Best of Music: May 2021

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

Where does the time go? It’s the end of May already, which means the year is flying by, but also means another great month of music. I’ve discovered some great new artists and songs this month to get you in that early summer groove, so read on for some of my favourites, and check out my full monthly playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/25AUfnrbnCTm4hVtWJTSeR?si=c53e6b3e01ae49ca – enjoy! 

 

Between You & Me – Roman Alexander

I have a new ‘one to watch’ for you! I’m pretty discerning with my playlists, so if someone makes it on there twice, it’s safe to assume that they probably have a pretty big future ahead of them. Between You & Me was one of the first songs to make my May 21 playlist, and once you listen, you’ll know why. Roman has a perfect country voice – somewhere between Kane Brown and Chris Young, and this slow and cute song highlights it perfectly. Lyrics like “Can I tell you a secret? Between you and me, all I can think about is leaving here early to get you alone,” are enough to make me swoon, and both Roman’s solo version or his duet of this song with Ashley Cooke are both winners. Wondering what the other Roman song that made my playlist is? Trying Not To with other newcomer Alana Springsteen!

https://genius.com/Roman-alexander-between-you-and-me-lyrics

 Supposed To – Blu Eyes

Someone please tell me what genre of music this is, because it’s evaded me for years, but I definitely dig it and want to hear more of it! To me, Blu Eyes is Billie Eilish but happier – same kind of soft, thoughtful vocals, but with the sort of melody that perhaps doesn’t make you want to cry. The same can’t necessarily be said about the lyrics, but one thing I’ll give them is that they certainly are relatable: “It’s been four months since I heard from you, somebody told me that you moved again, and I know that you blocked me but I still try and check up on you every once in a while just to make sure you’re doin’ okay. Yeah, I know I’m supposed to hate you and wish we’d never met… but still, I know I never will.” It’s angelic, and well worth a listen. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/supposed-to-single/1557183668

 

On The Day I Die – The Shires ft Jimmy Allen

I haven’t necessarily been the biggest fan of The Shires’ songs before, having found them try a bit too hard to ‘Americanize’ their songs when actually, I think it works best when they embrace their Britishness. However, I have zero qualms with On The Day I Die, which is why it holds a coveted spot on this month’s list. Having Jimmie Allen feature on the track was an inspired idea, and it is he who starts the song before Ben & Crissie come in with flawless harmonies. I know I talk a lot about wedding songs in my favourites and on my radio show, but honestly, I think this would make a great funeral song (sorry if that’s a bit morbid!) Take a look: “If I did one thing right, it was you and I, oh, I loved you. I’ll always love you, so play it loud all night…I’ve had a good, good life, so darling, dance, don’t cry on the day I die.” 

https://musicandtournews.com/single-review-the-shires-on-the-day-i-die-featuring-jimmie-allen/

 Sugar – Ernest

I know I’m not supposed to have favourite favourites, but if I did, I think this might be it. I mean, you could write a movie about this meet cute: “At a little canteen south of the border, bartender messed up an order – she got my Jose, I got her wine, I said ‘I’ll buy em both this time if you dance with me in this blue moonlight,’ and that turned into the rest of the night.” Verse two tells us that things weren’t made to last: “By the end of the night my phone had died, she either wrote it down wrong or straight up lied, either way that was our first and only time and I wonder where she went back home to, is she with someone or all alone too?” The only clue he has – her name, Sugar. It’s just an all-round brilliant song – fun lyrics, phenomenal vocals, catchy and with a great GTA style music video too. Going down as one of my songs of the year I think! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/57LCF6Dw99b2ZOEoO3enqu?highlight=spotify:track:1iDI6SJGUPtJ20SYKYi04x

 

