Single Review - House On The Hill - Kezia Gill

 

 

After many years in the business, awards, hit records and her position within UK Country music you might think that Kezia Gill can relax and take things easy, but what she actually does is keep on growing and developing into an even better version of herself.  However success can be measured – appearances at Country 2 Country, a sold out headline tour, a show on Radio 2 – there is still more out there for Kezia, and it is all certainly well deserved.

 

With her latest single release – House On The Hill – Kezia acknowledges many of the things that she has achieved -  travelling the world, seeing amazing sights, but at heart she is still a hometown girl.  This who know her personally know that the hometown is Derby and her anchor is husband Lloyd.  If you don’t know her personally, the song actually spells it out for you.  The House On The Hill in the title is literally the home she shares with Lloyd nestled on a hilltop in Derby.  Throughout lockdown, Kezia (and Lloyd) regularly live-streamed from the living room, often in her fluffy slippers, showing that even when performing, home is where she feels most comfortable.  Even if you’ve never seen it you can start to picture it, not just physically but as a safe haven, a place to come back to as an escape from the hectic world of music and growing success.  Even those of us who aren’t rising through the ranks of Country music can identify with having our own space to go back to, our very own House On The Hill.

 

The song itself shows how much Kezia is constantly growing.  If you take a walk through her back catalogue you will hear her very distinctive style and her UK take on the Country music tradition, with this and some of her more recent music you can hear how she is embracing the Nashville sound that is so popular in the UK but still very definitely making it her own, still keeping it UK and keeping it Kezia Gill

Guitar driven, the track effortlessly combines the energy that you see on stage with the song-writing and vocal that Kezia is known for. 

Written for the sheer joy of it, and incorporating some real honesty, House On The Hill is sure to be a live favourite as we head into the festival season.

 

House On The Hill, the new single from Kezia Gill is available from Friday 31 March.

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

Kezia Gill is represented by ZimagineD

If you've enjoyed this review, please give us a follow on our Facebook page and on our Insta 

 

Single Review - Weight Of My Sins - Scott Ashworth

 

Scottish based singer songwriter Scott Ashworth has been busy recording his debut album, and he has also been busy doing some reflecting. One song didn’t quite fit the album, so Scott has decided to release it as a standalone single, fittingly on the 13^th anniversary of an important change that he made in his own life.

Written from the point of view of a man looking back at his (mostly poor) decisions Weight Of My Sins is about the storyteller choosing a path and facing up to his previous choices.

The song is very much in the traditional Country style and has you hanging on to see what the outcome is.  For both musical style and narrative, think “Ode To Billie Joe” but with a with a strong guitar line provided by Barry Frame all the way through.  Lyrically, the imagery is spot on, the lessons are there albeit subtly rather than preaching and some of the lines are frankly superb.  Squeezing in a comparison between a chapel with its welcoming sign and a dive bar whose sign instead reads

fifty types of whisky and beer

Its not a foot stomping song, but like a good book you will find yourself invested in finding out what happens to our “hero” as he struggles with the devil and the angel whispering in his ear.

If you want to know what happens, whether he chooses to

be the man I could be or the man I’ve been for years

you’ll have to download or stream the song!

Well written, with a story and a message wrapped up in a guitar led song, Weight Of My Sins is everything a country song should be!  We can’t wait to hear what the album – Ghosts and Broken Men – will deliver.

 

Weight of My Sins, the new single from Scott Ashworth is released on 27 March. 

Find and follow Scott on Facebook, Instagram and on Spotify

If you've enjoyed this review, please give us a follow on our Facebook page and on our Insta 

Single Review - Saving Grace - Georgia Nevada and Emma Moore

 

We’ve hosted both Georgia and Emma onstage at Buckle and Boots and at Millport CMF, and it is fair to say that both give a power performance, both of them can certainly perform on the rock side of country!

