Best of Music: August 2021

*check out my last music round-up here!*

I always love having songs that remind me of a certain time in life – certain places, people, and experiences; and my August songs do just that. This was a month of discovery – so many new artists that of course I can’t fit them all into one list, but if you want to check out my full August playlist, you can find that here: Ciara's Country August 2021 Playlist Just looking for the best of the best? Read on! In no particular order…

Forgot About That – Runaway June

Runaway June are one of the best things to happen to country music in recent years. Their 2019 album Blue Roses was a phenomenal debut, and after a little member change, the trio are back with just-released EP backstory. All three songs on the EP are very strong – two poppy songs and one ballad, but if I had to choose one, it would be Forgot About That. It’s Fun 101 – an upbeat melody with catchy lyrics about maybe, just maybe, making that same good mistake again: “I said I didn’t want to see you again, but the second you walked in, I forgot about that look at that you give me, I forgot about that way that it gets me, not remembering why we ever said goodbye in the first place…I think I might’ve swore that I was never gonna take you back, but I forgot about that.” There are a lot of things Runaway June do well – flawless harmonies, great instrumentals, songs that you can easily see yourself singing along to at a show – and Forgot About That really highlights them all.

 https://www.backseatmafia.com/ep-review-runaway-june-backstory/

 

Before I Met You – Kaylee Bell, The McClymonts

Two names I’d heard once or twice before – Kaylee Bell’s Light On was one of the songs I had climbing up my Spotify plays last year, and The McClymonts were the opening act on the Main Stage at C2CAustralia in 2019 (and an act I thoroughly enjoyed!) – but I’ll be honest in saying that other than that, I wouldn’t have known too much about either act. That changes now. Believe me when I say that I was astounded by Before I Met You – it’s so good that the moment it ended, I replayed it just so I could listen to it again, and that’s pretty much continued the whole month. Kiwi Kaylee and Aussie trio The McClymonts have created an energy-filled track about finding the one who changes everything: “Before I met you, I was looking for a spark to get me through my darkest days. Before I met you, I’d let somebody in just close enough to push away. You say we’re gonna last together and I hope that we do, I was broken in two before I met you.” If you like country pop, this is a song, and these are artists, that need to be added to your playlist.

 https://www.shazam.com/artist/41081157/kaylee-bell

 

Pasadena – Dustin Lynch

One of Dustin Lynch’s most famous songs is Cowboys and Angels, and I don’t think it would be wrong to say that he has the voice of both – that distinctly Southern cowboy twang mixed with quite frankly angelic voices that have a superbly calming effect. Both sides shine through on Pasadena, a gentle song  about meeting someone special in, you guessed it, Pasadena: “I’m thinking maybe we should stay awhile, see where it leads us, I think we got something cool between us, we’ve got two more nights before leaving Pasadena.” Let’s be honest, if Dustin Lynch said that to us in some downtown bar, we’d all say yes, wouldn’t we? (Check out my interview with Dustin here!) Dustin’s voice is complemented beautiful by Sarah Buxton on backing vocals on a smooth track that’ll have you craving a last minute trip to California.

 https://open.spotify.com/track/0UYJBq8r9iyqvjkqeAy3yD

 

Good Goodbye – Ashley Cooke, Jimmie Allen

Jimmie Allen shall hereby be known as the King of features – his latest EP and album are entirely (and I mean entirely) full of featured artists, and they’re not small names at that – Nelly, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Keith Urban, Little Big Town. He’s also made a name for himself as a feature on other artists tracks, recently appearing on The Shires’ On The Day I Die and Noah Schnacky’s Don’t You Wanna Know. It’s no wonder therefore that he makes a great fit on Good Goodbye with Ashley Cooke (check out her song Sunday Morning Kind Of Saturday Night and cover of Morgan Wallen’s Chasin You) This is a song about choosing to end a relationship on a good note: “Tell me what it’s gonna be, cryin’ here in the dashboard lights or headin’ inside for one more night…If we ain’t gonna make it, baby, what you say we make it a good goodbye.” This is a song for those relationships that you didn’t want to end, but had to, and thank goodness they ended the way they did. (More Jimmie content here, here, and here!)

