There aren’t many stronger debut EPs than Country Kind of Love by Neeve Zahra. The Manchester-based artist has produced not only a very professional-looking record but its five tracks also exude a quality that belies her early-stage career. There is a lovely lilt in her voice which, along with the high notes she often hits, remind me very much of Katy Hurt. In fact, it is her own debut EP, Pieces of Me, that kept cropping up in my head as I listened to Neeve’s vocal, a similarity that is meant as the highest compliment.
The pieces that Neeve deals with on Country Kind of Love are the different facets of the EP’s title. She takes us on a journey from romance to heartbreak, regret to redemption; fighting back against the dark to break through into the light. She does so with such overt emotion that it achieves what all the best Country records do: a punch to the gut and an arm around the shoulder. She lets you know when she’s hurting as well as defying and celebrating her best self.
The music that accompanies her lyrics is perfectly chosen. From the bias toward the guitar on opening track ‘Because I Love You’, squeezing out love like a fresh zesty lemon, to the addition of the pedal steel on ‘Spotlight’, which poses a reflective and uplifting backdrop, the choice of instruments is pivotal to capturing the subject of each song. None more so than the acoustic setting of ‘Beverley’s Song’, to make it by far the most affecting on the EP.
There are certain lines that cut through in each of the tracks, which sum up their message. On the latter, “Cos your words can chip away / And maybe in your world it’s just ok” underlines the thoughtlessness that can go into speech, particularly in our instantaneous, social media age. It’s a reminder that our words can have an effect, be they positive or negative, so what we say really matters. On Country Kind of Love, Neeve Zahra demonstrates both sides, as well as turning one into the other, as on ‘Spotlight’: “you did me a favour cos I found myself when you broke my heart in two”.
Her capacity to bring such strong emotion to creative storytelling, emphasised by some inspired instrumentation, makes Country Kind of Love a superb addition to the UK Country Music scene. Neeve Zahra is undoubtedly part of the next wave of female artists that will set it alight.
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