Interview: JESS MOSKALUKE *new* (Part 2)

*Check out part one of my interview with Jess here first!*

Ciara's Country (CC): In our last interview, we spoke about your last record ‘The Demos’ and all of the fantastic hits on that one, but I get the feeling that we might be in line for some new music.

 

Jess Moskaluke (JM): Yeah, we're hoping for new music in July. I've already got a few songs that I'm getting ready to record, we're just in the selection process right now. I've been writing for a few months and think we've got the songs, we just have to try and narrow it down.

 

CC: How do you select which ones make it through?

 

JM: I just write and write and write until I feel like someone's either sent me the right song, or I've written that already. Then I put out my favourites and my producer and I figure out what we'd like to do and we send it over to management. Finally, we make a group decision on however many songs we need and which ones those are.

 

CC: How do the songs that you're working on at the moment differ from the ones that you released last year?

 

JM: Quite drastically actually! This is something stylistically that I've wanted to do for the last few years but given the state of the world, I wasn't really able to. As you know, ‘The Demos’ was something that was already half finished, we just went in and polished it, but these are songs that we were able to totally start from scratch and do exactly what we wanted to do. They're still very much me, but in a way that you've never heard before.

 

CC: A lot to look forward to then! Was it quite a different process to making ‘The Demos’?

 

JM: Honestly, it didn’t change a tonne. It was a really similar process to what we've done in the past, I just didn't get to write in Nashville, which is where I write all my songs. It's where all my favourite writers live, and it's nice that I can make one trip and everybody's there. The only thing that changed was that I wasn't able to make as many of those trips due to the pandemic, so I had to wait a year and a half before I could go. However, it just so happened that on this last trip, we got a couple of songs that I'm really excited about, and we said, ‘okay, I think we're ready to get some of these in the studio!’

 

CC: I know you can't tell us too much about the specific content of those songs, but can you give us an idea of the broad themes?

 

JM: They're a little bit more organic than my songs have been. There is still definitely some pop country flavour to it because that's what I love, it's what I love to listen to, but they're a little bit country-er than then you've heard me go.

 

CC: Well, I don't think anyone is going to complain about that! Last time we chatted, you gave me some fantastic recommendations for up-and-coming artists that we should listen to – Sacha, Melanie Dyer, Sinead Burgess – I gave them a listen, and wow, I love Sacha’s Standards and Melanie’s 20s!

 

JM: I'm so happy to hear you like them! They're all so talented, so I will sing their praises whenever I can. Mel actually has a brand new song out right now called Cheap Moscato and it's really good, you should check it out!

 

CC: Already added to my playlist! Do you have any new recommendations for us?

 

JM: You know, I'm really hoping to find some this weekend. I’d actually really love to know your listeners favourite British artists, so if they have any, be sure to send them to me on Instagram!

 

CC: Fingers crossed we’ll get loads of ideas for you! Last time in our interview, I ended the interview by asking you a question that you said you would think about and get back to me – what is one question that you've never been asked in an interview about, but would love to be?

 

JM: You know, it's kind of funny because all of the questions that I can think of are ones that have been asked, but I think you did a pretty good job of asking me things that I haven't necessarily been asked while still covering all the bases!

 

CC: Is that anything outside of music that people might want to know about you?

 

JM: Two things maybe! I have a subscription box called ‘Handpicked by Jess’ -  we started it in the beginning of the pandemic, and it's something along the lines of Fab Fit Fun. We do two of them a year, but you’ve got to keep your eye out! Every once in a while, we'll do a themed one, so we just did an all jewellery box. It's cool, because you can buy these boxes for about CAD$175 but there's like CAD$400 worth of stuff in them. It's all my favourite things from some of my favourite companies that I want to promote. We're gearing up right now to release our Spring Summer Edition and all of the info is on my website!

 

CC: I was actually reading about that! I can only imagine that the same love and care that goes into selecting the songs that go on the album goes into those boxes.

 

JM: You have no idea because I had no idea how much work it was going to be and it really has been a labour of love. It's a lot of these small businesses that didn’t necessarily have a lot of business during the pandemic. For us to physically get those items from those brands into the hands of my fans, it's been really cool to see them go and make purchases and support these companies. A lot of love, a lot of care and a lot of time!

 

CC: What was it that inspired you to do something like that?

 

JM: I’ve had the idea kicking around in my head for a few years. We had a few new interns at the label, I wasn't touring because of the pandemic, so we finally had the time and the manpower and everything really just lined up. People loved it - we actually broke the website! The first edition sold out in the first four minutes or something, and so we've been encouraged to keep going. I didn't know that this would be more than a one time thing, but we're on our fifth edition now!

 

CC: Very impressive! Do your themed boxes ever include any kind of music theme?

 

JM: Yes! The first box actually had a vinyl album that was a limited edition - it was kind of like a Greatest Hits, and we've had merch in the past. We're trying to think of a way that we can put an Easter egg in this next box about what the next music might contain…

 

CC: What a teaser! This gives us further reason to chat in another six months when we find out about all your new music. You mentioned there were two things listeners might not know about you – what’s the other one?

 

JM: I'm a huge dog fan! My husband and I rescue our dogs - their names are Nala and Blue, and I miss them both very much. The worst part about travelling is that they can't come with me.

 

CC: Can they come when you tour around Canada?

 

JM: They probably could, but it's pretty hard to put two dogs on a tiny little bus when they have 20 acres to run around at home. And my husband would miss them too!

 

CC: How do you feel being on the bus?

