Why ‘Tin Man’ Is The Sad Song We Need Right Now

Nowadays in popular music escapism is the name of the game. Songs are often nothing more than an attempt to make the listener feel good – even ballads are autotuned and polished to perfection. Raw emotion is no longer acceptable.

But look at the world. Look at all the terrible things that are happening. More than ever we need to hear songs that tell us the real stories of people’s lives – of their heartbreak and pain and suffering. These songs are still out there, but you won’t hear them much on the radio or at award shows. When Miranda Lambert stepped up to sing Tin Man at the ACM awards she said it was a ‘risk’ but it was a performance which proved that sad songs still have the most power. Continue reading “Why ‘Tin Man’ Is The Sad Song We Need Right Now”

Why A Win for Laura Mvula Would Be A Win for All Women in Music

The Ivor Novello awards, given for song writing, are to take place in London this week. They are strange awards in many ways – sometimes rewarding just for commercial success and other times recognising artists beyond the mainstream.

What makes this year’s nominations list stand out for the right reasons is the inclusion of Laura Mvula, who was recently dropped by her record label. Now you would think if they signed you for a five album deal then they at least believe in your talent and potential. But in this case they dropped her after her second album failed to reach their sales targets. And they did this by email.  Continue reading “Why A Win for Laura Mvula Would Be A Win for All Women in Music”

Why the Americana Music Awards Needs Female Only Categories

The Americana music awards are a fantastic showcase for quality music, sweeping up all the great acts that country music award shows have left behind as well as giving the respect due to classic artists. Of course the definition of ‘Americana’ may never be fully concrete but if you glance back across the history of these awards you can see that they honour a great variety of musicians. Continue reading “Why the Americana Music Awards Needs Female Only Categories”

How to Make Country 2 Country Festival Even Better

Country 2 Country festival is a vitally important part of being a country music fan in the UK, giving fans a chance to see the breadth and depth of Nashville’s finest all in one place. 2017 saw Brad Paisley, Reba McEntire and Zac Brown Band headline successful shows in London, Glasgow and Dublin. The event is now held over three days, in three locations and is by all accounts a smashing success.

While fans can’t get enough of the music, look closer and you will find there are issues with the event which need addressed. Even the most famous blog in country music covered the fact that a DJ booked for an afterparty seemed to have no idea she was playing a country music event (although this has since been explained away by that old chestnut ‘technical difficulties’.) A quick glance on twitter will confirm that fans are not happy about many other things to do with the festival.

Continue reading “How to Make Country 2 Country Festival Even Better”

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