*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…
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
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
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
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!
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