 

JM: I do pretty good. I'm with some of my favourite people in the whole world and it really does become home. It's like the opposite of claustrophobia, I’m like ‘ I can't wait to get into my cosy little bunk!’ I actually quite enjoy it and definitely missed it over the last two years.

 

CC: I think we can all agree that live music in general is something that we've totally missed, so I'm so glad that you’re back playing some for us! Thank you so much for this interview, Jess, and I look forward to finding out everything about all this new music you teased us with today.

 

JM: Thank you so much! It was lovely chatting with you.

It was such a joy to catch up with Jess again, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing her back this side of the pond soon! If you'd like to stay up to date on all of my future reviews and interviews, make sure to drop me a follow on Twitter @CiarasCountry. Thank you so much for reading!

Interview: JESS MOSKALUKE *new* (Part 1)

 

*check out my last interview with Jess here first!*

Ciara’s Country (CC): I am so delighted to be joined once again by the fabulous Jess Moskaluke. Welcome, Jess!

Jess Moskaluke (JM): Thank you so much!

 

CC: You and I last caught up last year can you give me a brief summary of what you've been up to since then?

 

JM: Sure! I mean, the pandemic has made things a bit less exciting so there's a little less for me to catch you up on, but I guess since last summer we've just been releasing singles from the album ‘The Demos’ which we spoke about, and getting ready for C2C Country 2 Country! 

 

CC: What was the preparation process for C2C like?

 

JM: For us, it was really just finding a band over here because it's a lot of work to travel with a band. Right now I'm travelling with just my lead guitar player, so he and I had to grab a bass player, another guitar player, and a drummer.

 

CC: And you finally made it! How does it feel to be playing at Europe’s biggest country music festival, C2C Country 2 Country?

 

JM: It feels a little bit surreal. London to me feels a little bit like Toronto and Canada, so it doesn't really feel like I'm here just yet, but I'm sure once we get somewhere and have a proper cup of tea, then I'll really understand the magnitude of where we.

 

CC: Is there a particular tea that you're looking forward to trying?

 

JM: No, I’m up for recommendations so if you have any, I’m all yours!

 

CC: I’ll send you my full list! How did your performances at C2C go?

 

JM: They went really well! It's always a little bit interesting to never know what you're going to run into when you're in another country, especially since this is my first time here ever. I didn't know if anyone was going to know the songs or if anyone would even be interested in the kind of country that I do, but somehow got a pretty big little crowd and it was a lot of fun.

 

CC: It must be lovely to see your music travel around the world like this.

 

JM: It's such a cool feeling. When you're in Canada, surely there's somebody that knows you personally or you know, is your mom's friend or someone you went to university with, but here that's really just not the case. People are here just because they appreciate your music or maybe they were walking by and they appreciated your music from far away and stuck around to find out who you are.

 

CC: Speaking of your music being international, the last time I saw you live was at C2C Country 2 Country in Australia, where you connected with fellow singer Travis Collins and ended up releasing the phenomenal Leave Each Other Alone – I loved it, the Ciara’s Country listeners loved it! Now you're at C2C London, is there anyone on the lineup here that you would like to record a duet with?

 

JM: I’m on the lookout! I love a good duet, it's my favourite. My favourite thing about music is that it can be shared in that way and you can perform with people that you're friends with or fans of. I've come to know Darius Rucker over the years and he's a friend of ours, so maybe I'll put that out there! I'm a big Kip Moore fan as well, so that could be really cool.

 

CC: Darius Rucker is a lovely man, so I think I can see that happening. (Check out my interview with Darius here)

 

JM: I love spending time with him.

 

CC: Will you have time to see some of the artists this weekend?

 

JM: We're sure going to try and take as much in as we can between performances and really try to experience it all. I might see if I can't catch an accent while I'm here too!

 

CC: Oh, I'm already looking forward to that! So, you're spending a bit of time in the UK around C2C -is there anything particularly British that you'd like to do?

 

JM: I mean, I'd love to see Buckingham Palace. I've been told that the Tower of London is fantastic, but honestly for us, it's just kind of finding little British pubs and things like that where you can really experience the lifestyle a little bit more. We don't have as much time as we would hope since there’s a performance every day for the rest of our time here but I think we have a little bit of time on Sunday. If anyone has any suggestions for my next trip, you can follow me on Instagram and drop us a note, because we want to see as much as we can!

 

CC: When can we expect to see you back this side of the pond?

 

JM: We're just waiting on a few dates to be announced so I can't tell you too much, but we're really hoping to be back this summer already.

 

CC: Oh my gosh! I can’t wait to hear about them. 

I can't wait to hear the rest of what Jess had to say either! Make sure to stay tuned for Part 2 of my interview, where we chat about new music, artist recommendations, 'Handpicked By Jess', her dogs, and so much more! Be the first to know when that drops by following me on Twitter @CiarasCountry - thanks so much for reading!

Concert Review: C2C COUNTRY 2 COUNTRY 2022 (Day 3), The O2, London

 

*Make sure to check out my Day 2 review of C2C here first!*

 

Just like that, it was already the final day of C2C Country 2 Country. I returned to the O2 bright and early to catch the first of the acts on the BBC Introducing stage – Walker County. Previously highlighted as one of the featured female acts on my show, this sister duo were performers I was interested to see live. The first slot of the day is never an easy one, but they strolled confidently on in phenomenal sparkly outfits. Sophie took to the drums, and Ivy to guitar (and we later found out dad was on backing guitar!) and they launched into the fun and rocky Shovel. Both girls were amicable and engaging as they continued with Someone’s Someone, Between Boyfriends, and ballad Drag It Out. I loved their cover of Heart’s Alone, and how they indulged a fan request to play The Hamptons, a song about remembering where you come from and the people that made you. My favourite part? When Sophie came down to sing in the same microphone as Ivy for Bits & Pieces – a sisterly bond that will never be broken.

