EP Review - Kiss Me Cowboy - Tommy Atkins

 

Tommy Atkins is back with his first EP following up the success of his two single releases Cinderella’s Had A Drink and his country Cover of Freedom.  Both of these are included on the EP along with new tracks Wild in the Wind and the title track Kiss Me Cowboy

Kiss Me Cowboy is not just another cowboy love song –this time it’s about LGBT acceptance, but also just about acceptance generally.  Opening with acoustic guitar and violin, with drums giving us the rhythm, the strings really add to the mood of the song, providing almost a second vocal.

The song contains strong emotion without being overly emotional, contains a message without preaching.

As before, despite being from the North East UK, Tommy has written about classic Country themes – the setting of a country fair, reference to a truck - the imagery is all there and it is easy to picture the scenes as they play out through the song almost as though watching it on a screen.  It’s a story of a relationship that meets with disapproval, two people fighting against parents and – in this case – against prejudice.  Finding those moments, away from everyone where you feel safe to ask “Kiss me, cowboy”. Tommy voice is quieter than normal, a hush effect that helps explain the situation.

Although the ending isn’t quite fairy tale, the story isn’t quite finished and there is certainly hope in there – hope that their love will survive distance and hope for acceptance.

Tommy has won awards and nominations not just for his music but for being a positive role model in the LGBT community, and surely, he will continue to be recognised in both fields.  Tommy’s first single – Cinderella’s Had a Drink – was nominated for our own Silverball Country Awards and lost out only due to very tough competition

 

The second new track - Wild In The Wind – is a very listenable relaxing track, showcasing Tommy’s voice against a varied instrumental, with drums, guitar, strings, pedal steel, and dobro.  In a way it’s another love song, but a tribute to a lost friend, quite wistful with the emotion again supported by the violin and very subtle backing vocals from Anna Pearson. 

It’s a song about wanting to go back and experience all those firsts again with your friend, looking on the brighter side of life. The friend in every memory, forever 17 in the shot gun seat and wild in the wind. The friend you miss and would give anything to see again. 

It’s a perfect ending to this 4 track EP

  

Kiss Me Cowboy, the new EP from Tommy Atkins is available to download and stream now on all major platforms

Find and follow Tommy on Facebook, his website and on Spotify

Single Review - Howlin' At The Moon - Mitchell Kersley

 

Where to start ….

I am mesmerised by the artwork for this single; Howlin’ at the moon looks like any other bar traditionally featured on the television to represent danger and you just know something is about to kick off.  Centre stage, sat hunched over, but facing you is a wolf, but in a swanky velvet suit.  What catches your eye is the wolf isn’t trying to blend in, the face could easily be used on a wildlife documentary and that’s what has me hooked!  Hasn’t it been said that we are basically all animals, and wouldn’t we like to know what the other person is thinking and their underlying motives,  if you could go to a bar that magically revealed those intentions by representing the person as an animal, wouldn’t you?

The song kicks off with a dark chunky repeated guitar line and then an almost spoken vocal, its gritty. Talking about kicking butt and the dust creates the image of a dry desert and then as you hear about the dusty boots and broken hearts, Kersley wants you to be transported to a time of saloons, outlaws and gunslingers. I can picture an old-fashioned gunslinger who has been roaming for some time depicted by the trail of broken hearts.

Kersley scores extra points from me as he has managed so effortlessly to include religion in the song – “go to church or you’ll be saved”! The song tells us it’s the dark side of the country, where the people have sold their souls.

The style changes, the voice rises to a human equivalent of howling at the moon.  The layered harmonised vocals conjure up shadows in the darkness.  That wolf, man or beast is waiting to pounce.

The song fades out with an instrumental section that never loses its intensity with that irresistible beat that almost crosses into a different genre. Toe tapping definitely, can you resist clapping along too?

This is outlaw country at its best.  It works on so many levels, it isn’t trying to be American, it could be anywhere. It’s relaxing and upbeat at the same time.

Who would guess that Kersley is from the UK and in reality a young artist?  Inspired by some of the best: Brad Paisley, George Strait, Chris Stapleton and Garth Brooks.

Howlin’ at the Moon is the first release from the EP Dusk, I cannot wait to hear the rest.