Lost – Jordan Brooker

Beats me how I’m the only one to know about these songs, but I’m hoping that some of my readers will give these songs a listen and boost them from obscurity to the stardom they deserve to be! Jordan Brooker’s Lost is currently sitting at under 10,000 views on YouTube, and for how good the song is, that’s a crime. We start with an intriguing guitar melody before Jordan’s husky vocals come in. He hits the chorus: “Oh, I can’t see any place I’d rather be than oh, you an d me dancing in the wild and free, chasing telephone wires down a pitch black road, watching you bloom like a midnight rose, oh, out where stars get crossed, let’s stay lost,” with more insane guitar in the background. This is an absolute must for any lovers of the ‘edgier’ side of country – Jason Aldean, Brantley Gilbert, Devin Dawson.  

https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Jordan-Brooker/dp/B086YB35S2

 

Stranger – Riley Roth

From edgy to light, this is definitely a song for those of us that grew up on Disney channel and early 2000s rom-coms. At only twenty-two years old, Riley has put together an upbeat melody with some clever ‘3,2,1’ lyrics: “Three drinks at 2AM, one ‘hey, nice to meet you’, saying ‘what you got goin’ on later?’ How were you ever a stranger? Three words we said too fast, you were just someone one month back, now lovin’ you’s second nature, how were you ever a stranger?” to make a song that will have you dancing around all night long. How could this song get any better, you ask? It’s based on her real life relationship with her boyfriend. How cute! I can already tell that songs like this are going to make for such a good live show. 

https://genius.com/Riley-roth-stranger-lyrics

 

Good 4 U – Olivia Rodrigo

I feel like this song doesn’t even need an explanation, but I’ll add one in just in case you’re unfamiliar with Olivia’s music. I admit, I’ve not been 100% on the Olivia hype train like I know some people have, but her music has certainly not gone unnoticed by me. All I Want from her starring role in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series was up there with one of my most played songs of last year, Driver’s License is a song that I’ve listened to enough times to know all of the words to, and yet neither of them have quite made the cut of my prestigious ‘Best Of’ lists. So what is it about Good 4 U that makes it so good? Remember those early 2000s rom coms I spoke about? This is exactly the sort of song that the lead character’s punk band would play at the school dance. Whatever they’ve put in this song just makes it so fresh and fun. Just listen up to the line ‘like a damn sociopath’ – trust me, you won’t regret it! 

https://www.stereogum.com/2147528/olivia-rodrigo-good-4-u/music/

 Getting Over Him – Lauren Alaina ft Jon Pardi

Lauren Alaina is so hideously slept on – she has some incredible songs out there (Somebody Else’s Problem and Run being notable examples), and Getting Over Him is utterly underrated, and I think it’s incredible! She teams up with country cowboy Jon Pardi for this bluesy, guitar heavy song – it’s dark, it’s groovy, and it works marvellously as a duet. Lauren and Jon’s vocals are some of the best in the industry, and they really are a dream together as they sing about a no-strings attached arrangement to get over an ex: “Forever wasn’t in our eyes, you knew it, and I knew it, and it was a damn good time. My last call, first call, no falling, just my getting over him guy.” 

 https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/lauren-alaina-getting-over-him/

 Honestly, I wish I could’ve made two ‘Best Of May’ posts, because I have so many more songs I would have loved to add! I’m sure I’ll still be listening to them throughout the rest of the year, so check back to my blog to see if they might make some future lists! I hope today’s post will encourage you to check out some new artists and songs, and I’d love to find out what songs you’ve loved this month! Let me know on Twitter @CiarasCountry, and if you want to check out everything I’m listening to, my Spotify can be found here, Ciara's Country Spotify. You can also join me ever Friday GMT 5-8pm on www.ukcountryradio.com for three hours of phenomenal country music – I hope you’ll join me! Thanks so much for reading!

Best of Music: April 2021

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

I don’t want to alarm anyone, but a third of 2021 has already gone! Time may be flying by, but I’m really glad to have a record of the year with the songs I’ve listened to. Each song can bring me back to a specific time or place, and I know I’ll have a lot of good memories to look back on from April. Read on for the best of my favourite songs from April, and if you want the full playlist (totally recommended!), that can be found on Ciara's Country April 21 Playlist - enjoy!