 

Up next, Callie Twisselman, whose music I can only describe as being the country counterpart to those ‘Christian Girl Autumn’ memes. She kicked off with Two Hands: ‘I might be a handful, that’s why you’ve got two hands’, title track of her 2021 project Closure, and a song ‘for all the boys who make it easy to love’, Easy Boy. Most of her songs seemed to be sweet and sugary, which fit Callie’s persona well, as she cooed in her soft voice, dressed in sparkly boots and a vintage Dolly tee. We had a song about loving 'hot country boys', Cowboy, and even one which she’d made for the My Little Pony soundtrack (you see what I mean about sweet and sugary?) called Together, but it was the songs that provided something different that I enjoyed the most - Nothing Out Here, about growing up in a small town, and Missing You, about the fact that just because you wish someone well doesn’t mean you don’t still miss them. Not my favourite act of the festival, but some good, clean fun.

 

I knew most of the names on the indigo2 lineup, but one artist I didn’t know much about was Tim Hicks, a name I sure am glad to know about now. If you’ve read some of my reviews of the BBC Radio 2 stage acts, you’ll know I prefer the ones with less production, so seeing just Tim and his guitarist come on stage already had him in my good books. He began with the gruff and gritty Get By, a song which had me thinking he was very Eric Church-like. We continued with Loud, a song that was just as effective without a full band, and perhaps even more enjoyable, as you could actually hear what the artist was singing. We got to see his vulnerable side with Whiskey Does and Horses And Hearts, both of which had some great lyrics: ‘You wanna make me fall again, get me drunk when you kiss my lips…you wanna make me late for work, make me forget how bad love hurts. Well baby, I got news for you: whiskey does that too’, and ‘Horses and hearts, they ain’t made to be broken, they should be runnin’ wide open against the wind’.

 

We also got to see his fun side, and Tim joked around with the audience too, acknowledging that country songs about trucks aren’t allowed these days (I agree), which is why he wrote a song called No Truck Song. Seeing him and his guitarist have fun on stage really translated to the audience and we got such a treat when he began Stronger Beer, a song about the differences between the US and his home country of Canada. Towards the end of the song, he told us he’d been working on a special verse about the UK, just for us, and it was great – head to my Twitter @CiarasCountry for the full video! Tim finished with a song that I was sure all of us could relate to after being away from live music for so long – What A Song Should Do. Thanks Tim, I’d like to see you back again real soon!

 

I feel pretty lucky that I’m able to say that I’ve seen most of my favourite artists live at one point or another, but up until C2C, one artist definitely missing from that list was Tenille Arts. She’d been such a big part of my pandemic playlist, so I was ready to sing every word to all of her songs the minute she stepped on the stage. Tenille had such incredible vocals from the very first note, and I tell no lie when I say she maintained this level of talent throughout her entire set. We began with Girl To Girl, an empowering song about body image. This led nicely into That’s My Friend You’re Talking About, about how hard it is to say nice things to ourselves even when we’ll easily say them to a friend. Two of my top songs came up next in Give It To Me Straight and Growing Old Young, about the things that make us grow up too soon: ‘The thing about growing old young, you fast-forward through the innocent stuff, you cut straight to the fallin’ out of love and thinkin’ maybe you’ll never be enough, cause you’ve never kissed a boy but your heart’s in two, never had a drink but you know what it can do, never got to see the world before yours came undone, that’s growing old young.’

 

I was already having the time of my life during Tenille’s set, and the best was yet to come. She provided hands down the best cover of the entire festival with The Chicks’ Wide Open Spaces and completely blew me away with I Hate This. It’s a good song on the record, but it is extraordinary live – probably my favourite live song of all of C2C. Sounding even better than her record seemed to be a theme, as such was the case for Back Then, Right Now, and her first #1 song (and the first all-female team to do that) Somebody Like That. Tenille will be returning to the UK later this year to tour, so if you haven’t got your tickets already, go buy them now!

 

I had the privilege of watching another of my former interviewees up next on the indigo2 stage, Twinnie. Sporting one of the sparkliest outfits of the festival (and that was saying something), Twinnie joined us with a full band, starting off with That Type Of Girl, and my favourite of her songs, Daddy Issues with its old-style honky tonk melody and clever lyrics: ‘Why do good, good women stay with bad, bad men? It’s all sunshine and roses til you say boyfriend, then they go changing…don’t know about you, but I didn’t choose my daddy issues’. These were followed by current charity single I Know A Woman and the story of her life, Hollywood Gypsy where she sang about going ‘from The Shambles to the Boulevard of Broken Dreams’.

 

One Heart became my new favourite – very well written and with heart-wrenching lyrics ‘It only takes one look to fall in love, it only took two lips to say too much, but I never knew it only takes one heart to break two’, this song was a stand-out above Twinnie’s usual fun and upbeat songs. We ended with a trio of fun songs including Welcome To The Club, a slowed down version of Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody, and arguably her biggest song to date (that’s only because you haven’t all listened to One Heart yet), Better When I’m Drunk. She’s a fun performer, and I have no doubt that energy will bring her far.

