*check out my last music round-up here!*
Hello and welcome to 2022! I have big
musical expectations for this year – hopefully lots more concerts, fresh albums
from artists we know and love, and discovering yet more new artists and songs
to provide the soundtrack for this year. I was so busy listening to Christmas
songs in December that this month’s round-up will be a double-whammy from
December and January – you can check out my full Dec 21 and Jan 22 playlists here, and read on for the best of the best – enjoy!
Starting off the year with
this indie-pop anthem from singer-songwriter Marielle Kraft. Whilst not
necessary my go-to genre (this blog is called ‘Ciara’s Country’, after all),
2021 introduced me to many indie-pop artists I really enjoyed, from Blu Eyes to
Brynn Cartelli and Leah Sykes, and I think we might need to add Marielle Kraft
onto that list. Second Coffee lyricises about that awkward encounter we
all know and love – bumping into an ex – made even more awkward when they
completely ignore. Working in a coffee shop that her ex comes into, Marielle
wonders “Who’s that second coffee for? Will you leave it at her door? Does that
make her want you more, like I used to when I loved you?... Guess our breaking
up worked out since you’re here, you must’ve found someone new who you could
bring that second coffee to.’ With a slightly staccato / accusatory undertone
in her vocals, Marielle perfectly captures the suspenseful wondering we all do
in this situation, and makes it into a very decent song.
https://genius.com/Marielle-kraft-second-coffee-lyrics
Stop Coming Over – Chris Lane
I wouldn’t have classed Chris Lane
as one of my top country artists, but maybe with all of the songs of his I’ve loved recently, I should. I Don’t Know About You and Summer Job Money
made their way to the top of my playlists last year, and Stop Coming Over has
already paved the way for plenty of Chris Lane on my 2022 playlists. This
cutesy serenade is about getting to the point where you’re ready to ask someone
to ‘stop coming over and start coming home’: ‘Hey, what you say we decorate and
slap some paint on these doors? Soon as I met you, knew I’d let you get to
making it yours. We can drop that under the mat, get you a key of your own,
when you gonna stop coming over and start coming home?’ The simple melody is full
of rhythmic guitars, and Chris has a voice that rivals some of the big names in
country today (check out his cover of Mario’s RnB track Let Me Love You)
If you’re thinking of asking someone to move in, this might just be the perfect
track for it.
https://www.testietraduzioni.it/translation/it/stop-coming-over-chris-lane/
Abby Anderson is a name that I’m
familiar with – I’ve had the honour of seeing her perform live, and was even
due to interview her at CMC Rocks in 2020 (before it was unfortunately cancelled)
– but Nick Wayne was not until this point. Nonetheless, Abby has proven herself
as someone who works well in duets, Shallow with Jimmie Allen and I
Believe In Santa Claus being notable examples. She seems to have a voice
that just works with everyone, and that is definitely the case on Lonely
Might. We start acoustically with Nick singing the first chorus before the
drums build underneath his voice. Abby joins in with a soft melody for the pre-chorus:
‘You didn’t come here to remember, came here to forget, came here for another
thing that you’d regret. We both got our reasons…for the why, if the hurt don’t
kill us, the lonely might.’ The duo hit full stride at the chorus where the
song title finally makes sense: ‘So just tell me what you’re drinking and I’ll
tell you what I’m thinking, two wrongs don’t make a right, but lonely mixed
with lonely might.’ This is soft and powerful, and highlights two vocalists who
I can only hope we’ll be hearing a lot more from in future.
Laredo – Angie K
I love it when I stumble across a
song so completely different to anything else that I’ve heard, and Laredo does
just that. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a country song in Spanish, and in this
song, Angie blends seamlessly between English and Spanish. Born in El Salvador
and raised in Georgia, this mix makes perfect sense, and fits fantastically with
this track. Here, she tells the story of a young vaquero from Colorado meeting
a girl from Mexico in the town of Laredo, and the love that blossomed as ‘they
danced under the light of a Texas moon, luna llena sin palabras they move, in his
arms she found something true as they were speaking with their eyes…In the
morning he will ride, saddle up and say goodbye, but they know, love is in Laredo.’
Angie has quite a deep range which sounds great on this Western meets Latin
country song – I would love to hear more like this!