Mr Perfectly Fine – Taylor Swift

Starting off strong with The Music Industry herself. I was already looking forward to the re-release of Fearless (any excuse to blast You Belong With Me again), and the knowledge that we were going to get releases from ‘The Vault’ only made me more excited. Readers will know that I’m a big fan of Maren Morris, so having her featured on the first Vault track released set my expectations very high, and they were blown out of the water by Mr Perfectly Fine. This is a verified banger, and I will never get over the way Taylor says ‘hello,’ and ‘time, baby,’ – perfection. When even Sophie Turner, the wife of the inspiration for Mr Perfectly Fine, Joe Jonas, says this song is ‘not NOT a bop,’ you know it’s worth listening to. I kind of wish this had been on the original release of Fearless, but honestly, I think mid-twenties Ciara can resonate with this song on a whole new level. 

https://oor.nl/albums/taylor-swift-fearless-taylors-version/

Sometimes She Stays – Kenton Bryant

This song kills me. We start off with Kenton saying ‘1, 2, 3’ into the mic, a slow guitar melody, and then Kenton’s husky voice floating through the airwaves. I was immediately pulled in by that voice and the utter simplicity of the track, and then we hit the chorus: “Sometimes she stays and asks you what you’re doing that day, where you keep your coffee in an old sweatshirt, and all your walls start falling for her. One night turns into every day, turns into one more toothbrush at your place. There will come a time when you turn around and never see it any other way cause sometimes she stays.” I cannot tell you the pure perfection that this song is, just that the last song that I felt this way about was Steve Moakler’s How Have We Never, which remains one of the best songs I’ve heard this year. 

https://www.deezer.com/en/track/644671022

Tip Jar – Jackson Michelson

This song is so fun! Tip Jar is the definition of fun, free, and easy, about a guy using music as a means to get over his ex – my kind of man. This is upbeat, poppy, and exactly the kind of breakup song I’d want to be listening to that wouldn’t make me a) want to bawl my eyes up or b) pick up the phone and make bad decisions - “I told her she can keep my records, now I don't want 'em anyway, I'll find some songs that I like better that won't remind me of her face. I'll toss a 20 in the tip jar, I gotta keep 'em playing all night long. Tell all my buddies I won't miss her if I just keep 'em playing all our songs.
Ain't reckless behavior I gotta replace the memories we made here in this bar, and if the band can fix my broken heart, I'll toss a 20 in the tip jar.” Sounds like a plan to me! Bonus points for one of the most creative lyric videos I’ve ever seen – give it a watch. 

https://www.curb.com/2021/03/mcc-curb-records-recording-artist-jackson-michelson-lets-music-heal-a-broken-heart-on-tip-jar/

I Do – Morgan Evans

So, I’ve got myself a perfect break-up song, but how about if things go right? I’ve always had it in my mind that either Kacey Musgraves Late To The Party or Zac Brown Band’s Loving You Easy would be the ideal wedding songs, but I think I’ve found a third contender. It makes perfect sense that Morgan Evans would write one of my favourite love songs as he and wife Kelsea Ballerini seem totally smitten with each other (just listen to her song I Hate Love Songs if you need further proof), and I Do is the epitome of just feeling totally and irrevocably in love with someone: “Baby, I do wanna hold you forever, no, I ain’t ever been so sure. Just when I think I couldn’t love you any more, baby, I do.” What I particularly love about this song is that it breaks the mould of the usual wedding ballad, and adds a bit of spice – something a bit more exciting!

 https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/34652305/Morgan+Evans/I+Do

Giving You Up – Kameron Marlowe

I was unfamiliar with Kameron Marlowe before this year, but consider me a new fan – I really like both this song and another of his called Burn Em All. Once you’re back from the bar after tossing a 20 in the tip jar, this is the song that you need to listen to to get that final closure. In relationships, it’s easy to fold your life around another person, so much so that they become your vice, a habit that’s hard to break even when it’s past your time. Giving You Up expresses this perfectly: I'm giving you up just like I did them Marlboro Lights, and I'm giving you up the same way I did the whiskey on ice.” This is without me even mentioning his stellar vocals, first demonstrated on season 15 of The Voice where he shone on songs like Luke Combs’ One Number Away. And he’s only 24! I’m so excited to see what’s next from Kameron.