 

The next performer was a mystery – simply an empty slot with the words ‘Surprise Guest’ in it. Being a C2C aficionado, I had a pretty good idea as to who it might be, and my suspicions were confirmed when UK country’s favourites The Shires entered the stage (my other guess was Ward Thomas). I’ve never felt particularly strongly about The Shires before, but the first thing I wrote in my review book was how clear and strong Crissie’s vocals sounded on first song Lightning Strikes, and how much I liked the song. We were off to a good start, and it continued that way – the duo played songs from latest album like Cut Me Loose and Bar Without You, written with Eric Paslay and Jennifer Wayne. Things got slightly spooky and sad for Plot Twist before a mix of quiet and loud with I See Stars. An extra surprise guest appeared on stage for Wild Hearts – ‘This Morning’s Josie Gibson bashing around on a tambourine – before we ended with an oldie but a goodie, Guilty. The Shires were much better than I remember, and I think I can finally call myself a Shires fan. Who would’ve thought?

 

The final act on Sunday’s BBC Radio 2 stage, and the last act I would see in the indigo2 was King Calaway. Again, I was pleased that they were one of the rare acts I was unfamiliar with before (this was the ‘Introducing’ stage, after all), and my gosh, did they bring the party. My seat was shaking from the bass as they began with Good Time To Me and a cover of The Eagles’ Take It Easy. The four members, two of whom are from the States, and one from Gibraltar (I’d love to get their origin story) were all charismatic, and their songs all enjoyable. We head-bobbed along to Homegrown and got in our feelings for the Ed Sheeran-style World For Two which it’s beautiful bass guitar. Hometown Night had me feeling like I was at a Lanco or LOCASH concert, and We Need More People, about being kind to one another, gave off extreme BandAid vibes. A spooky version of Jolene, of which I definitely need a full cover, turned into Heartbreaker, before we finished with fun summer song Feeling Good. Not bad at all.

 

Somehow the arena seemed even busier than on previous nights, but that was only good news as it meant we all got the privilege of seeing Hailey Whitters as the first of Sunday’s main stage acts. Looking like a ray of sunshine in yellow shirt and denim skirt with corn embellishment (‘The corn skirt has gone international!’ she gleefully exclaimed), Hailey was ready to put on a show. Like Breland, Hailey is big on collabs, so we got songs like Fillin’ My Cup (with Little Big Town) and How Far Can It Go? (with Trisha Yearwood) along with songs from her debut album like the advice-filled Janice At The Hotel Bar and love song to her hometown, Heartland.

 

We also got a peek into her then-soon-to-be-released album Raised with song Everything She Ain’t: ‘The whiskey in your soda, the lime to your Corona, shotgun in your Tacoma, the Audrey to your Hank. She’s got a little style and a Hollywood smile, but believe me, honey, good as money in the bank, I’m everything she is and everything she ain’t’. Personally, I think Hailey is still a bit too fresh to be considered main stage material, particularly when compared to some of the other acts we’d seen on the smaller stages or in Introducing Nashville, like Tenille Arts, Matt Stell, or Morgan Wade, who for me would’ve been a better fit for headlining acts. Nonetheless, she gave us a great dose of cutesy country to kick off the evening’s events.

 

An artist I can’t wait to see on the main stage before too long was up next on the Spotlight: Avery Anna. Acknowledging what a big deal it was for her to be playing any of the O2’s stage, she endeared us all with the sentiment ‘A year ago, I was singing on TikTok and now I’m in London’ (and hopefully with a full European tour next year, eh?) Avery’s selection of songs was well-chosen: Just Cause I Love You, the medley of songs she grew up on including Ring Of Fire, Forever and Ever, Amen, and Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?, and new single Narcissist. I kid you not when I tell you you could have heard a pin drop in the arena, as everyone listened to her old-school vocals. What a delight.

 

Festivals for me are all about discovery, and some of my favourite parts are when I get to experience an act I haven’t heard of before. Such was the case of Flatland Cavalry, a six-piece country and Americana band from Texas (and with a lead singer who looks like Dustin from Stranger Things older brother). They were very Midland-y, with old style honky tonk songs like Some Things Never Change, A Cowboy Knows How, and You’re The One I Want. Without a doubt the most traditional country I’d heard all weekend, it was an interesting change from the very much crossover-country we’d had throughout the rest of the festival. Each of their songs were full of musicality and multiple instruments, plus a lot of heart too (their motto, after all, is ‘easy on the ears, heavy on the heart’) We got songs written for hard-working parents, Getting By, and those written for true loves, A Life Where We Work Out, during which lead singer Cleto Cordero invited his wife Kaitlin Butts to join them onstage – cute. Of course, it wouldn’t be a traditional country set without a cover of John Denver’s Country Roads, which had the audience on their feet. An interesting addition to the C2C lineup.

 

I don’t think I’ll ever forgive the C2C organisers for this one – having one of my favourite artists play only the Spotlight stage but not the indigo2 (well, they did, but only for one of the after parties). As such, many C2C attendees will only have gotten to see Aussie duo (and Ciara’s Country former interviewees) Seaforth for three songs, and for that I’m sorry. Nonetheless, any Seaforth song is a good one, and we kind of got three and a half songs, as first song Anything She Says was mashed with The Jackson 5’s I Want You Back. This was followed by Breakups and latest single with Jordan Davis, Good Beer. I won’t lie, I would’ve loved to have heard Everything Falls For You too, but maybe it’s a good thing they kept my wedding song secret for me. More Seaforth soon, please!

