Album Review: Angaleena Presley – Wrangled

Country music is steeped in stories of poverty and heartbreak. These simple, everyday experiences sung to us by Dolly, Johnny, Loretta et al gave the genre its reputation for three chords and the truth. Of course these artists turned dirt into gold, selling millions and buying themselves mansions, ranches, theme parks even. What happens to the rest of the singers who don’t make it? How do you cope with the realisation that no matter how good a musician or singer you are, no matter how much you bleed into the lyrics you are never going to be a mainstream success? This difficult question is addressed head on in Angaleena Presley’s sophomore album, Wrangled.

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Album Review: Hurray for The Riff Raff – The Navigator

Across history people have been drawn to the city – for work mainly but also for the possibilities to be found socially and creatively. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. But walk down a side street, go off the grid and you will find people who the city has left behind. The darker side of the metropolis is explored by Alynda Segarra in Hurray For The Riff Raff’s stunning concept album The Navigator.  Continue reading “Album Review: Hurray for The Riff Raff – The Navigator” →

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Album Review: Valerie June – The Order of Time

 

Assigning artists to genres has always been an important music marketing strategy but now it seems even more vital to an artist’s success. Only by targeting your audience can you be heard amongst the constant chatter of the online world. Only by finding your genre will you discover the right people and publications to support you. In some ways this is also the reason why music has become so homogenised. If your sound doesn’t fit into the pop realm then major publications won’t cover you and the average music listener won’t find you. So it is refreshing to hear Valerie June’s The Order of Time, an album which has so many diverse influences and clearly couldn’t care less what genre it doesn’t fit into.

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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.

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