Single Review - River - Emilia Quinn

 

If you are as old as me, you’ll remember Guy Fawkes night with a box of Standard fireworks, lighting the blue touch paper and standing back.  Sometimes that fuse seemed to burn very slowly…not yet…not yet…not yet…and then the powder ignites and WHOOSH, it’s the best one of the night.

Sometimes a musical career can seem that way.  Emilia Quinn has lit the blue touch paper, and we can see the flame edging ever closer, ever closer.  If you’ve seen Emilia live then you know that WOOSH is coming, and it may well be coming soon.  Being part of the ZimaginedD and W21Records stables means that the flame is well and truly lit.

Running stages for festivals means that we get to see the upcoming artists live and almost raw – and we’ve had that privilege twice with Emilia on the paddock stage at Buckle and Boots.  We’ve seen her go from nervous to outstanding, as she blew the roof off the tent last year!  Emilia has incredible energy in her live shows and in her recordings, with a real outlaw edge to her music, but that’s not all that she’s got!

Having studied music to masters degree level, it is clear that even away from the “academic” side Emilia really understands what makes a great song and a great show, and with her new single River she clearly demonstrates this. 

Opening with just her pure voice singing a Southern Spiritual introduction the backing instrumentation sits perfectly under the vocal, supporting and highlighting the quality of the performance and the emotion in the lyrics.  Backed by just electric guitar/bass/drums and the perfect backing vocals of John W Doyle, River is perhaps more bluesy than we are used to, but it is so silky smooth with a slight whiskey hewn edge that it will reach deep inside and grab you.

Of the song itself Emilia says

I want to remind you not to lose your authentic self in other people’s expectations, let go of life’s pressures and embrace who you are.

 In the song, she says

Cry my sweet heart out

Over things I can’t control

Build me a kingdom

So I can live forever inside my soul

 

With her obvious song writing ability and memorable performance style, it is surely almost the moment that Emilia Quinn’s music career goes WHOOSH!

River, the new single from Emilia Quinn is released this Friday on W21 Records

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Single Review - Happier - First Time Flyers

First Time Flyers must be the most talked about new group in UK Country Music since… well, since ever!  In all honesty, it isn’t a great surprise – they have proactive professional management, an excellent teaser campaign and all the members are well versed in social media promotion as each of them are well known in their own rights.

 

There is of course the small matter of each of the four being well thought of and established, successful artists before coming together to create what has been termed “a supergroup”.

 

Simply putting four very good artists on the same stage though is not necessarily going to be an instant success.  The proof will come from hearing them perform, either on stage or on a recording – and as luck would have it, the first single Happier is out this Friday, 20 January.

 

As well has being in on the secret for some months, we also had one of the first listens to the single.

 

(c) Ryan Lavender

If you’re not sure who First Time Flyers are, the band is made up of Vicki Manser, Poppy Fardell, TimProttey-Jones and Jake Morrell.  Having had the pleasure of hosting Vicki, Poppy and Tim on stage at Buckle and Boots Festival, we can certainly testify to their stage presence and sheer energy – all three have a stage background which really comes across in all they do.  Jake has had a different but stellar start to his career and is therefore perfect to combine with the other three – as well as being a close friend!

 

All of this makes Happier a fabulous first single – the performance styles, the effortless mix of voices topped off with great instrumentation.  The opening bars grab you and promise what is to come – a mix of energy and melancholy achieved by the instruments reaching a mini crescendo before the vocals kick in.  The song has been described to us as upbeat yet angst filled and that it weaves harmony and heartbreak – which is just what we want from a (pop) country song.

You could try and work out which voice is which as they sing about doing the right thing for someone else and breaking your own heart in the process but in reality it is unnecessary, these four combine with fantastic harmonies and no one voice competing to be on top – and you just know that that will be the ethos behind this band.  The male/female sounds are reminiscent of Lady A at their best, but with a definite UK feel.

