Welsh-based, UK-focused Country Music Reviews and Interviews
Five Festive Country Tunes for 2025
Christmas has crept up on me this year. So much so that I’ve already missed a fair few singles with an undeniably festive feel. To put that right, I thought I’d do a quick rundown of five tunes with which to fill your musical stocking. Four from the UK, plus a bonus track from one of my favourite artists. Bobbie-Jo…
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Laura Evans – Out of the Dark
Laura Evans returns with a second album as good as the first. If ‘State of Mind’ was a revelation then ‘Out of the Dark’ cements her reputation. That signature Blues/Rock sound once again echoing from the speakers with anthemic precision. ‘Wherever You Are’ begins an album that is heavy on the beat. Expressing with intent here the raucous river of…
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Evelyn Cornell – Seventeen
Seventeen seems to be a seminal year for country artists. Shay Gaston and Rebecca Hurn have already covered the age in their own way and now Evelyn Cornell offers her perspective. ‘Seventeen’ is her debut single and is just as wonderfully reflective. Nostalgia here coming in the form of “Garden parties in the yard… / Driving through the night… /…
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Amy-Jo – Friends You Meet Along the Way (Chester)
I am normally passing through Chester to go to gigs. So it was a pleasant surprise to find the first date on Amy-Jo’s new tour within the city itself. Keeping the same title as her last one, ‘Friends You Meet Along the Way’, her two companions for this one were Grace Elizabeth Harvey and Bella Wright. Both brought different facets…
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Caitlin Mae – Your Truck
Caitlin Mae has become well and truly versed in the sounds of Nashville. Her latest single ‘Your Truck’ is straight down the middle country at its modern best. A chorus fit for the dancefloor as pop mixes with banjo and pedal steel. It belies a narrative of nostalgia which transplants a Miss Havisham protagonist into an F-150 pick-up truck. Its…
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Rosey Cale – Coffee Cup
The tears shed by Rosey Cale in the composition of her latest single have been transformed into the most poignant ballad. ‘Coffee Cup’ distils so eloquently her experience of a break-up into lines which ache with hurt and wonder. The solemnity of the piano adds to a painful reflection on gaslighting and deceit. The two-timing guy so rightly criticised while…
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Ellie Marie – Don’t Take It to Heart
Without denying a pop sensibility, Ellie Marie emphasises the traditional sounds of country on her latest EP ‘Don’t Take It to Heart’. The Bristolian Cowgirl, as she’s aptly named, layers all four tracks with a luscious pedal steel, drawing inspiration from the American South more than most UK artists. The effect conjures up an image of a honky-tonk bar in…
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Ezmay Grace – Lien Gwerin
What a beautifully written debut album from Ezmay Grace. Her collection of folk tales on ‘Lien Gwerin’ make for avid listening. Unashamed in length. Detailed in description. This is traditional storytelling at its contemporary best. It features a mix of both original and true stories. Drawing on her Cornish identity to weave fascinating accounts featuring a cast of characters often…
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Samantha Ebert – No One Knows
I don’t often stray from UK shores to write about songs from across the pond. So it shows how much I value the music of Samantha Ebert to do so on this occasion. Her latest track, ‘No One Knows’, is just as striking as the first time I came across her. ‘Overthinking’ was a song that spoke deep into my…
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Fiona Lennon – I Love You Baby
There’s a lovely simplicity about Fiona Lennon’s new single. From its title to its theme to its musical arrangement, nothing is complicated about love. Contentment is communicated through a beautiful blend of soft rock and country-pop. Giving ‘I Love You Baby’ a dreamy summer vibe. Lines such as “got me holding up my hands / and begging everything will last”…
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