With their new single the two have come together to duet a song which is – well, about coming together! Celebrating friends that are always there, even in the middle of the night Saving Grace is a wonderful blend of both singers and rather than being purely “country rock” it actually blends the two styles together – a powerful country song but written and performed with the rock edge that we have seen from both of them. 

You will be drawn in by the acapella opening, you might think you’re going to hear a ballad until that guitar kicks in.  The opening lines describe the friendship

I’m your front row, first in line, call me up in the middle of the night.

And then the rock hits you, showing you the energy of that friendship.  This isn’t just about sharing secrets and confidences but the fierceness of having your friend’s back through everything

From the cradle to the grave

My sounding board and saving grace

Opened by that pure vocal, the rest of the track is absolutely driven by the guitar, with Emma and Georgia’s voices combining and taking control.

This an anthem to friendship, to supporting each other through troubles – and maybe sometimes causing some mischief, together

This is not a song that can fade out – the last few seconds we revert to just those two voices…together.

Saving Grace, the new single from Georgia Nevada and Emma Moore is available to download and stream from Friday 24 February

Find and follow Georgia  on Facebook, Instagram and Spotify

Emma is also on Facebook, Instagram and Spotify

 

If you've enjoyed this review, please give us a follow on our Facebook page and on our Insta 

Single Review - Whiskey Over Ice - Kezia Gill

 

When you think about Country Music, you often think about Whiskey, when you think about Kezia Gill you will think about Whiskey and let’s be honest, in the when you mention UK Country Music you think about Kezia Gill.

 

This is not us casting any shade of Kezia and her drinking habits!  Having previously released a single “Whiskey Drinking Woman” and naming her very popular livestream sessions “Pour Me A Strong One”, even the most casual of fan is aware that Kezia is partial to a whiskey (with lemonade!) and so it is no great surprise that this latest single is Whiskey Over Ice. 

 

The song was debuted on the recent headline tour, and when introducing it, Kezia said

Write about what you know, and if it ain’t broke…

 

Some people will have heard Kezia playing at one of the UK’s country festivals, others when she supported The Shires on tour, still others from the club scene in Derby while Bob Harris’ country show on Radio 2 may have been the first time.  Perhaps this single will be the first introduction to the music of this award-winning singer songwriter.  However you have found Kezia you will have heard her touching lyric writing, powerful performance style and her distinctive voice, all of which are evident in this new single

 

Drums, guitar, slow beat and we are under way with Kezia’s vocal.  Heavily US influenced but with a definite UK sound the song sits firmly in the Country genre, with a rock edge to both the instrumentation and the performance. That edge and the power demonstrate why Kezia is such a favourite when she takes to the stage for a live show. 

Cleverly using drinks analogies to describe the excitement of a new relationship, the writing is pure Country, and the guitar from Luke Thomas really cements the feel – it is rare for a UK song to sound so much like it has come direct from a Nashville writing room, or perhaps a Nashville bar! The production was tweaked in Music City, but the song undoubtedly already sounded Nashville before being sent there for a final polish.

 

We will certainly join this “Whiskey Drinking Woman” for some Whiskey Over Ice – both through this song plus her upcoming live performances with the Girls Night In – The Round Tour, an appearance with the Honky Tonk Roadshow plus appearing in both Glasgow and London for Country 2 Country!

 

Whisky Over Ice, the new single from Kezia Gill is available to download or stream from Friday 3 February.

 

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

Kezia Gill is represented by ZimagineD

If you've enjoyed this review, please give us a follow on our Facebook page and on our Insta 

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

Find and follow Emilia on Facebook, Instagram and Spotify

 If you've enjoyed this review, please give us a follow on our Facebook page and on our Insta

 

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

 

Find and follow the band on Facebook and Instagram 

If you've enjoyed this review, please give us a follow on our Facebook page and on our Insta

 

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 

If you've enjoyed this review, please give us a follow on our Facebook page and on our Insta