 

Leaving aside – for a moment – the pedigree of the four, Happier is without a doubt one of the best UK Country singles of the last 12 months, and sets the tone for what is to come from this new group.

 

Happier, the first single from new group First Time Flyers is available to download and stream from Friday 20 January

 

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Album Review - Back On My Feet - Poppy Fardell

 

Poppy herself will say she has had “a year like no other”.  No, not another reference to the dreaded C***d, but some pretty big issues in her own life.  She has been through the country music staple – a break up - had some professional challenges, oh, and she had some surgery.  On her brain.

It would be perfectly understandable if Poppy had gently eased back into the real world, maybe a little performance here and there, but Poppy being Poppy she has spent the year smashing out festival shows (notably Buckle and Boots and Country In The Afternoon) alongside other live dates and releasing five – count them, five – singles.  Enough for most people?  Nah – lets release a ten-track album just to round off the year!

And so we find ourselves with a review copy of Back On My Feet – no need to guess where she got the inspiration for that title!

With the number of singles recently released, the album is half and half – five previously released singles and five “new” tracks – although all ten are in reality new!  The album opens with the pop influenced All Over Again followed by the equally up-tempo Double Denim.  To call these tracks “pop country” is technically accurate but also a little unfair.  They are certainly more up tempo than many UK offerings and embrace the commercial country style but bubble gum pop they certainly aren’t.  The lyrics and storytelling are pure Country.  Hometown Hero takes the pace down a little, brings in a more classic country sound with the addition of steel and a slow drumbeat punctuating the melody.  Good Girl and Beer Budget will be familiar if you have been following Poppy with the latter being singled out for praise by Nashville based artists and fans.  Good Girl is pacy, Beer Budget less so but sounds for all the world like a festival anthem in waiting.  Keyboard and Poppy’s superb voice come to the fore in Drive which also features friend and fellow performer Tim Prottey Jones.  A near ballad, the plaintive song combines the two voices beautifully and is as good as any duet coming out of Nashville in recent years. 

Little Girl is advice for “if I ever had a little girl”.  It’s another shift in tempo and style, the instrumentation is fabulous, the mandolin really adding to the emotion portrayed in Poppy’s singing and very mature sound.  Getaway Car yearns for summer nights and driving with the rooftop down alongside your “ride or die” best friend singing along to the promise of lifelong friendship or at least lifelong adventures! This whole album isn’t just ten songs thrown together, the order of the tracks is spot on with tempo changes and songs that highlight the country roots, Poppy’s voice and the instrumentation.  You go from toe tapping to sipping your drink reflectively to dancing around the room from one track to another!  Dear You will have you pouring yourself a drink and wanting to hug someone close to you as you read the letter that the storyteller is writing to a lost love.  The final track on the album is the most recent single Background Picture which is also about a previous love, but dealt with in a very upbeat way.  The contrast between the two songs goes to show the incredible range of Poppy’s song writing ability and demonstrates just how well she straddles the divide between the UK and US Country styles.

Poppy refers to the album as a “body of work” and she is absolutely right to do so.  Each of these ten tracks could be a single in its own right, and to pick just one as a standout track would be practically impossible.  Listen to this album more than once, and you will pick a different favourite each time, depending on your mood, whether you want a dance or to chill. 

This year may have been a tough one for Poppy Fardell, but by releasing her singles and now this album she is certainly ending it on a high.  Next year?  Well, let's just wait and see what she comes up with next – which should include more festival appearances and awards alongside recording success.

Back On My Feet, the new album from Poppy Fardell is available to download or stream from Friday 9 December.

You can find and follow Poppy on Facebook, Instagram and on Spotify 

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Single Review - Background Picture - Poppy Fardell

Poppy Fardell has had a busy year – having had the beginning on 2022 curtailed somewhat by various issues, she has come storming back with very well received live performances and a string of single releases.  I asked Poppy about releasing a new single every two weeks – her reply?  “Making up for lost time”  The increase in frequency is certainly not matched by a decrease in quality, each single has been as good as the one before – Good Girl, Beer Budget, All Over Again, Double Denim and now her latest release Background Picture.

