Robyn Red – From Caledonia, With Love

The debut EP from Robyn Red underlines her promise as one of the UK’s rising stars in Country Music. ‘From Caledonia, With Love’ may sound stereotypically Scottish but it’s infused with a thoroughly modern sound. This is Country-Rock with a dash of trad-Folk. Complete with powerhouse vocal and emotional storytelling to boot.

After a solid opening, in which ‘Caledonia (Looking Good on You)’ reverberates with a mischievous wink, Robyn Red takes us through the heart’s journey from love to pain and back again. ‘10 Years On’ is a beautiful ode to a long-term relationship. Told against an acoustically-driven backdrop that overflows with deep affection. Equally, the heartache on ‘Between the Two of Us’ surges with regret. Sadness at the fact that “you could have stretched an ocean / between the two of us” keenly felt. Not least as a result of a richly-powerful vocal that is Robyn Red’s greatest strength.

Her versatility is measured between this and ‘My World is Yours’ – a ballad of heartfelt originality. Much more measured in its delivery, the result is a greater focus on the lyrics. None more imaginative than these:

“you took the black out my eyes / and took a paintbrush / and painted them back to blue”.

Final track ‘Just Need the Wine’ then offers an exquisite chorus wrapped in a very different style. A drinking song that returns the EP to a rockier vibe. Add in a highly energetic fiddle, and the result is a very British tale told in a distinctly Scottish style.

Having released each song as separate singles throughout 2025, in her own words, they ‘keep getting better and better’, with ‘Just Need the Wine’ at the top of my own list. If this is a sign of what is to come then Robyn Red is undoubtedly going to be a mainstay of the British Country Music scene. The only way is up for this Scottish starlet.

You can purchase ‘From Caledonia, With Love’, as well as find out more about Robyn Red, via her website here.

Featured Image (C) Robyn Red

Katy Hurt – Gimme a Break

For stalwart fans, Katy Hurt’s debut album has been a long time coming. And she knows it. Its title ‘Gimme a Break’ is a cheeky nod to its journey. Yet, brewed like a fine breakfast tea or percolated coffee, the time taken to release it has ensured a strong, rich flavour. Tasting as good as one imagined. Perhaps better.

Some of the songs will be familiar. Singles released over the last couple of years that are already staples of her catalogue. Others have made an appearance at various live performances while one or two arrive completely new. Opening track ‘Dreamers’ is one of those that proffers vague recognition but, by the end, is as memorable as her best material. With a catchy hook and roaring riffs ensuring the album gets off to a banging start.

Underneath this rock-infused starter is a theme that echoes through the record. The realities of what it means to pursue music as an independent artist in Britain today. It is by no means easy. But Katy remains “a believer”. So much is it a part of her identity that though she wishes “I could give you up / … you’re in my blood”. And as ‘Sounds Good in a Bar’ so deftly conveys, she is at peace with it. ‘Feather’ captures this sentiment so well. Taking the skeleton parts of pandemic single ‘Face to Face’ and imbuing it with emotional release. False narratives and expectations dissipating amidst blossoming violin and soaring piano.

This is one of a number of moments that transfix. Touching tracks like ‘Oh Girl’ and the album’s closer, ‘Seasons’, being gently sublime pieces of reflection and introspection. These are balanced with rousing records like ‘The Kiss’ and ‘Rather Be’ to ensure a mixed palette of emotions all marked by Katy’s signature style. This includes her powerfully versatile vocals and carefully-chosen guitar. Pedal steel, acoustic and electric weaving their way through and into each song. Conveying a wide range of influences, from classic rock to contemporary soul and modern country.

Katy Hurt is, like the best of her contemporaries, not bound by the walls of genre. Reaching out to create a sound that is uniquely hers. For those who have followed her a while, traces of such can be found on her last EP, ‘Unfinished Business’. On the title track, the words “I sure hope there’s more to this” became an unofficial anthem that has now, on this album, come to fruition. ‘Gimme a Break’ has been well worth the wait and is also worth savouring.

‘Gimme a Break’ is released on 23rd May 2025, and can be purchased, along with associated merch, at Katy’s online store here. She is also off on tour during June 2025, more info on which can be found here.

Featured Image (C) Katy Hurt

April Moon – Forgiveness Juice

‘Forgiveness Juice’, the new EP from April Moon, confirms them as champions of the alt-country scene in the UK. What has come to be termed Americana is splashed right across their music. Rockier elements filtering through from time to time. They evoke the old school classics whilst putting a contemporary spin on things. It is, to all intents and purposes, roots music for the present day.

Opening track ‘Long May We Roam’ is emblematic of this mix. With drumstick beats lead by a banjo and electric guitar riffs seeping through, the stripped back joins with the techno to create a track that is joyous in both its sound and subject. April Moon chasing a life of simplicity in their campervan which echoes “the dreamer [who] looks around and longs / [and] wanderer he sails beyond” of the chorus.