 

The reason why The O2 felt fuller than usual may have been revealed in the final few acts to take to the stage. First up, Ashley McBryde. No-one knew what to expect when Ashley made her C2C debut back in 2018, but now we know just how incredible she is, and it seemed like the last few years had only enabled Ashley to hone her skills. She started with Martha Divine. My first review notes? ‘What a voice’. In fact, it was hard for me to keep writing notes, because all I wanted to do was give my full attention to Ashley as she continued to wow us with Radioland and Hang In There Girl. Having made such a strong start, ‘Hi’ was all Ashley needed to say in greeting for the crowd to go wild. Every single song was so easy to sing and dance to that I couldn’t help but think that it was this that is what festivals are exactly about – having the time of your life to the best music this generation has to offer. We carried on through El Dorado and a sneak peek at record three (which she confirmed is officially finished!) with a great song called Women Ain’t Whiskey: ‘You can’t just quit me, when you get lonely, come pick me back up’. I can’t wait to hear that one on the album.

 

Ashley gazed out at her adoring fans and said ‘when you let young folks come to shows, it puts in their hearts that they can stand right here too, and that’s what I want them to know’. Enter, Girl Goin’ Nowhere, probably one of the best country songs to have been written this decade: ‘When the lights come up and I hear the band, and where they said I’d never be is exactly where I am. I heard the crowd, I look around, and I can’t find an empty chair. Not bad for a girl goin’ nowhere.’ Never had that been more true than in the sold-out O2 that night. Impressive lyrics contined with Lookin’ For A Buzz and her duet with Carly Pearce, Never Wanted To Be That Girl, where we see the two women involved with a cheating man. Things took a rocky turn for Never Will and Voodoo Doll, before Ashley put her whole heart into the first song she had on country radio, A Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega (try saying that one five times fast). We kept on getting turned up with Living Next To Leroy, Midnight Rider and Tired Of Being Happy, before the one sad slow song in her set, Sparrow. It may have been about missing home, but Ashley assured us there was nowhere else she’d rather be. To finish, latest hit, and my current favourite, One Night Standards. Did I expect Ashley McBryde to end up being one of my favourite artists from all of C2C? No. Was she? You damn well bet she was.

 

Another overall favourite was without a doubt Tenille Arts, who returned to the Spotlight stage with an incredible sparkly outfit and guitar. I was enraptured as she performed the even-better-live version of I Hate This, Back Then, Right Now, and Somebody Like That. A real highlight of the festival, and an artist I cannot recommend you see live enough.

 

And so we came to the final act of C2C 2022, and someone who had gone from performing to a small audience at the CMA Songwriters Circle at C2C 2018 to headlining Day 3 in 2022, Luke Combs. My eardrums almost burst from the cheers that erupted as Luke appeared and sang When It Rains, It Pours followed by 1, 2 Many (during which he shotgunned a beer because, why not) I wonder what Luke’s like in person, because his onstage persona is something else entirely, as he roared through Never Met You and Cold As You, kicking beers into the crowd and firing up the audience. Now I wasn’t quite aware of just how sudden Luke’s turn to stardom had been, as he told us the story of only taking his first flight at age 25 (he’s 32 now) after he’d signed his record deal. He’d just met the girl of his dreams when he took that flight to Texas which subsequently inspired his song about missing her, Houston, We Got A Problem (I like stories like that).

 

In fact, this is the part of the show where party Luke took a backseat and heartfelt Luke came out to play. Refrigerator Door, with real visuals of important people and times in Luke’s life, preceded Doin’ This, the song that revealed that even if he wasn’t on stage performing for thousands of people, he’d still be doing this. We got one of the songs Luke is most proud of, Even Though I’m Leaving, and the song he wrote about proposing, Better Together, during which I believe a couple in the crowd really did get engaged. Luke let his band take a breather as he performed new song Five Leaf Clover, before inviting someone new to the stage – none other than Ed Sheeran. Now that was a surprise indeed. The two of them performed Ed’s song Dive in a moment that I hope will encourage non-country fans to give the genre a listen – I mean, if Ed likes it, why shouldn’t they?

 

We had yet another rendition of Travis Tritt’s A Great Day To Be Alive mashed up with Tim McGraw’s I Like It, I Love It, before a selection of Luke’s own hits, including Does To Me, Lovin’ On You, Brand New Man, Beautiful Crazy, and a song he wrote in 2011 that he never thought anyone would hear, She Got The Best Of Me. Finishing the main part of his set with Hurricane, Luke left the stage before returning for an encore of Forever After All and Beer Never Broke My Heart. Half party, half vulnerable, all powerful. Quite the show from Luke Combs, and a night to remember indeed.

 

It’s still hard to believe that another year of C2C is already in the books! As for my top 3 acts of Day 3, in no particular order: Tenille Arts, The Shires and Ashley McBryde. Until next time, C2C!

 

I hope you enjoyed my C2C Country 2 Country reviews! If you did, do drop me a message in the comments below or on Twitter @CiarasCountry, letting me know which artist you were most excited to see/read about, and who you’d like to see at C2C 2023. Don’t forget you can tune in to my radio show ‘Ciara’s Country’ every Friday from 5-8pm UK on www.ukcountryradio.com, and I’ll be posting some C2C artist interviews very soon – thanks so much for reading! 

