Tag Archives: americana

THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #102

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Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that’ve landed in our inbox over the past few weeks. For our rock loving regulars, this selection offers a great track from Fen man Doug Harrison and some alternative leanings from an up and coming Scottish band. Exploring other genres, there’s a perfect slice of folk, some twisted pop, and even a slab of synth pop from a familiar figure. As always, this is just a small selection of the recent submissions and there will be many more singles shared in the near future. In the meantime, we hope you find something new to enjoy…

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SHANNON SMITH – Out Of The Shadows

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In the last quarter of 2023, a strong musical voice emerged when Shannon Smith released his debut solo single ‘Dance The Night Away’. The track’s unashamed pop hooks called back to radio fare of the 70s, and the song’s infectiously positive lyric made it a joy for the listener. It was also clear that the performer genuinely felt the infectious vibe he’d shared. This single promised great things on the road ahead, and subsequent tunes drawing from country influences and even a couple of darker lyrical themes, suggested that Shannon was keen to explore different musical avenues and not be tagged as just another adult pop artist.

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SAM ROBBINS – So Much I Still Don’t See

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From the moment the intro of ‘Piles of Sand’ by Sam Robbins shares a perfect finger picked, acoustic melody, there’s a sense of the artist drawing his audience into something special. As the guitar melody grows with Sam adding a few broader strokes, the opening number from his 2025 album ‘So Much I Still Don’t See’ takes on an amazing folk-pop stance, but it’s with the arrival of a hushed vocal, those very positive first impressions are very much confirmed. The narrative track is perfect for Sam’s voice as he quietly cries through a lyric that reflects on the old adage about how small problems become larger if taken out of context, and how time passes, “empires fall”, but a little self-belief can keep us trucking. Throughout these perfectly formed four minutes, the performer takes the greatest influences from 90s acoustic sounds and even further back, with hints of Bruce Cockburn, James Taylor, and even a pinch of Gordon Lightfoot, blending them into something that’s very much his own. There’s a real purity to this performance. The music is superb, but every vocal note here has an even bigger emotive pull that’s almost impossible to resist.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #93

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Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This time out, we’ve got the return of a much-loved pop band, a laid back narrative piece from a very familiar name, a great synth oriented workout, some huge riffs from the Medway area in South East England…and more besides. As is often the case with the SB, there’s no genre snobbery; just a spotlight on things we’ve found interesting. Hopefully, you’ll find something of interest too.

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KATE BURKART – Another Night EP

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Kate Burkart’s 2024 release ‘Another Night’ comes almost a decade after her previous EP ‘Save Me A Seat’, but often shares a stylistic approach that makes the listener feel as if the singer songwriter has never really been away. On these five almost timeless sounding numbers, the performer’s mature voice really comes through, but just as importantly, the arrangements are strong. Three of the songs share a natural blend of Americana and rootsy sounds, along with a warm, almost bluesy guitar tone in a couple of places, which results in something rather satisfying despite any budgetary constraints.

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