a music blog
Liz Rose, a successful Nashville-based songwriter, only started writing in her late thirties and never planned on becoming a singer. Her debut album, Swimming Alone, is a collection of endearing songs which proves that it’s never too late to find your own voice. Continue reading “Album Review: Liz Rose – Swimming Alone”
The simple black and white photograph of Lillie Mae on cover of this record is striking for all the right reasons. It commands us to notice the distinctive style of this artist and remember her face. Stepping out from the shadows of both her family band and her employer turned producer Jack White might be daunting but her eyes and the songs on Forever and Then Some tell you she’s more than ready.
Continue reading “Album Review: Lillie Mae – Forever and Then Some”
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.
Continue reading “Album Review: Angaleena Presley – Wrangled”
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.
Continue reading “Album Review: Valerie June – The Order of Time”
Highway Queens 