 

Unsigned Country

If you were at Country In The Afternoon on Sunday you will have heard the first live performance of this song, but compared to the finished studio version, that was just a (brilliant) teaser!  With a full band, a thumping drum track and Tim Prottey-Jones producing, the final version is a polished recording and confirms that whether in a studio or on stage, Poppy is very much a rising star of the UK Country scene.

 

The song itself is about moving on from a relationship – a Country Music staple – but rather than being downbeat and melancholy, Background Picture is upbeat, on the pop side of country.  Instead of conjuring up images of moping around and mourning a love, Poppy is clearly moving on and happy with her life.  It is so refreshing to hear a song that takes a potentially sad situation but deals with it in a way that makes you want to dance around your kitchen – with your friends, swigging from the bottle and finally closing that chapter!

 

Even if you’re not in your kitchen, and you haven’t got a bottle, you will be tapping your feet when listening to this positive, feel good (but definitely Country) song.  Close the chapter, put down the picture, pick up your wine and join Poppy in moving on and moving up!

 

Background Picture, the new single from Poppy Fardell is available to download and stream from Friday 25 November.

You can find and follow Poppy on Facebook, Instagram and on Spotify 

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Gig Review - Country In The Afternoon November 2022 - Half Moon Putney

 

We all saw the recent announcement about the future of Millport Country Music festival – but whilst that won’t be going ahead (at least for now) we knew that you can’t stop Gavin and Christine Chittick from putting on amazing country music events!

 

In addition to Millport and a fabulous intimate concert in a private club in Barnes they have been giving us a two-day mini festival in South West London over the past few years.

 

If you haven’t experienced Country In The Afternoon, how can we describe it to you?  Take an iconic music venue (Half Moon Putney), open the doors just after lunch and put on four incredible – and often diverse – Country and Americana acts, finishing in time for a meal in the main pub.

 

The Chitticks have an incredible track record for selecting line ups, to the extent that each individual day rivals many full-scale festivals, and if you can only spare one day of the weekend, you will be hard pressed to choose!  The latest instalment saw a Saturday line up of Chloe Chadwick, Kenny Foster, Lorna Reid and TheOutlaw Orchestra, while Sunday saw a stripped back stage featuring Robyn Red, Dan Olsen, Poppy Fardell and Jeremy McComb.  Sadly, life got in the way of being able to spend both days at the show, but we did manage to get down for Sunday!

 

Robyn Red opened the show on day 2 – a talented youngster from Scotland, Robyn has already appeared at Millport CMF on the Maverick Acoustic stage and made an appearance at the recent BCMA showcase.  A real talent to watch for the future Robyn has a beautiful voice and a very passionate support team!  After travelling so far, Robyn and her family spent both days listening to all the other artists and making new friends!

Dan Olsen is usually seen in the company of Jeremy McComb, and has been accompanying him on his UK tour as well as performing with him at Buckle and Boots earlier this year, but seeing him take to the stage alone with just his guitar shows what a talent he is of his own.  As with so many US performers, Dan is a great storyteller between his songs and bring a real warmth to his show.

 

Poppy Fardell has had quite a year – from major surgery to a storming set on the paddock stage at Buckle and Boots and a slew of recent single releases.  Poppy was accompanied by Michael Clancy on guitar and vocals and Jason Boyd on bass.  Poppy opened her set with her single “Beer Budget” which Jeremy McComb later declared to be “a definite hit” which he can’t wait to play to his own management team in the states.  It is fair to say that UK country has a slightly different sound to US country, but Poppy, with her songwriting and singing neatly bridges the gap, with one foot on each side!  While performing Poppy brings joy to the stage and shows her true self to the appreciative audience who were treated to the first live performance of her new single which drops on Friday.