Concert Review: C2C COUNTRY 2 COUNTRY 2022 (Day 2), The O2, London

 

*Make sure to check out my Day 1 review of C2C here first!*

 

Multi-day festivals are all about running on little sleep and cramming in as much music as possible, so I was back early on Day 2 to catch the first acts of the day. I headed straight for the indigo2 to see Shy Carter’s set. 10:30am is never an easy slot to fill, but Shy did his best – looking very cool in camo pants and a Cali beanie, he swaggered on stage with two cups of Starbucks in hand. Settling down next to his guitarist, Shy launched into Hard and Good Love, showing us a very RnB side to country. I hadn’t heard these songs before, but I definitely had the next few – his song with Cole Swindell and David Lee Murphy, the fun Beer With My Friends, a beatboxed cover of Sugarland’s Stuck Like Glue, and Kane Brown’s Heaven, which Shy cowrote with Matt McGinn and Lindsay Rimes. I also enjoyed new song Cash, a song he told us was about divorce and how ‘she want the cash, I ain’t talking bout Johnny’ – a very different take on the other breakup and divorce songs found throughout the genre. Shy finished with another song he’d written for Kane Brown, Good As You, and a cover of Charlie Puth’s One Call Away. His style wouldn’t necessarily be my favourite country style, but I enjoyed his set, and in particular how he interacted with the crowd. Not a bad way to kick off an early morning start!

 

On a very different note, next up was Caitlyn Smith, who arrived in a patterned suit and sky high heels. Choosing to let the music do the talking, Caitlyn began with Moses and High, powerful and raw songs that let us know what we were in for throughout her set. Afterwards, she took a moment to introduce herself, explaining that she had been writing songs for others for a decade, and had finally taken the chance to write her own tracks. Amongst these tracks was a song about finding a person who can tolerate her crazy, Put Me Back Together, and one she performed with Old Dominion, I Can’t, both of which she shared with us.

 

Next, a real stand-out for me: This Town Is Killing Me. For anyone who appreciates the hard work that goes into making it in Nashville, this song is a must to listen to. Caitlyn explained that it had been inspired by all of the ‘no’s she’d gotten in her years as a songwriter, and how it spite of it all, she doesn’t care how hard it is because she’s chasing her dream. Take a look at some of the lyrics: ‘I pour my heart out, three minutes at a time on a J-45 and no one’s listening…I scream my lungs out, confess my secrets, own my sins, but they don’t give a damn, cause if it don’t sound like the radio, pass. Nashville, you win, your steel guitars and broken hearts have done me in. I gave you my soul, cause I wanted it so bad and now I just wanna go home.’ Heartbreakingly beautiful, and it’s these honest lyrics that make me love country music so much.    

 

After such a tearjerker, we were much of in need of a pick me up, which Caitlyn provided with Contact High, looking effortless whilst she tackled insane notes, all whilst playing the guitar too. The talent was beyond obvious. I enjoyed her little monologue to share that she’d got two new tattoos whilst in London – a Deathly Hallows symbol and a little bird, and then warned us that she was about to play a ‘devastating’ song from her new record called Another Life. That is was. Caitlyn finishes with another song I grew to love, Tacoma – I hadn’t expected to enjoy her set that much, but it was very impressive and proved that there’s so much talent in Nashville that we just don’t get to see.

 

The BBC Introducing stage has always been my favourite – it shows off artists who are just making themselves known in country music, not yet big enough to play the main stage, but the types who you might have heard one or two songs from and want to know more. Such was the case with Alex Hall, whose name had appeared once or twice on my Spotify playlists, but with many songs under his belt that I hadn’t yet heard. Immediately, Alex reminded me of Morgan Evans – that same kind of tonality, and fun upbeat songs that you want to hear on the radio. He kicked off with I Know A Guy, before revealing that this was his first time ever leaving the States, making his next song, Never Seen The World, a very relevant one.

 

He next played a song he wished he’d written, Kris Kristofferson’s Help Me Make It Through The Night, before his favourite that he has written, one called Her To Here. I really enjoyed this one – all about losing someone and losing yourself along the way, and wondering how you got from ‘her to here’. I mentioned that Alex had made his way onto my Spotify playlists a time or two, including with a song called Heart Shut. I really like that song, particularly because of its featured artist, who I was really hoping Alex would invite on stage. Lo and behold, he did! Enter Tenille Townes, whose unique vocals juxtaposed nicely with Alex’s classic country pop tones. The next song he played, The Other End Of The Phone, was also a duet, but sadly his duet partner, Old Dominion’s Brad Tursi, was unable to make the trip. Nonetheless, a super fun, groovy track which has since made its way onto my playlists. Alex finished with his ‘goodbye to being single’ song (‘in a good way’, he promised) and favourite song to play live, Last One To Leave, switching off his mic and guitar for the last part so we could hear just him and nothing else. Another enjoyable and unexpected set.

 

I love a good surprise, and sometimes they just walk onto the indigo2 stage and leave you speechless. Enter Callista Clark. Young but confident, she walked on stage and launched into a sassy song entitled Change My Mind, immediately showing off her great guitar skills and strong voice. We got a taste of new song Brave Girl, as she sung about self-confidence in a way I certainly wouldn't have been able to at that age, and a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Have You Ever Seen The Rain? before another new song - Worst Guy Ever, in which Callista explained she would be the worst guy ever, unable to break hearts the way many seem capable of doing. I really enjoyed this track and look forward to hearing the official version soon. 

 

The early Taylor Swift vibes were evident as she sang Heartbreak Song, moving seamlessly into a guitar-slapping version of Aretha Franklin's Chain Of Fools - not an easy song to cover by any means, but one that Callista made look effortless. I was continually impressed by the talent and emotion way beyond her years that she expressed - just take a look at the lyrics in Real To Me: 'Too old to cry and too young to drive, smart enough to know better, too dumb not to try... They say go be free but I'm too caged to fly, they say spread your wings but the wings don't fit right.' Such was also the case in another new song, and my favourite of her entire set (and the bar was very high!), Gave It Back Broken, about giving someone your heart and wondering if they care that they gave it back broken. Phenomenal. We finished with Callista's biggest hit to date, It's Cause I Am, and I'm certain I'm not the only one who was left wanting more. A real superstar in the making, and my stand-out highlight of Day 2. 