 https://genius.com/Ashley-cooke-good-goodbye-lyrics

Boys and Girls – Alee

Brand new artist alert! I wasn’t familiar with Alee before, but if you’re a country-pop enthusiast like I am, I can assure you she’ll be right up your street – definitely one for us Kelsea Ballerini, Lauren Alaina, Cassadee Pope lovers out there. This is a song that plays on the When Harry Met Sally trope that men and women can’t be friends, a trope you’ll either agree with or you won’t: “The way he’s looking at you, the way you’re looking at him, it ain’t a matter of if, it’s just a matter of when you’re gonna cross that line… You either end up together or he’ll make you never wanna see him again, but boys and girls can’t be friends.” Whether or not you agree with that sentiment, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that this really is a cracking song. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next from Alee.

 https://genius.com/Alee-country-boys-and-girls-lyrics

 

Ways To Miss You – Tyler Braden

Tyler Braden will certainly not be a new artist to anyone who’s checked out my monthly playlists before (Secret, anyone?), and one also recommended by my recent interviewees SixForty1. Tyler really epitomises a new side of the genre I’ve found myself falling into these past few years – that gritty country road / country rock that you might know Parker McCollum, Walker Montgomery, Matt Stell, and Kameron Marlowe from. This is a song about struggling to find closure – drinking to forget, burning old photographs, but nothing seems to work: “I’ve been up all night, burning out every neon light, and I’ve closed down every dive that I’ve been into. I’ve tried leaning in, tried to kiss you off of my lips, I’m trying to find a way to forget you, but all I’ve found are all-new ways to miss you.” You can just tell that Tyler puts his all into this song, and it’s one that will definitely make a great arena-filler on future tours.

 https://genius.com/Tyler-braden-ways-to-miss-you-lyrics

Far Boy – Leah Marie Mason, Austin Burke

We love a good duet here on Ciara’s Country, and even more so when it’s two brand new artists. Originally a solo project from Leah Marie Mason, we start the song with Leah’s heartwrenching lyrics about watching someone she loved rebound with someone new: “So far she looks happy like I thought I’d still be, and as far as I know she probably doesn’t think you’ll ever leave, but I know what she don’t, you can’t slow down a rolling stone, she’s just a stone on the way to fill some void, but she won’t get you far, boy.” Austin gives us the man’s perspective in verse two as he tries to find his own relief “at the bottom of an empty bottle,” and whilst he might be with someone else, “I still see you face in every place, no matter how far this goes.” This is a beautifully soft side of both of these new artists, and if they keep releasing tracks like this, there’ll be no stopping them.

 https://open.spotify.com/album/3pzUW3z7WUMgfLqRwIZY3a

 

Damsel in this Dress – Gray Robinson

There’s nothing better than a play on words, and Gray Robinson gets us right from the get-go with Damsel in this Dress / damsel in distress. For someone who grew up on early 2000s rom-coms where there’s always a happy ending, this song is a much-needed reality check: “I wish the end of this story was you and I meant to be, fireworks, champagne pouring and some kind of magic in the breeze. But this ain’t happy ever after, it turns out reality is that I’m alone here in this stupid restaurant, looking my best. No knight in shining armour tonight, just a damsel in this dress.” It’s sad, it’s quiet, it’s understated, and I like to think of this song as the tale of Taylor Swift’s Love Story if it hadn’t gone to plan. If you’re looking for a song to cry to, this is the one. 

https://genius.com/Gray-robinson-damsel-in-this-dress-lyrics

 

It really was hard getting this down to my Top 8! Definitely worth checking out my full playlist if you’re looking for even more great tunes, and I’d love to know what songs you were loving this month - let me know on Twitter @CiarasCountry. Wondering what other songs I’ve enjoyed this year? My full Spotify can be found here, Ciara's Country Spotify, and you can also join me ever Friday GMT 5-8pm on www.ukcountryradio.com for three hours of great country music just like this – I hope you’ll join me! Thanks so much for reading!