Howlin' at the Moon, the new single from Mitchell Kersley is available to stream and download now

Find and follow Mitchell on Facebook, his website and on Spotify

 

Francesca, for Silverball Country 19 September 2020

Single review - Front Porch - Emily Lockett

 

It is more usual to see and hear Staffordshire’s  Emily Lockett performing with just her and her guitar, but with her new single Front Porch we have a fuller, more produced sound – although still with her distinctive voice.

Emily often points out that her songs are written from imagination rather than actual experience as she hasn’t yet been through all the troubles that are the staples of Country Music – and on this occasion the topic is breakups, where both sides should have fought harder to save the relationship.  They should be on the Front Porch pleading and explaining.

Despite her lack of experiences Emily always succeeds in creating the image of the story she is telling as she is a talented song writer, and with her young age she has time and talent to simply keep improving.

Despite being mostly recorded and produced in lockdown with Tim Prottey- Jones and Honey Ryder’s Matt Bishop Front Porch has a very polished sound, adding to Emily’s usual simple style with drums, electric guitar and additional vocal

The song repeatedly asks “why weren’t you standing on my front porch” but with a twist it ends with “I should be standing right on your front porch” highlighting that you need to people to make a relationship work.

Currently studying at Manchester’s BIMM, Front Porch shows that Emily is still developing her style as a musician, not afraid to push on and try new things while still holding true to her traditional song-writing style and confident delivery – as she demonstrated just about a year ago at the British Country Music Festival where she not only performed one of the first sets but also on the outdoor stage for the people of Blackpool. 

Front Porch - the new single from Emily Lockett is available to stream and download from today

Find and follow Emily on Facebook, her website, Spotify - and on the front porch!

Single Review - Love at Night - Gareth Heesom

 

Songwriters take their inspiration from many places, but with his new single Love At Night, Gareth Heesom was inspired by an Instagram post of a piece of artwork that hangs on his wall next to his acoustic guitar, that sparked a conversation with the artist.

Opening – fittingly - with a gentle acoustic guitar, Gareth’s vocals and style are reminiscent of the 70s folk/country crossover artistes – especially Michael Nesmith’s Flying Down To Rio.

The song is a soft and relaxing, a gentle night-time feel, veering more to the folk side of Country music, Gareth himself describes it

For much of the song I wanted to blur the lines between painting and music, I wanted it to feel like a song you would hear in the middle of the night, a feeling, a moment.

You can almost feel that for Gareth the guitar is his paintbrush, his words are the colours of the artwork and for anyone who isn’t familiar with the Remi Labarre painting, the young man in the hat sat at the bar is not in a happy place tonight, but beyond the image the overall effect on the painting fading away with the whiteness of the background trying to claim back the canvas adds to the despair.

This isn’t a song to rock a festival stage, but it is certainly one to sit back and listen to, allow to wash over you. The song and those long lingering notes, and the dark imagery of the dark lack, loneliness and thoughts of disappearing and overflowing red wine are one take on the painting but they compliment each other.  There is an accompanying video that Gareth thinks is the best way to fully appreciate the song alongside the artist that provided the inspiration.

Love at Night has already been played as our single of the Week – and you can stream and download it this week from Friday

Find and follow Gareth on Facebook, Instagram, on his website and on Spotify

Single Review - Whatever You've Got - Georgia Nevada

 

Georgia Nevada has been so prolific on livestreams during lockdown its almost a surprise that Whatever You’ve Got is her debut single

Opening straight into vocal Georgia is telling us what she wants – and it’s a realisation that these are things she hasn’t yet experienced, and she wants to try it all before settling down.

In her own words

I wanted to explore more, live on the edge a little more & pursue what I feel is the 'real' me

Moonshine, tattoos, guitars and music are what make my life seem 'together' - not necessarily the 'togetherness' that everyone seemed to compliment.

With a slightly soft voice over a gentle acoustic guitar we are lulled into a false sense of security before we hear the rockier edge both vocally and on guitar.  The instrumentation changes throughout the track but never overpowers, it matches the emotion of the singing.  This is a girl that demands to be heard and listened to.  Georgia can easily switch from that soft opening to powerful, and her voice has a slight twang in it – perhaps influenced by her American heritage but tempered by her English upbringing

In case we haven’t got the message yet, Georgia recaps over a rhythmic drum beat toward the end of the song  - she wants a fast car, a tattoo, a dive bar and she sounds like she will get what she wants, and failing that she’ll take a shot – of whatever you’ve got!

Whatever You’ve Got, the debut single from Georgia Nevada is available from 4 September on all major platforms

Find and follow Georgia on Facebook and her website