‘Part of the Game’ pushes into the fluid borders of Folk. Drawing on the fiddle for old-time swing but a Paul Heaton-esque vocal to ensure the focus remains firmly on the lyrics. Such intent serves them well, especially when it comes to ‘Echoville’. The poetic words by the late Edmund Hudson combining beautifully with Jason’s raspy vocal to create a real sense of place.

April Moon are never too far away from what they term “homespun warmth and charm”. This is epitomised in the delightful neotraditional country tune ‘Uptown Lady Life’. It becomes, in the context of this EP, another example of their musical breadth, partnering with ‘Second Guess’ to showcase their penchant for the old and new. The latter is much more modernist in its Country flavour. With elements of rock mixed into a polished production that feels more mainstream than the songs that have gone before.

They play with this notion on the final track. Taking a ‘90s classic and spinning it through the wheel of Country to create a much darker thread to its subject matter. ‘I Want It That Way’ becomes almost unrecognisable amongst the deep riffs and baritone vocal. But I guess that’s the point. April Moon doing what they do best: playfully subverting through the Americana form.

You can purchase ‘Forgiveness Juice’ here, or stream via Spotify.

Featured Image (C) April Moon

Rosey Cale – Blue Skies and Tan Lines

The return of Rosey Cale with new music could not be more well-timed. For ‘Blue Skies and Tan Lines’ is a luscious soundtrack to what is turning out to be an early summer. Its laid-back vibes are very different to the usual pumping club anthems of the season. Yet the simplicity of its riffs and beats is ideally suited to the picture painted by Rosey in the lyrics. She evokes a sense of place so well. The chorus being the epitome of her scene setting. Where you really can “enjoy the view”. It becomes, whether intentional or not, a love letter to coastal Pembrokeshire. Communicated in a delectable vocal reminiscent of Corrinne Bailey Rae. RnB mixing with Country-Pop to produce something distinctly fresh from this Welsh singer-songwriter whose musical talents have never been in doubt.

Featured Image (C) Rosey Cale

Rebecca Richards – Woman That I Am

Rebecca Richards blossoms with a quiet confidence on ‘Woman That I Am’. The Welsh singer-songwriter delivering a unique take on this latest single by adopting the persona of her future self. Beginning with a reggae-like beat that exudes self-assurance, she speaks to her present with such encouragement that listeners cannot fail to be lifted by it too. The lovely, guitar-led melody adds to an inspirational message that is big on belief, hard work and perseverance. Key ingredients that will lead her, “a decade out from now / [to] figure out the woman that I am”. It also presses into the personal with a softness that is becoming Rebecca Richards’ trademark. And this track is, perhaps, her best one yet.

Featured Image (C) Rebecca Richards

Bethany Barrie – from therapy, with love

Bethany Barrie is an artist with her finger firmly on the pulse of human experience. The Scottish singer-songwriter’s debut EP is an acutely delicate observation of the human mind. Entitled ‘from therapy, with love’, it conveys a deeply personal reflection on the fragility of emotion. Unafraid to plunge dark depths but always in sight is a light of hope above.

Grounded in the Folk tradition of her homeland but mixed with contemporary pop, the five tracks included here express raw songwriting whilst growing out of a firm sense of place. Think Gabrielle Aplin meets Kate Rusby and you get the essence of Barrie’s style. Opening track ‘Left Behind’ exquisitely captures this combination. Its letter-to-self premise gorgeously wrought amidst Mhairi Marwick’s fiddle and Chris Amer’s guitar. That splash of hope in “see[ing] colours again / not just black and white” permeating through the rest of the EP.

‘Sinking’ lays bare the emotional turmoil of separation and the refusal to accept reality for fear of doing exactly that. It is honesty at its most profound, wrapped in painful fiddle, cautious double bass, and heartrending acoustic guitar. Very different from ‘Been Here Before’, whose “positive percussion and uplifting violin” breathe a greater freedom into the record but without diluting the sincerity of the grand narrative. Just a change in style.

‘Anxiety’ then resets the record to a more stripped back melody. Ideal, in this instance, for the personification of its subject. It bears a quietly painful acceptance of “her” existence, “liv[ing] rent free inside my head”. The simplicity in which the lyrics arc is touching; in their construction, apt. The lines “Just trying to get on with my day / the obstacle that’s in my way” a perfect surmise of life with this condition.

Final track ‘Better Now’ ensures that the EP ends on a note of hope and freedom. The result of working through the ridiculous weight of expectation to find, on the other side, that we don’t have to have it all figured out. The lightness of the fiddle and percussive joy add to this wonderful realisation. The subtle presence of a liquid faith confirming a foundation from which to build:

“I could taste grace in the water / cold no longer / things are so much better now”

The song leaves its listener with these lines amidst a whistling positivity. Symbolic of a warm Highland breeze. A place of perspective from which Bethany Barrie has related such intimate experiences. Creating one of my favourite records of 2025 in the process.