Interview: SIXFORTY1 (Part 2)

There are a lot of big things coming for Brooks Hoffman and Austin Gee - their band, SixForty1, is making waves in country music, and the guys were nice enough to sit down with me to chat all things SixForty1. Check out Part 1 of our interview here, and read on for their thoughts on touring with Lakeview, Brantley Gilbert and more, who would be on their dream tour lineup, what country artists they think you need to know, and what they'd be doing if they weren't in country - enjoy! 

 

Ciara's Country (CC): After such a long time of not being able to tour, it must be nice to be back on the road and playing those songs for people – what’s that like?

 

Austin Gee (AG):  It's amazing. We just played in St Louis, Memphis, and Birmingham, and it's so good to have people in the crowd putting their hands up, waving them, and just swaying along our music. There's nothing better. We don't have the all the platforms like other artists to get that exposure, so to have people in the crowd in Birmingham, Alabama or Memphis, Tennessee, singing our songs means the world. It makes us know that what we're doing is resonating, and we’ve just got to keep pushing and keep grounded.

 

CC: Which songs have you been saying have been going down really well?

 

Brooks Hoffman (BH): It's always Somebody’s Gonna and Forget Those Heels. Those seem to go over really well every time just because they're so catchy.

 

AG: Plane Crazy and Maybe I Might too. They’re oldies but goodies, so we have a few people every night enjoying those too.

 

CC: I love how you just said ‘oldies but goodies’, because in my head, I was thinking ‘they’re SixForty1 classics’. It’s amazing to think that even though you guys have only been around a few years, you already have ‘oldies but goodies’!

 

BH: Whenever we do an album, they might even make the cut. You never know.

 

CC: You're giving me so much to look forward to right now! I'm already looking forward to the Greatest Hits album in like 20 years time.

 

BH: Trust me, we’re looking forward to the reunion tour and all that stuff when we’re eighty.

 

CC: I'll be there! Speaking of touring, am I right in thinking that you guys are currently on the road with Lakeview?

 

BH: Yeah, we are. Have you heard of them?

 

CC: I absolutely have! I'm loving all of the duos that are coming up in country music lately – yourselves, Lakeview, Seaforth;  so your Nashville Hits The Roof tour is one I so wish I could go to!  

 

BH: Yeah, the Lakeview guys are super. They're great dudes, they have great music and their live show is awesome. I think we feed off of that a lot and vice versa, so we're excited to be on the road with them. It's been dope.

 

CC: Was that a business decision where someone high up said, ‘you guys should tour together’, or did you have some pull in saying ‘we'd like to go on the road with them’?

 

BH: I think it was just actually an email that was sent to us like ‘ I think y'all know each other, do y'all want to tour with these guys?’, and we were both like, ‘yeah, let's do it’. It’s been a good time so far, and we’ve got a couple more weekends to go, it’s spread out throughout the fall. We love those guys.

 

CC: Very important question from me, then - when is that joint tour making its way to Europe?

 

BH: Gosh, that'd be awesome.

 

AG: Hopefully one of these days we’ll come overseas. I've always wanted to go to go to Europe in general.

 

CC: Let’s make it happen! As well as your tour with Lakeview, you’re also going to be touring with Brantley Gilbert – tell me more!

 

BH: We just have two dates with Brantley as part of ‘The Worst Country Tour Of All Time’ - we're doing the West Virginia State Fair and then the Ozarks Amphitheatre with him and Michael Ray, so that'll be a good time.

 

CC: How do you guys feel about joining a tour called ‘The Worst Country Tour Of All Time’?