 https://genius.com/Kameron-marlowe-giving-you-up-lyrics

Closer To You – Carly Pearce

I haven’t given Carly Pearce enough attention so far, but that’s about to change. 1) Country music needs more successful artists. 2) Carly Pearce is definitely deserving of a space in the upper echelons of country music. You know I love a good road trip song, and this fits the bill both in terms of content and vibe. Here we have a song about taking off in a fast car with the one you love, disappearing out of that boring town you spend too much time in, and going out into the great unknown: “There’s a diamond sky that’s waitin’ for us just outside of town with the moon hangin’ for me and you, baby. We can cut the headlights out when there ain’t no one else around, kill the space in between, slide across that leather seat. Heart to heart, face to face, you know all I wanna do, is get closer…to you.” Add to this the fact that it is exactly the sort of song that you want to hang your hand out of the window and run through the night air, and you’re onto a winner.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closer_to_You_(Carly_Pearce_song)

 

Come Over – Sam Hunt  

I am definitely Late To The Party on this one – Sam Hunt’s version of this song was released on his acoustic mixtape Between The Pines shortly after his hit album Montevallo, which was probably one of my most-played albums of the 2010’s. So you can imagine my surprise when I stumbled across this song, and wondered ‘how have I not heard this before?’ Except I have. Come Over is one of Kenny Chesney’s biggest hits, and it was only when researching this post that I released that Kenny Chesney and Sam Hunt’s songs are one and the same – Sam wrote it along with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne back in 2012. How did I not put the two together? Because they sound completely different! Sam’s acoustic version is, IMHO, his best work yet. It’s calm and collected, emotional  and evocative, soft and soulful. Makes me wonder what other amazing songs I still have yet to find!

 https://www.amazon.com/Come-Over-Acoustic-Mixtape/dp/B016ZC54E8

 

You Make Me Wanna (Brown Eyed Girl) – Owen Barney  

Unlike the last one, this song is instantly so recognisable. And yet so…not? You Make Me Wanna starts with one of the most iconic guitar riffs of all time – Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl, but ever so slightly different that you’re wondering what comes next. Imagine if Van Morrison took a beach vacation, added a vaguely Hawaiian riff, some different lyrics and Owen Barney’s unique vocals, and you’ve got You Make Me Wanna. A complete classic with a modern twist that just might be the feel-good song of the century: “You make me wanna dance, you make me wanna sing, you make me wanna ask for your hand, wanna give you a ring. I got some plans, I’ll do anything, always love you as much as I did when we were sixteen. Every day and all night, just me and my brown-eyed girl, I’ll love you the rest of my life, cause baby, you’re my brown-eyed girl.” This is the third Owen Barney track to make my playlists this year after Pour Me and Somebody Like You, and honestly, I’m a major fan.

 https://genius.com/Owen-barney-you-make-me-wanna-brown-eyed-girl-lyrics

 

Thank you, April, for being such a good month for music! Each month I listen to new music just gets me more excited for when live shows become a thing again, playing these songs at parties, and travelling to new places with them as my soundtrack. I hope you enjoyed hearing about my favourite songs from the month, and if you want to check out everything I’m listening to, my Spotify can be found here, Ciara's Country Spotify. I also love knowing what you’re listening to, so drop me a message on Twitter @CiarasCountry, and you can also join me ever Friday GMT 5-8pm on www.ukcountryradio.com for three hours of phenomenal country music! Thanks so much for reading!