 

If the theme of the day was confident newcomers, then next act Breland certainly fit the bill too. At just 26 years old, Breland has already made a name for himself as the king of collabs, but I don't think any of us anticipated just how funny he is too. Chatty and affable, Breland interspersed his performance with humorous musings on differences between the UK and the US, including our use of the term 'innit', walking on the same side we drive, and his newfound love of the Tube. 

 

Of course we got plenty of those collabs too, including new song Praise The Lord (with Thomas Rhett), RnB style In The Woulds (with Chase Rice and Lauren Alaina), Beers On Me (with Dierks Bentley and HARDY), and Throw It Back (with Keith Urban). Maybe the lyrics weren't as hard hitting as I like in my country songs - take his duet with Nelly High Horse and it's thought-provoking lyrics 'get up off of that high horse and drop that thing for me', but if you're looking for fun, then Breland's your guy. I did enjoy getting a bit of substance in song Cross Country, aka Breland's life story. If he keeps making songs like that, I'll keep listening. 

 

From simple acoustic sets to quiet the opposite, Matt Stell's performance on the BBC Radio 2 stage began with a bang - a VO introducing us to 'ex-boyfriend country' followed by his full band coming on stage, and boy, were they loud! I'm not sure that the indigo2 stage is quite suited for rock shows like this, as it was hard to hear Matt as he performed Better Than That, Boyfriend Season, and Everywhere But On. Regardless, he looked very cool when doing it in snakeskin boots and a black leather jacket. We got a cover of Travis Tritt's It's A Great Day To Be Alive (which seemed to be the cover song of the festival) before new song Shut The Truck Up (haven't we had enough country songs about trucks?) Matt's songs live seemed even rockier than they do on his records, but I enjoyed it most when he took it down a notch to show his softer side on That Ain't Me No More and Prayed For You. Finishing with If I Was A Bar, Matt worked the stage and proved himself to be a real showman. 

 

The bar had been set performance-wise, and if there was one person who could keep up the energy Matt had provided, it was Robyn Ottolini. With the opening bars of The Lion King's Circle Of Life blaring through the speakers, her band came on and shook the walls. Dressed in kneehigh snakeskin cowboy boots and an oversized Britney Spears shirt, Robyn launched into Tell You Everything, full of power and with great stage presence, moving around and completely commanding the stage. Robyn showed off her sassy side during Hold Me Back and the ridiculously fun Him Problem: 'We all know one day he's gonna hit rock bottom and realise what he had, and I'll be long gone, moving on, with someone and all but forgot him. He'll be drunk at the bar with the boys and a girl that don't want him. Yup, that sounds like a him problem.'

 

From fun to heartbreaking, Robyn moved to the piano to tell us that the next song was inspired by those people who say things they don't quite mean - the ones whose 'I love you's' mean more of an 'I want you' instead. Enter Trust Issues, a deeply emotional song that is definitely one of her finest. To keep us from bursting into tears, Robyn next decided to share a medley of the songs that had raised her. We went from a dark version of Shania Twain's Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under to Best Of Both Worlds from Hannah Montana, Smashmouth's Allstar from Shrek, Eminen, and finally, the return of Travis Tritt's It's A Good Day To Be Alive. What a ride! We finished with a true story of growing up in a small town and feeling some type of way every time you see a car that looks like his - F150. A really great set from someone I'm keen to see more of. 

 

I managed to catch both Matt and Robyn after their sets before heading into the Arena for night two's festivities. Like a number of the artists performing at C2C, Tenille Townes was an artist I'd known a bit about before, but completely fallen in love with during the pandemic. It's easy to say that she didn't disappoint - bursting right in with White Horse and Where You Are, Tenille definitely proved herself to be a little rockstar. However, this wasn't the only side to her, and we also got heartwrenchingly emotional versions of Jersey On The Wall and Etta James' At Last, which I absolutely loved. 

 

Tenille writes songs with meaning, as shown in Last One Standing, about watching everyone falling in love around you and wondering when it's going to happen to you, I Kept The Roses, about letting the rest of someone go but keeping that one important thing, Girl Who Didn't Care, about not letting your dreams die, and Holding Out For The One, about waiting for the right person to come along. She has the kind of indie vocals quite unlike anyone else in the genre, and you could really tell that performing means everything to her. She suitably finished her rocky set with a cover of Joan Jett’s I Hate Myself For Loving You and her own song about paying more attention to those around us who struggle, Somebody’s Daughter.

 

Pretty much Tenille’s polar opposite was up next on the Spotlight stage. Trading rock tracks in favour of cutesy love songs, Callie Twisselman appeared in a flurry of sparkles to perform Two Hands (‘I can be hard to handle, yeah I might be a handful, that’s why you got two hands’), Closure, (‘I could use a little closure, come over, let’s drink you down, baby til the love runs out’) and Cowboy (‘He’s a C-O-W-B-O-Y, gonna love him til the day I die, he’s a C-O-W-B-O-Y, he’s hot, and he’s mine’). A bit too saccharine for my taste, but I can see how this kind of country would appeal to some.

