80s guitar solos, vintage waltzes, and self-proclaimed renaissance men.
‘That Angel’ by Joseph Henry
A three-minute-thirty throwback to 80s rock that still feels original, new and with a nice nod towards country thanks to its pedal steel intro, vocal harmonies filling out the chorus and its lyrical narrative about a girl that can only be compared to an angel: ‘too perfect for heaven and too good for this place’. As a rising artist, Joseph Henry wants to keep his music guitar-focused whilst blending the musical genres he’s inspired by, with a confident guitar solo paired with strong vocals he’s seemingly found that balance in a very promising way on That Angel. A solid step in a direction towards what will hopefully be a characteristic style for Joseph Henry, a creative artist with some undeniable guitar skill - he’s here to bring back American rock.
‘Songs About You’ by Ole 60
This four track EP from the Kentucky group follows their previous hit release three twenty four. Still maintaining their distinct reluctance to remain in one genre, across these four tracks they sound indie, country, folky, and a little rocky - and that’s all meant in a good way. The best of the four is perhaps Memphis (Outta My Way) with a heavy drumbeat and lyrics about being a ‘self proclaimed renaissance man’, the steel paired with the indie rock guitar is a great way to (try to) sum up the band’s sound - it’s kind of country. Or is it more sad-boy rock? Either way, they do it well. I’m not sure if this will be as big as their previous EP, that one felt a bit more self-assured, but perhaps they’re still figuring out what they want Ole 60 to be - hopefully we’ll find out on a full length album.
‘One Last Time’ by Benjamin Tod
Benjamin Tod and Sierra Ferrell is a match made in heaven, their vocals work perfectly to maintain the easy lilting waltz feel throughout. Plenty of crying steel guitar, fiddle and some angelic background vocals seamlessly melt together to melt the listener too. A beautiful song that lyrically contrasts many of Benjamin Tod’s earlier releases, this one is full of love and ‘hope in your eyes’.
‘High Road’ by Elle King
Elle King’s redemption song? The new Elle King? Or maybe just authentic Elle King. Heavily inspired by Willie Nelson and The Highwaymen, this classic country sound works really well for King, that’s probably because it’s the music she loves and you can tell. She’s taking the high road, she’s acknowledging her mistakes and realising what she might like to change, and using some very clever word-play to do it. One of my favourite releases from this week, I hope she continues in this direction with her sound.
‘Do You Realize??’ by Willie Nelson
At 91 years old, this cover is full of valuable life-advice, three minutes of wisdom from a man who’s seen it all - the good and the bad. I don’t think anyone could listen to this and not be moved, the simple restrained instrumentation compliments the stream of thoughts perfectly, it might be a cover but this feels entirely genuine. This is Willie Nelson urging us all to realise and recognise the things that truly matter.
‘Can’t Help My Country’ by Tierra Kennedy
A wonderful rising voice in country, perhaps best known for being featured on Cowboy Carter, but this track feels a little forgettable. I Ain’t a Cowgirl released earlier this year was much more moving, despite some personal anecdotes in ‘Can’t Help My Country’, the writing feels a little cliché and predictable with nods to ‘Sweet Magnolias’, and being ‘Raised on Dolly’ and ‘Strawberry Wine’. But maybe once these tracks make it to a full album, it could all fit together very nicely.
‘Pipeliner Blues’ by Pug Johnson
This is cool. As much as this is Pug Johnson’s song, it wouldn’t be anywhere close to what it is without his band, the playing on this track is killer. In a pretty Nashville country-pop saturated world, this feels like a very welcome rebellion, I only hope it gets the attention it deserves. This is the first time I’ve come across Pug Johnson, but I’ll be going back to check out his previous releases.
