Billy Currington - Summer Forever JA

June Album

During this pretty busy part of my life with the ending of University life and my relocating to Manchester in a few days time, Billy Currington has helped keep my spirits up with his latest album Summer Forever. Other albums that I have enjoyed come from Kid Wave, Girlpool, Pins, Wolf Alice and many more.

Summer Forever has a definite chirpy country sound to it and this is a major part of why I like it, but what makes it special to me is that it is not just a standard country album that can be boring with 12 stereotypical songs all the way through. It has some of the tracks where I think he switches it up and has more of a John Mayer Bluesy vibe and others with more of a straight up Americana kind of feel that wouldn't sound out of place on a Springsteen modern album. Below is one of the singles from the album which isn't much of a surprise seeing as it has a good hook but the whole album is this and much more. Enjoy!

Brandi Carlile - The Firewatcher's Daughter MA

March Album

This month has had so many great country/folk music album releases, it made it really hard for me not to pick one as my album on the month. Other great albums came from Noel Gallagher, The Shires, Tobias Jesso Jr., Courtney Barnett, The Staves, Circa Waves and Laura Marling just to name a small portion out of all the brilliant releases.

I chose Brandi Carliles The Firewatchers Daughter because of the emotional ride the album as a whole took me through. She has moments when she is singing a proper uptempo, happy foot stompers of a track and on the turn of a dime she is singing about heartbreak and the transition is the magical thing. Brandi makes it so smooth and effortless, the songs just flow naturally and makes for such an exciting listen. With its ups and downs throughout, it really makes for a classic storytelling album. One of the singles from the album (below) shows how much you don't need a fancy production in a music video, just a good amount of passion and a cracking voice. My stand out track from the album has to be Blood Muscle Skin & Bone. It has a slight different musical direction compared to the rest of the tracks without sounding out of place in the middle of the album and is a nice twist up at the mid point, and having the same Brandi Carlile vocals really makes it a proper ear worm that will make you listen to it on repeat.

Kacey Musgraves - Biscuits YTV

24/03/15 YouTube Video

Fresh new track from Kacey Musgraves. This month has been chock full of absolutely jammy Country tracks much like this one. This song has much of the same feel/sound as that of her previous album release with bouncy, cheery songs including a moral/message sung in such a way that you don't quite realise what she is singing about till the end and by that time the chorus is well and truly in your head. Enjoy!

Holly Williams NPR Tiny Desk Concert YTV

15/07/14 YouTube Video

It has been a while since I have seen a NPR Tiny Desk that I have enjoyed watching as much as this one which is why it is my choice this week. The lady herself is Holly Williams and her set includes 3 tracks: Drinkin', Railroads and Waiting On June. Before watching this video I only heard Drinkin' but I was really amazed by the new songs that I heard. Her voice is really strong and holds a lot of emotion and passion, especially with tracks like Waiting On June which is about her personal life with her family (as mentioned) like I am sure the other tracks she sings are personal to her also which helps give the songs heart and not be bland standard tracks. She is obviously well known in the Country music genre but more than that, she should be well known for just being a great musician, songwriter and overall performer. Enjoy!

 

SoundCloud Songs

This week is another double hitter. I have found it hard to limit my SoundCloud feature to just one song every two weeks, there are just too many good songs out there. So I'm considering making it a more frequent feature but for now here is two tracks for you to enjoy.

If you like them or don't, leave a comment below to let me know what you think.

First up is the track Molly-O! by artist Simone Felice. I found out about this artist through the latest Q magazine and after listening to this album I am glad I took their review further. This song has tinges of country pop, and his voice has a slight young Bruce Springsteen element to it which is no bad thing. I love the sing along chorus, the clever lyrics and his unique style. This track along with the album is pretty great.



Next up is Coves with the track Beatings. This duo are from Leamington Spa which (if you didn't know) is where I am from. There is something to be said for repping your home town and associated acts that come out of it, which I do, but this group really don't need it. The quality tunes off their debut album easily do it alone. This track is a bit of a dreamy number with electronic vibes throughout but my main loves are the strumming guitars and the cheeky harmonica that comes out of nowhere. Beaut

YouTube Video Of The Week! 13/08/13

My video of the week this week is Holly Williams - Drinkin'. 

Basically as I returned from my holiday in Cornwall I had a small selection of CDs waiting for me to listen to from a selection of different countryish singers, one being said Holly Williams. I bough only her latest album after browsing around for new artists just to get a taster of what she is like, not really knowing who her father or relatives were or anything like that until later on. I have only listened to the album once or twice but I'm really diggin' her voice and guitar playing and I'm also really really diggin' country music scene at the moment, especially bands fronted with a female vocals, very soulful.