-deep talent. Not all artists make a positive contribution to the world with their music, but cowboy cody arms discernibly does. Never let it be said again that artists don’t make hits like they used to.

Waltz of the Bride is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The West Australian Alt-Country Singer-Songwriter, Siobhan Cotchin, Takes us to Tucson in Her Latest Ethereally Luminous Release

Posted on 27 February 2022

After garnering over 100k streams on Spotify with her 2020 single Do You Know What I Mean? Siobhan Cotchin has returned to the airwaves with her ethereally bluesy Americana single, Tucson. It will undoubtedly be a hit with fans of Big Thief, Angel Olsen and Bonny Light Horsemen.

The West Australian alt-country/rock singer-songwriter’s career has already taken off in Australia. Based on the luminous accordance of Tucson, paired with Cotchin’s determination to weave immersive introspective narratives, she has everything it takes to become an international country-rock icon. In a similar style to Kurt Vile, the award-winning artist caresses the roots of Americana while securing its place in the 21st-century. Her minimalist angular melodies fall into the cavernous production just as succinctly as the lyrics that allude to the subjective desolateness of Tucson.

Tuscon is now available to stream and purchase on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Take an introspective trip with Siobhan Cotchin’s latest single, Highway Song.

Posted on 14 June 2021
Siobhan Cotchin

Comparisons to the likes of Pheobe Bridgers, Angel Olsen and Anais Mitchell are easy to make; what is harder to convey through words alone is the sucker-punched feeling that Siobhan Cotchin’s latest single, Highway Song, will leave you with.

Technically, Highway Song *is* a driving song, not in any traditional sense, but one that captures the loneliness of transitions and times when your life is defined by endings. It is so much more than a senseless melancholy-fest; the choral vocals that sit behind Cotchin’s haunting lyrics and accordant minimalistic folk progressions become the aural light at the end of the highway tunnel.

The West Australian alt-country singer-songwriter is well on the way to the phenomenon she deserves to become. She’s already established herself as one of Australia’s most luminary artists. So far, she has received a nomination for WAM Song of the Year and a spot in triple j Unearthed Top 10 best discoveries of 2020. It is unlikely that her accolades will end there.

Highway Song released on June 2nd; you can hear it for yourselves by heading over to apple music.

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