“Retro Soul with a rootsy side of Americana. That’s the best way to describe, ‘Wyckoff Blues’ from Matty Frank Myrtle. The North Carolina artist said the final arrangement was influenced by Cowboy Carter as well as the Americana scene in the Tar Heel state and you can feel the geography as well as the raw emotion in this heartfelt and gritty live performance.”
“A Country-Blues song about Houston, Texas from a Liverpool artist might not have been on your bingo card but here it is just the same. ‘Houston’ is a road song about new beginnings and perhap a little redemption too. The growl and gravel does have a hint of Uk influence and that adds to the uniqueness as does the funky guitar groove driving it all.”
“Nothing fuels art like misery. Suffering is part of being a human so it is often comforting to get the pain out or to hear that you are not alone in your pain. Albert Kass wrote ‘fallin’off’ after what he calls the darkest, deepest part of his life and that is tangible in the song.
You can call this Alternative Rock or probably it would more accurately fit in the Americana genre alongside the likes of Jason Isbell or Tyler Childers.”
“Singer/Songwriter Ira Ellison’s objective was to write an honest, open, and vulnerable track.
”Call Sign’ certainly hits that mark. Delivered in a growling whisper you can feel the emotion in every line and while fairly languid in its arrangement the track still delivers a strong build and emotional payoff along the way.”
“Steve Stour is joined by blondfires’s Erica Driscoll on his track, walls.’ This Indie Rock track has a decidedly folk vibe and the emotional thread is tangible in both the vocal performance but also the melancholy melody. The closing track of his latest album, the song is about tearing down those barriers to let others in.”
“Life gets weird once you hit adulthood as all of your friends are operating on different timelines. ‘Bottomless Brunch and Baby Showers’ is a track about this very thing and how everyone is on differing trajectories of life.
Lucy Wentworth delivers the well-written song in a sift tender bt of reflection that makes it easy to think and digest the lyrics as wella s your own path through life.”
“All Country/Americana artist, J Killen has taken a circuitous and bumpy road to his latest release. ‘Oak Tree’ is a single from his album titled, Depression Dollars.
The song deals with grief and loss and how that can shape how you live the rest of your life. Killen has seen his share of strife and those experiences can be felt in his writing and performance.”
“Alfie Sharp is all about groove and vibe and ‘Don’t Know My Name’ is a track that could fit is several genres. Soul, Roots, Americana, Blues. There are elements of them all in this arrangement and performance. With a tip of the hat to history, but both feet planted in the here and now, Alfie Sharp unfurls this smooth build that will draw comparisons to Nathaniel Rateliff and Teddy Swims.”
“Leon Helm and The Band would be proud to hear a modern roadman like Marshal Sibury. Authenticity is hard to come by but in ‘Carry the Load’ you can hear the miles behind Sidbury.
I rarely share an artist’s bio but this one is too rih not too.
Marshall Sidbury has been writing songs since he left home, in the New Mexico desert, to work as a cattle hand on the rodeo circuit. One night after the rodeo, he was stabbed by a jealous husband in an Arkansas juke joint and had a spiritual awakening.
He quit the rodeo and left the next day to play the piano in a traveling Pentecostal revival, until he was bitten multiple times by a venomous snake and could not travel to the next destination.
After he recovered, he took a job in a tobacco warehouse near Durham, North Carolina, where he lives today. Along the way, he’s picked up songs and musical styles. From Mexican border towns to the work chants he learned as a prisoner during a brief stint in a Texas penitentiary, Marshall blends them all into his own brand of American music.
Yes he does!”
“M’J unfurl this soulful Contemporary R&B track that offers an infectious and sultry melody to go with the heartfelt vocal delivery. ‘Not A Love Song’ is a fantasy seduction of the mind about a love that might have been or perhaps could be. It offers all of the hope and yearing we as humans put into a new relationship even sometimes before it is a reality.”
“Say hello to Jersey born, LA based artist, Ryann Ross. Or better yet stop and listen to her artful and emotive delivery on ‘Irish Exit.’ No Irish goodbyes necessary as you will want to stay for the full ride.
As does much of the music that speak to me, this track blurs the genre lines. Alt/Indie Pop, or heartfelt Americana. I can make a case for either but why bother. The important things are the emotion and evocative delivery to sell those words in a way that makes feel as if you are actively living every word.”
“If you are looking for a timeless sound and talent I have you covered with this track. M&J brings old school shades of Soul and mixes them with Contemporary R&B vibes to create what I think best fits the Roots/ Americana landscape, but like I said this is simply good quality music that transcends both labels and time.
’Islands, Diamonds, and Silence’ is a song that lives deep down in the emotional core of humanity. A song you feel as much as hear.”
“Music is religion so it makes perfect sense this collective of talents goes by the name Family Worship Center. Named for a defunct religious group they describe themselves as a rock and roll soul commune. ‘Total Monet’ is a roots style bit of Americana about the artful way our minds blur the pain to make some memories feel like a masterpiece when in reality they are full of both good and bad.”
“Fresh off her performance at the NFL Draft last night, KELS unfurls this sultry bit of Dirty Blues. ‘Daddy’s Not The One’ is a powerful ode to freedom and independence. The track oozes with confidence and take charge attitude while maintaining a sexy subterfuge about it all. ”
“Band of Revelations hails from the UK though this track has a definite Americana vibe. ‘All The Way Home’ is a song about grief but rather than focusing on things as an ending the track offers some hope to go with the sadness and the band called it a song of new beginnings. Lyrically the track could be taken several different way and that is often the case with any well rendered art.”
“Estella Dawn is back with a calmer gentler track reflecting on her life. The New Zealand born artist now calls San Diego home and has gone on quite a journey both musically and in life.
’Hometown’ is an ode to her past but the magic is others will find it relatable because we’ve all travelled the road of life and experienced many of the same emotions in doing so.”
“Americana from a Canadian?
Sure, why not. Mckai’s latest single, ‘Can’t Love the Same,’ certainly fits the ambiguous genre. A little bit Indie Folk, some Alt Country, to go with singer/songwriter vibes. Lyrically, the track is about how we love everyone differently because with each new experience and heartbreak we carry those experiences within us and each reshapes how we behave and react.”
“A stripped down Alt Pop track with Americana vibes is what you can expect from Anais Campbell’s track, ‘Small Things Everyday.’ The Australian songstress leans into tender emotion with a soft but powerful vocal delivery and writing that should appeal to the emotions of any dreamer.”
“The masked seductresses are back. They often tantalize us with their evocative Western tinged Indie Rock, but this mysterious duo embraces the overtly sexy on this track and video. Bad Flamingo is always a vibe and this track only adds to the mystique.
With talent like this, Bad Flamingo definitely does not have any ‘Shame’ going toe-to-toe with any artist out there.”
“Tape Division takes on Country Pop with their latest single ‘Grip Too Tight.’ That is their description of this track but for me the sound is more soulful than country, more bluesy than Pop. This track has a Teddy Swims type vibe and style.
But genre aside the track is well-written and we’ve all certainly held on a little too tight and found ourselves in a vulnerable position as a result.”