 

AG: I don't mind it! With all the other supporting acts on that tour, it’s a great exposure opportunity, and we've been on the road with Brantley before. It'll be nice to go back out and hang with the guys a little bit more, and it's a great resume builder too.

 

CC: I was looking at your ‘touring resume’, and you’ve toured with some pretty big names! As well as the ones we’ve mentioned, you’ve toured with Eli Young Band, Walker Hayes, Niko Moon, and Muscadine Bloodline.

 

BH: Yeah, we’ve been lucky, and we’ve got a few more things coming up with REO Speedwagon, and Dwight Yoakam, so those will be fun and interesting too.

 

CC: I was just listening to REO Speedwagon this morning! Obviously we're on the same wavelength.

 

BH: They're amazing. Hopefully we get meet them and pick their brains a little bit.

 

CC: Is there a dream artist who you would love to be on the same lineup as?

 

BH: I think it's pretty obvious that we love Florida Georgia Line, so I'd love to tour with them. I'd love to be on the road with Sam Hunt, Dylan Scott, Dustin Lynch, I feel like those would be amazing fits for us.

 

CC: Oh, that would be perfect. Your sounds would fit so well together, I reckon it would be a proper party.

 

AG: For sure!

 

CC: So you’ve got some great suggestions for big name artists like yourselves, but I’m always on the lookout for underrepresented and up and coming artists too. One of the ways that I like to find out about them is by asking the artists I love what they're listening to - do you have any underrated artists that you think everyone should be listening to?

 

AG: Our friends in general! Tyler Braden - he's doing a great job right now. Sean Stemaly, he's blowing up and he's one of our good buddies. It's great to see those guys taking off like they have. Those are my two choices.

 

BH: Yeah, I agree, those two guys are killing it. There's a bunch of cool new acts in Nashville, and if you go to the bottom of our Spotify page, it also gives you similar artists, so I like to go to that section and discover new music there. It's a great tool.

 

CC: Yeah, I’ve seen artists like Chase Wright, Josh Kerr, and Walker Montgomery in the same playlists as you – they’re great too! My last question for you today is what is one question that you've never been asked in an interview, but would love to be?

 

BH: How I make my coffee. Man, you’ve stumped me. Hmm, maybe if we weren't doing country music, what genre would we be?

 

AG: Yeah, we've never been asked that!

 

CC: Got an answer for me?

 

BH:  I would honestly say we love Justin Bieber, Lauv, The Band Camino type of pop music. I think we'd be doing stuff like that.

 

CC: And that works really well with country crossover too. Maybe you can give us a side album that’s more pop.

 

BH: I can see that happening in the future, us really branching out and doing a lot of pop stuff eventually.

 

AG: I think so too. I think that's the way country music is going too - like you said, there's so many crossovers. I think it's more acceptable these days to branch out and try to do your own thing. I think that's a great thing for the genre as a whole.

 

CC: I look forward to seeing your country and pop sides! And since you mentioned it, I have to know - how do you make your coffee?

 

BH: I do one Splenda, a little bit of half and a half, some honey, and that's it. Stir it up, pretty simple.

 

AG: I just have straight black with a little bit of honey. This might be weird, but I take a little bit of frozen whipped cream, I dip it in there and I stir it.

 

BH: That’s not weird, I want to do that too!

 

CC: I’ll be keeping that in mind for when I finally see you guys on tour – I’ll make sure to bring you guys the perfect cup of coffee. Thank you so much for your time today, I really appreciate all we’ve chatted about and I’m so excited for what’s next for you two!

 

BH: We’re so excited too!

 

AG: Thanks for having us on! 

 

Brooks and Austin were incredibly lovely interviewees to have on, and I'm really looking forward to their EP and future tours our side of the pond. There'll be even more interviews to come, so stay tuned on my Twitter @CiarasCountry, and make sure to follow @SixForty1 to hear what's next from them. Thanks so much for reading!