 

Out of all of the C2C main stage artists so far, excluding the Introducing Nashville trio, there had yet to be anyone I hadn’t yet seen live, so having Scotty McCreery on Saturday night’s bill was a major pull for me. I’d known of him since his American Idol days, but never gone out and searched for Scotty songs myself, meaning I was really surprised by how many of his songs I knew, and really enjoyed! Rivalling Josh Turner for ‘country music’s deepest voice’, Scotty sounded great on Same Truck (I still think there are way too many country songs about trucks), Wherever You Are, and In Between.

 

I enjoyed the song inspired by George Strait, Damn Strait, full of clever allusions to the country great and his songs, but my favourite songs were definitely those Scotty had written for his wife. I hadn’t considered how many fantastic love songs Scotty had under his belt, but hearing Why You Gotta Be Like That, It Matters to Her (a song every man should listen to), and the song he wrote specifically for their engagement that audiences were never meant to hear, This Is It, really highlighted that. They showed the immense amount of love Scotty must have for his wife, whom he’s known since they were five years old – adorable. Of course we also got to see Scotty’s fun side too, with Feelin It, which received a huge cheer from the very first bar, See You Tonight, and You Time, plus covers of Brooks & Dunn’s She’s Not The Cheatin’ Kind and John Michael Montgomery’s Be My Baby Tonight. A lot of fun all around.

 

Matt Stell returned for a stint on the Spotlight stage, and I much preferred this performance – stripped by, he sounded much better (plus I could actually hear him this time) as he performed That Ain’t Me No More, a snippet of Everywhere But On (cut for time, perhaps?) and Prayed For You. Acoustic sets only, please!

 

Another artist I was keen to see on the main stage was Brett Young. In spite of being one of the headliners of the festival, I still think Brett is fairly underrated – nobody ever seems to answer ‘Who’s your favourite country artist?’ with ‘Brett Young’, and why not? He has great songs, and great warm vocals, so I found it a real pleasure to watch him perform. Brett started off with the fun Catch, 1,2,3 Mississippi, before making us all a little sad with Like I Loved You. He greeted the crowd with ‘Is it safe to say you guys are feeling good tonight?’ (Cue crowd roar in agreement) ‘Well, here’s a sad song to ruin that.’ Funny guy. He mixed sad and happy with You Ain’t Here To Kiss Me, In Case You Didn’t Know, a cover of John Hiatt’s Have A Little Faith In Me, the extra sad Mercy, which received rapturous applause, and my personal favourite, Not Yet.

 

I appreciate an artist who’s versatile enough not just to stay within one style of song – we had songs about reminiscing (Used to Missin’ You), definitely not reminiscing (Leave Me Alone), family (Weekends Look A Little Different These Days and Lady), love (Here Tonight and Sleep Without You) and not being loved enough (You Didn’t). I found myself losing track of time during Brett’s set, and those are the best kind of sets, don’t you think?

 

I would’ve happily watched Callista Clark perform on the main stage, but she came back for three songs on the Spotlight stage – Brave Girl, It’s Cause I Am and Gave It Back Broken. I was really glad she chose to perform the latter, as I think it’s her best song yet (and that’s saying a lot!) It was incredible to watch her captivate the audience with insane range, vocal control, and guitar skills, and without any backing musicians to support her. What a star.

 

All of the main stage acts had proven themselves to be very fun performers, so who better to top off the night than Darius Rucker? I’ve had the privilege of interviewing Darius in the past and know him to be an absolute top-dollar guy, so I was excited to see how that would translate across in his headlining set. It did from the minute he stepped on stage with a ‘how y’all doing, London?’ and fun song Homegrown Honey. It was clear we were all going to have a good time. Indeed, Darius’ songs are all about enjoying the simple things in life, whether that be the songs on the Radio or those nice folks with their Southern State of Mind. Darius did what I like to call his ‘classic dad wiggle’ dancing during Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It and When Was The Last Song, before he shared a sneak peek into his upcoming record with a song written with Old Dominion’s Brad Tursi called Same Beer, Different Problems. With super fun lyrics talking about finding the answer to all of life’s problems at the bottom of a beer bottle, this definitely fit the bill of a joyous Darius song.

 

In spite of not having any Darius Rucker songs saved to my playlist, I’m always surprised by how many of his I know – he moved on to new track My Masterpiece and oldie but a goodie Come Back Song, before a real throwback in the first country song he ever wrote Let Her Cry. Now aren’t we glad he decided to make the move from rock to country? Beers and Sunshine should be on everyone’s summer playlist, although I will disagree with his lyrics ‘the only BS I need is beers and sunshine’ – what about BS Blake Shelton? The ballad If I Told You turned into a cover of Hank Williams Jr’s Family Traditions with Darius’ ‘golfing buddy and neighbour’ Brett and Scotty. Then it was treat after treat – his old band Hootie & the Blowfish’s Hold My Hand, All I Want, Only Wanna Be With You, This, and an encore of Amy Winehouse’s Valerie, Hands On Me and, of course, Wagon Wheel, with homegrown artist Lucy Blu joining him on stage. I just love Darius Rucker. You can’t not!

 

And there we go, Day 2 done. As for my top 3 acts of Day 2, in no particular order: Caitlyn Smith, Callista Clark, and Scotty McCreery. One more day to go! 

 

I hope you enjoyed my Day 2 C2C Country 2 Country! If you did, do drop me a message in the comments below or on Twitter @CiarasCountry, letting me know which artist you were most excited to see/read about, and who you’d like to see at C2C 2023. Don’t forget you can tune in to my radio show ‘Ciara’s Country’ every Friday from 5-8pm UK on www.ukcountryradio.com, and I’ll be posting some C2C artist interviews very soon – thanks so much for reading!