Featured Image (C) lizbeth haro

Hannah’s Yard and Sarah-Louise – A Two-Song Review

What I love most about acoustic covers is their ability to reveal songs in a new light. That is certainly the case with two recent releases from Sarah-Louise and Hannah’s Yard. The former has put out a magical reimagining of ‘Simply the Best’, Tina Turner’s powerhouse vocals disappearing to be replaced by Sarah-Louise’ tender, jazz-inflected tones. It becomes a much more quietly affectionate track, as does ‘You’ve Got the Love’ in Hannah’s hands. There are few better qualified to rework instant classics, but as with ‘Blackbird’ (still a personal favourite) she manages to capture something fresh and unique, turning it into her own. In this instance, the intimacy at its centre, perhaps lost in Florence Welch’s version, comes right to the fore. Communicating a deeply devotional love which Sarah-Louise also succeeds in. Add a sunny Sunday afternoon for listening, and both songs come to represent the ideal lazy-day vibe, with the addition (if you’re lucky enough) of sharing it with the one you love.

You can listen to ‘You’ve Got the Love’ here and ‘Simply the Best’ here.

Featured Images (C) Hannah's Yard/Sarah-Louise

Lisa T – Nice to Meet You… Again

It really is nice to hear Lisa T again, over a year after her last single ‘Easy Love’. ‘Nice to Meet You… Again’ marks her debut EP, and its one which follows a similar pattern. Combining the acoustic with techno-pop to create a record that is as broad as Country gets.

It starts with an Irish twist. ‘This Country Song’ drawing on Lisa T’s roots to bring out the foot-stomping energy of that found in many a Friday night bar. Mixed in with splashes of feel-good pop, this audience-ready song really is an invitation to “let go / get on down”, whether line dancing or otherwise. ‘Mr Know It All’ continues likewise, with a punchy arrangement adorned with playful saxophone. There is an ‘80s feel to the music, whilst Lisa T’s vocals add strength and depth a la Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland. The bridge in particular is wonderfully constructed, teasing the song’s protagonist in both its music and lyrics to great effect.

‘Want You to Stay’ then lends itself to a dramatic drop in tone. The production stripped back to just an acoustic guitar and vocal so pronounced that it sounds like a live recording. It pairs well with ‘Stop Lovin Me’, whose electro-beats add a seductive Soul to a narrative of push-and-pull. “You make it too hard to leave” an illustration of both tracks’ description of relationships in which breakups feel necessary, though not quite so easy to do in reality.

The EP then finishes with the title track. Its violins creating a deceptive intro, smashed within a few seconds by an electric guitar of intent. Country-Rock in all its swagger. Communicating a purpose hell-bent on being known. The lines “you didn’t think I got what it takes / here I am now singing my song / bet I can get you singing along” looking to prove someone wrong. And if anyone had any doubt in Lisa T’s ability then this will most certainly put them to rights.

A record that really does shine a light on her talent.

You can purchase ‘Nice to Meet You… Again’ from Lisa T’s online store here, or stream it here.

Featured Image (C) Lisa T

Two Ways Home – She Keeps Time Like a Casio

Can you spot yourself in the latest single from Two Ways Home? You’re either like the timekeeper of the track’s title or the latecomer scorned by their punctuality. I most definitely identify with the latter. Except I don’t make the kind of excuses that the person on ‘She Keeps Time Like a Casio’ does. Placing atop its guilt-ridden Americana, the account of “a crash back on the A40” when, really, they “just lost track of time”. The song then plays with this false storytelling to become a confession but also a reflection. On self. The other. The relationship between two very different personalities. Isi’s voice lending a beautiful sincerity to the question of how much one should change to accommodate expectations. The line “if I’m not early then I’m tempting fate / if I’m on time then I’m already late” expressing a defeatist dilemma that calls for honest self-expression in the end. Which is why I always tell people openly that my time may not be their time. But hopefully, somewhere, we find a happy medium.

Featured Image (C) Two Ways Home

Taynee Lord – Back to the Country

Taynee Lord’s latest single reminds me of why an opportunity to move to the city a couple of years ago was worth turning down. For, against a backdrop of country-pop-rock, she pines to move ‘Back to the Country’. Her motives make sense – more affordable housing, closer connections – but these positives fail to outweigh the negatives of urban life. Noise at all hours. Traffic jams. Surrounded by concrete. No wonder she longs for better. “People can’t even crack a smile”, she observes, with “trees here and there to reconcile” proving ultimately fruitless. It really is an anthem for country living. With a subtle commentary on the difficulties of making this a reality, especially for the younger generation. For we’re not all made of the kind of money seen on Escape to the Country. Though like Taynee on this catchy track, we can at least dream.

Featured Image (C) Taynee Lord