Mitchell Kersley has burst into our consciousness recently
with his debut release Howlin’ at the Moon and the follow up I
Only Cry When I’m Drinking. We
were mesmerised by the imagery in the songs and even the artwork, and Mitchell’s
Outlaw Country style and we were keen to hear the finished EP Dusk
The title track of the EP opens with quite an unusual
guitar sound followed by a slow measured vocal.
With a feel of a Celtic folk song, made more Country with the pedal
steel demonstrating how Mitchell will embrace and combine styles to give his
own sound. The melancholy feel of this
tale of love turned sour perhaps sets the tone for this EP – a collection of
ballads rather than a party album! In
the true Country style though, it appears that Whiskey is helping him come to
terms with the love he took for granted.
Seventeen is just Mitchell and
his acoustic guitar. It is a song of wistful reminiscence, thinking back to
better times, but transported there by the love that you still have. The relationship that he sings about may not
be perfect, but he acknowledges in his heart that it is all part of the whole,
going back to those younger days at 17 when the love was fresh – first beer,
first time hearing Elvis, first car. It
is one man singing of one man’s memories, although the subtle layered vocals
toward the end of the track add an extra depth, and you can almost hear the
emotion in the way he is playing his six string
Just the title of The Ballad of Joseph Murphy
gives you a clue as to how the song will go – and of that wasn’t enough of a
hint the menacing opening, clank of spurs in the footsteps, cawing of crows and
a gunshot before the heavy drumbeat and strident electric guitar sure set the scene!
In comes the half sung, half spoken gruff vocals. It’s a frontier town, a spit and sawdust saloon
and a story wanting to be told. Living a
life one step ahead of the law and one step ahead of a noose Joseph Murphy is
perhaps the personification of Mitchell’s Outlaw Country roots.
The whole EP has a certain tone, and is a showcase of the
writing and performance talents of Mitchell – for sure a storyteller, for sure
an outlaw looking to make his mark on the scene.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on you Mitchell!
Dusk - the new EP from Mitchell Kersley - is available now to download and stream on all major platforms
Find and follow Mitchell on Facebook, Instagram, his website and on Spotify
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