Album Review: Runaway June – Blue Roses

Country trio Runaway June are comprised of Naomi Cooke on lead vocals and guitar; Hannah Mulholland on vocals and mandolin and Jennifer Wayne on vocals and guitar. The girls have become the first all female trio to gain two country top 40 hits in a decade and their new album Blue Roses is released in the same month as their name – a fitting choice for a light and fun summer album of sweet country pop. Continue reading “Album Review: Runaway June – Blue Roses” →

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Album Review: Erin Durant – Islands

The sunny side of the street is where we meet Erin Durant, a musician who hails from New Orleans and now lives in New York. She attracted attention when the New York Times wrote about how she likes to transport a real piano to all her shows. Such authentic attention to detail tells you much about this intriguing artist. Her music is hushed indie folk, a simple dream that takes you on the most lovely journey to the Islands. Continue reading “Album Review: Erin Durant – Islands” →

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The Differences Between Music Journalists & Bloggers and Why We All Should Work Together Anyway

I was reading a great interview with Marissa Moss the other day which outlined some thoughts she had on the difference between journalism and music blogging. This got me thinking about some of the wider issues that I have observed since starting my own blog.

When I first started Highway Queens I had dreams of creating a professional level magazine and writing to the same standards as a paid journalist. Soon I realised that not only was this an impossible task for one person, it wasn’t what blogging was for at all. Here’s my thoughts on what those differences are and why we all need to work together anyway. Continue reading “The Differences Between Music Journalists & Bloggers and Why We All Should Work Together Anyway” →

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Album Review: Better Oblivion Community Center

When Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers released their Better Oblivion Community Center project at the start of the year it should have been the perfect album for me as I’m a Bright Eyes fanatic and someone who’d loved both of their recent solo work. Despite everyone on my timeline prompting me to listen, I kept avoiding it. Purposefully so, for a myriad of reasons which I only just recently began to really think about when I finally sat down with the album this past week. Continue reading “Album Review: Better Oblivion Community Center” →

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Ten Inspiring Dolly Parton Quotes To Get You Through

Dolly Parton seems to have an inspiring aphorism for every day of the week. Her savvy team post her most famous sound bites frequently on social media and there are even books you can buy just filled with wise quotations from the Queen herself.

Most of those quotes are so well known now they have almost become cliche – like ‘if you want the rainbow you have to put up with the rain’ and ‘if you don’t like the road you’re walking on, start paving a new one’. When I was reading the interview by her biographer Alanna Nash in the book ‘Behind Closed Doors: Talking with the Legends of Country Music’, I was stunned by the fact that Dolly offers these pearls of wisdom and insight so often that many of them have been forgotten. As I read I began writing some of my favourites down in a little pink notebook to consult anytime I felt down or stressed.

So I thought I would share my ten favourites that you might not have heard before (or are worth hearing again). As usual Dolly offers inspiration, advice and a model of how to thrive: Continue reading “Ten Inspiring Dolly Parton Quotes To Get You Through” →

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Fifty Women in Music Who Deserve Their Own Biopics

After seeing the Elton John biopic Rocketman last week, I began thinking about all the women in music who should have their story told on the silver screen. Rocketman was an interesting film but I was disappointed by the fact that they mentioned Mama Cass, going so far as to recreate her home for a party scene and yet the woman herself did not appear on screen – not even for a fleeting cameo (Kiki Dee didn’t fare much better either but at least she had a line). Like many women in music history Cass appeared sidelined in favour of the bigger story of the man. Continue reading “Fifty Women in Music Who Deserve Their Own Biopics” →

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Dolly Parton’s Discography: Dolly, Dolly, Dolly (1980)

And so we’ve reached the eighties – the decade most traditional music fans like myself dread. During the seventies Dolly moved progressively towards pop and finished that decade by recording the most mainstream music of her career. At the beginning of 1980 Dolly Parton was 34 years old and still committed to becoming a worldwide superstar. Her decision to release another pop album dismayed the critics and many of her country music fans alike. And with good reason – Dolly, Dolly, Dolly doesn’t hold up that well to retrospective scrutiny, even if looking at the bigger picture we can conclude that Dolly’s plan for success worked. Continue reading “Dolly Parton’s Discography: Dolly, Dolly, Dolly (1980)” →

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Live Review: Lucy Dacus with Liz Lawrence @ Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh

As I stand among the sold out crowd awaiting the arrival of Lucy Dacus, I hear a polite voice behind me saying ‘excuse me’. I apologise, move out of the way and see Lucy herself cradling a cup of tea as she walks past me onto the stage. She steps up to the mic and says ‘Shall we’, her quietly unassuming stage presence only adding to the appeal of this very special young artist. Continue reading “Live Review: Lucy Dacus with Liz Lawrence @ Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh” →

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