Yet more proof that Canada truly
produces some of the best country artists (Tenille Townes, Lindsay Ell, Tenille Arts, Jess Moskaluke, Meghan Patrick, David James, I’m looking at you!) If you’ve
ever tuned into my radio show (every Friday 5-8pm UK on www.ukcountryradio.com), you’ll know that songs
like this are exactly what I love – someone who can really sing gracing us with
a song about something that matters to them. Here we have Shawn’s super smooth
vocals lamenting on his old love leaving to move across the country: ‘She’s at
thirty-seven thousand feet halfway to California, and I’m running these power
lines putting in overtime here in Georgia. Chalk it up to a one-way ticket,
didn’t get it, now I’m sitting here missing her. Time don’t stop, flies by
fast, hearts still break, love don’t last, and planes don’t wait.’ There’s a
lot of heart in this song, and it’s one I know I’ll be listening to again and
again.
Wait For It – Jennifer Nettles
Here’s another song which I’m sure
many of you might have listened to again and again, although in a slightly
different form. You might recognise the title as a song from the hugely successful
Broadway musical Hamilton, and the singer as one half of the
ridiculously successful duo Sugarland. Together, they make magic. I’ve seen Jennifer
perform both as a solo artist and in Sugarland, and each and every time she has
brought 110%, with a voice and an energy that can captivate entire arena
audiences. As such, whilst at first a seemingly odd choice to include a song
about men ‘fighting on the British side in Georgia trying to keep the colonies
in line’ on her album, it makes perfect sense that someone with such powerful
vocals would want to combine them with the word’s of a lyricist known for
writing powerful songs. Her cover obviously takes a more country feel than the
original Broadway version, verging into the slightly spooky, swampy vibe of a
song you might expect to hear around a Lousiana campfire, but really turns out
to be something very special.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORK9bVNwHOY
As someone who grew up on boy bands
and Disney pop, I love it when I find a song that takes what I loved as a
child, makes it more mature, and slides it into the genre I now love the most. Zack
Dyer sounds like he’d be just as comfortable as part of this generation’s new
NSYNC with soft and sultry vocals that fit his cool-guy image, but decided to
take the country route, and for that I’m glad. Those soft vocals are paired
with this soft song about wondering if it’s worth giving things another try: ‘If
all our friends say they miss us and my folks back home ask about you at
Christmas, you can’t blame me for wondering. I know that we both said goodbye,
hearts move on, just give them time, but I don’t ever want to know what that
feels like, so why don’t we forget that we called it off, get back to you with
my t-shirt on, putting those reposado lips on mine, oh my. Why don’t we act
like we don’t remember the ‘go to hell’s are ‘we could do better’s. We ain’t
gotta get back together, but why don’t we?’ I dig.
Backroad Flyin’ – Luke and Kaylee
In general, I think we can all agree
that duos of ‘name’ and ‘name’ usually make good music (Dan + Shay, Maddie
& Tae), as do husband/wife groups (Little Big Town, Ryan Hurd & Maren Morris).
Luke and Kaylee tick both of those boxes, and guess what? They make good music too.
I love the vibe of this one – a true ode to road trips and car adventures or,
in other words, backroad flyin’: ‘Finding a new view together, ou know that it
never gets old, soon as I get the ok from you, baby I’m packed and I’m ready to
go. Backroad flyin’, riding with the windows down, baby, we could cruise
through Florida, find out way to a Gulf Coast town. See the countryside
together, doesn’t matter what direction we’re bound. Anywhere we stop, you know
I’m buyin, what you say we do some backroad flyin’?’ Luke and Kaylee both have
very different styles, but somehow they work extremely well together. Fun,
easy-listening. Perfect for backroad flyin’.
And there you have it, the first
music round-up of the year! I hope you enjoyed reading all about my recent
favourites – you can check out everything I’m listening to right here: Ciara’s Country Spotify, or tune into my radio show every Friday from 5-8pm UK on www.ukcountryradio.com (and an extra bonus
Ciara’s Country Roundup hour on the last Friday of the month at 8pm and
repeated again that Saturday at 5pm!) I’d love to know all of the music you’ve
been loving lately – be sure to drop me a message on Twitter @CiarasCountry
with your suggestions. Thanks so much for reading!