 

Sunday’s headliner was Jeremy McComb.  It is not easy to sum up a Jeremy show.  He introduced his set by asking if we were all “ready for some Hill Billy Bulls**t”.  To call Jeremy “a storyteller” is an understatement, and with 45 minutes he was worried that he’d only manage 3 songs between talking.  There is no filter in the stories, but every one of them is hilarious and had the whole room fits of laughter.  From tales of his wife to a guided tour of Folsom Prison (“I’m a prison 10” needs to be a single title) with truly fabulous country songs in between (yes, it did feel like it was that way round!) Jeremy really puts on a unique show that really has to be experienced!  His songs though vary between heart-warming and really quite dark.  13 Steps, a song about death row and the story of a murder is in the greatest traditions of Country songwriting and even without the video (banned on most platforms) it is incredible evocative.  By the end of the set you feel like you know Jeremy’s life, hometown and even some of the characters who live there.

 

Gavin and Christine Chittick – Cumbrae Promotions – will undoubtedly carry on bringing us unique events and amazing line ups, promoting, supporting and nurturing UK Country artists and Country Music in the UK.  We can’t wait to see what will be next, and we are eagerly awaiting the dates for the next Country In The Afternoon - which you will of course find on Silverball Country!

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Gig Review - Kezia Gill - Hare and Hounds Birmingham

Kezia Gill has done many, many things in her long singing career – from festivals to supporting national tours and even appearing on TV whilst picking up awards and accolades alone the way but she has never had a headline tour.

Until now.

Kezia and her team are currently driving all over the UK on a tour that kicked off with a hometown gig in Derby and will take in Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, London the South Coast, the South West and even Dublin – with almost every venue sold out!

 

We were fortunate enough to be invited to day three of the tour when Kezia rolled into Birmingham, and the legendary music venue The Hare and Hounds.

Upstairs in the intimate room 2 we were first greeted by the support act for the whole tour – all the way from America Brian Collins with his wingman Rockwell Jacobs.  Both have quite the pedigree in Country Music but lack a UK profile.  After listening to them perform with superb guitar playing and perfect harmonies there is no doubt that this tour will bring them a whole new appreciative audience.  In conversation afterwards, Georgia native Brian told us that he likes to mix up the set list every night, reading the crowd and also conscious that he is just preparing the crowd for Kezia.  In Birmingham we were treated to quite the mellow set, every song telling its own story, with Brian focussing on the music and letting his songs speak for him.

 

We are all very accustomed to Kezia’s very humble style, so her entrance was an absolute revelation!  With a track of her songs playing and smoke on stage Kezia arrived in the room with almost the flair of a WWE wrestler – although also in Kezia style she did her own introduction!

 

In truth though, Kezia needs no introduction.  Proud of her beginnings as a pub singer  - “I’ve spent a lot of time singing to drunk people” any time you see Kezia perform live it is like being with a group of friends, in effect an extension of her Friday Night sessions from her living room – although the staging and production qualities are rather a step up from her sofa and fluffy slippers!  Just as at ease on this stage as she is on her famous sofa, or a festival marquee Kezia truly belted out her songs. The sound was perfect, the lighting bright and the crowd appreciative.  There’s quite a back catalogue now to choose from so the set list was

 “Songs I love playing.  Songs I love sharing with you”

Notable was her next single – Whisky over Ice (another song about Whisky?  “Write about what you know, and if it ain’t broke…” was the explanation!), playing her father’s 12 string guitar and dedicating Girl Of Your Dreams to ever present husband Lloyd. 

 

The room went quiet for current single Like I Did Before, sang along to I’m Here, reflected on Local Man’s Star and rocked out to Thirties.

All too soon we reached the end – what to sing as an encore?  Unusually the choice was a cover, with Brian and Rockwell joining the band on stage for a wonderful rendition of With a Little Help From My Friends – and yes Kezia, we certainly felt that we were in a room full of friends!