TRAVEL: Australia Bucket List (Western Australia)

I can’t wait to get back to Australia to head off on more adventures like these:

Exploring Noosa National Park

Soaking up the sun in Airlie Beach

Riding choppers in 1770 and Agnes Water

Spotting wild koalas on Magnetic Island

Getting close and personal with creepy crawlies in the Daintree

But in the meantime, I’ll have to settle for planning the trips I’ll take when I do! Thanks to everyone who joined me for my initial Australian bucket list (if you haven’t read that yet, you can find it here!) but there’s still a whole chunk of the country I didn’t have time to mention. Occupying almost a third of Australia’s land mass, Western Australia is the country’s largest state, which means there’s bound to be a hell of a lot of exciting places to visit there. Read on for my top picks!

Broome

Described as ‘Australia’s hidden gem’, Broome sounds like somewhere quite unlike anywhere else in the rest of the country. Far away from the hustle and bustle of any cities – with the nearest cities, Darwin and Perth, both over 2,000km away – I like the idea that Broome might just be the place to go to get away from it all, and no better place to do that than at one of Australia’s most beautiful beaches, Cable Beach. Between sunbathing on its white sandy shores by day, or riding along it atop a native camel by night, I’m pretty sure I could spend my whole time in Broome without leaving that one spot, but there’s even more to see, including red cliffs and dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point, the stunning Horizontal Falls, and plenty of other untouched areas across the Dampier Peninsula and Kimberley Region. Why can’t I be there already?

Exmouth

Two words: whale sharks. If you read the last entry of my Australian bucket list, you’ll know I have big plans to do Down Under’s best dives, and have already dived the Great Barrier Reef. As such, I will most certainly be making my way to Exmouth. Located along the Ningaloo Reef, Exmouth is home to one of the longest fringing reefs on the planet, and one of the few places that you can get up close and personal with whale sharks. So cool! And when your hands have turned wrinkly from the water, there’s a great opportunity to hop out and explore Cape Range National Park with its gorgeous canyons and habitats for 630 species of plants and wildflowers, along with heaps of wildlife like wallaroos, echidnas, and emus.

 

Rottnest Island

This place might just be top of my Aussie bucket list, and for good reason. Quokkas. Rottnest is home to a whole herd of this ridiculously adorable animal, so you’d bet I’ll be making a special trip just to see them. Just look at them! And when I’m not fawning over these little angels, the island gives me the perfect opportunity to test out the cycling skills I’ve gained from a year living in the Netherlands (read about my experiences here) as Rottnest is perhaps Australia’s most bike-friendly location. As such, it’s the perfect place  to cruise around for the day, checking out its 60 beaches and bays, snorkelling and swimming in the turquoise sea, and visiting Wadjemup Lighthouse for some spectacular views.

 

Margaret River

I won’t lie to you – the minute I read that Margaret River has chocolate makers, cheese factors, gourmet food, wineries, and breweries galore, I was sold. Whilst I wouldn’t class it as one of my main personality traits, I do really like good food (probably one of the reasons I fell in love with Melbourne so much) so I honestly would probably go to Margaret River just to do some food tours. But wait, there’s so much more! Margaret River has plenty of natural beauty too, including being world renowned for its caves, full of mirror reflections and stalactites. Apparently you can go caving in them too, although whether I’d be able to squeeze through after the amount of food I’m planning to eat there is another story…

 

Perth

Darwin, check. Cairns, check. Brisbane, check. Sydney, check. Canberra, check. Melbourne, check. Adelaide, (half) check (darn you Covid, for cutting my trip short!) Anyway, my point is, I’ve had the privilege of seeing what I would consider most of Australia’s main cities, bar one – Perth. Well, I say city, but I’ve heard that Perth is actually more like a big country town, which might be good to readjust myself after being away from cities for so long! I’ve read that highlights include Kings Park which, bigger than New York’s Central Park, is home to a huge number of native plants, fungi, and bird species; almost twenty of Australia’s most beautiful beaches; heaps of culture and heritage; stunning sunsets; and a launch pad for places like Fremantle and Rottnest Island. Now just to get back to Australia as soon as I can! 

I just know this list will keep growing and growing the more I learn about Australia! What places have or would you like to visit in Australia (or indeed the world!)? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter @CiarasCountry. Stay tuned for plenty more travel content coming soon to this blog... thanks so much for reading!