 

For Kezia though it is no longer a case of simply playing gigs to an already appreciative audience.  An accomplished musician and performer in her own right, she has honed her craft for many years, and along the way, everywhere she goes she gains new folowers, working hard to do so.  From the club scene in her hometown of Derby, to playing in Tenerife before getting her UK Country break playing at Buckle and Boots festival, you can see that Kezia’s career is on the way up.  Recently Kezia opened for UK act The Shires on their UK tour, no doubt converting some of their fans to become her fans too.  With her single releases becoming a regular fixture on Radio 2s country show and a recent cameo on BBC TVs “I Can See Your Voice” Kezia is starting to be more and more seen by the wider country scene as well as a whole new audience. 

If you are seeing or hearing Kezia for the first time, you can expect a powerful, polished performance from first song to last note with songs written from her heart and her personal experiences.  Even if you can’t sing along just yet, if you pick up her previous releases from the merch stand you will be entertained and start to see her journey through songs written in a true storytelling tradition.  For this tour Kezia has assembled a band made up of some of the finest live musicians on the scene -  Luke Thomas on guitar, Phil Donnelly on bass and Luke Barrett on drums.  The quality of this band – who don’t play for just anyone – is testament to Kezia’s own skills on both guitar and keyboard.

From pubs and clubs to a headline tour – Kezia just continues to grow with every new song and every new experience.  Clearly this tour was the tour of her dreams – and without doubt her next headline tour will be bigger and better – but it will still feel like a comfortable night with a very talented friend, even if it is your first time seeing her play!

You can find and follow Kezia on Instagram and Facebook and stream her music on Spotify

Kezia Gill is represented by ZimagineD

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Gig Review – Dirty Blondes

Blackpool has traditionally been famed for kiss me quick hats, seaside rock and its unique delights – the tower, the illuminations and more – however it is fast becoming famous as the newest UK destination for country music fans.  In 2019 The British Country Music Festival made Blackpool’s Winter Gardens its home and now we have a regular monthly country night in the town too.

 

The setting is “DirtyBlondes”, a self-professed Dive Bar just off the main strip, and only a stone’s throw from the Tower and the Theatre district.  Accessed down a narrow side street, the open front doors welcome you in to a fabulous little bar that actually accommodates more than you might first expect.  A bar, a stage and on country nights a TV showing Bull riding from the states.  We made the trip to the Northwest on Halloween weekend – the town was full of costumed revellers, but in the bar there were as many cowboys as zombies.  On arrival we met up with many faces from the scene – both locals and from further afield.  We also discovered a slight change to the line-up.  Headliner Alan Finlan who had made the long journey from the South Coast was to be preceded by a local replacement for a covid affected singer.  

The “local replacement” was MikalaFredriksson, who performed an amazing set of covers, focussing on female country artists to a professional backing track.  Currently appearing as part of the cast of the Country Legends show at Viva Blackpool, Mikala’s show was flawless, and not only a real tribute to the Country Greats but also a demonstration of how popular country music cover shows are and can be.

 

Fortified by food from the bar (the biggest pizza slices we have ever seen plus a huge range of loaded fries) we were ready for Alan Finlan.  If you’ve seen Alan on stage – especially at festivals – you will already know what a showman he is.  Although he playfully moaned that some of his set had already been performed, to see him put his own spin on country classics such as Tennessee Whisky is a joy of its own, and performing the Fresh Prince Rap to “Wagon Wheel” was nothing short of inspired - and certainly got the crowd joining in!  His set was almost his autobiography – featuring Luke Combs hits (naturally) crowd requests (with Neil Byr joining in on knocking Boots) and even covers from his youthful Emo phase

 

With Wayne Hadlow “The Cowboy DJ” providing the technical support and the after-party vibe,  General Manager and Country music Fan Chris Hodkin told us that he just wants to indulge his own passion for country music and “create the best country music night in the North West.”

 

For Country Music artists to survive and reach bigger audiences, we need more country music nights all over the country.  There is nothing wrong with a night of classic covers – and once you have the audience in you can hit them with originals and merch!

 

Dirty Blondes is making a great bid for Blackpool to be the home of UK country – unless you think you can claim the title for your area!

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