In an age where there are a billion singer songwriters out there and a little of Nashville rubs off onto so many of them infusing the rock and the pop with country (seemingly the only way some feel they can make the big time), it’s surprising to discover a performer from Nashville who isn’t quite so beholden to America’s core musical style. Step forward Hannah Fairlight, a woman who not only mixes 80s rock and 90s singer-songwriter styles on her 2015 release, but also revels in unfashionable 80s AOR moods that are quite unexpected. Wrapped up in a knowing title, ‘Bright Future’ cares not for fashion and in some ways should be all the better for that. However, it doesn’t care for consistency or honesty either.
Tag Archives: nashville
WORRY DOLLS – Go Get Gone
On the first two Worry Dolls releases, Rosie Jones and Zoe Nichol promised great things. On a pair of self-financed EPs, the duo sounded absolutely captivating with their abilities to write narrative driven songs and perform close harmonies. Hard graft on the live circuit saw them share stages with Cara Dillon, Rachel Sermanni and the legendary Joan Armatrading, as well as many others. Their first full length release promised a much deeper voyage into country music and ‘Go Get Gone’ does not disappoint.
NICK CAPALDI – Lovers Leap EP
In 2013 UK singer-songwriter Nick Capaldi released his ‘Golden Summer‘ EP, a frighteningly mature work, worthy of a songwriter twice his age and experience. Not long after release, Nick started to talk of follow up plans involving a trip to Nashville. Those plans became a reality and in Nashville, he hooked up with legendary musician and producer Brendan Benson. The resultant four recordings, collected on 2015’s ‘Lovers Leap’ EP, felt like a long time coming, but were certainly worth the wait.
NICK FLORA – Futureboy EP
At the beginning of 2015, Nashville-based singer songwriter Nick Flora set out on a mission. That mission was to raise enough funds to record three EPs’ worth of all-original material for release throughout the following year. The first of those releases, ‘Futureboy’, places Flora squarely within the powerpop mould – it’s five songs bringing a few sunny vibes at a time when the actual summer begins to bid the northern hemisphere goodbye.
SHERBERT – 2013 Never Happened
Following a couple of digital downloads, Nashville alt-pop band Sherbert released a five song EP ‘This Never Happened’ in the summer of 2013. With a host of influences taken from the Boston “scene” of the late 80s/early 90s, its shimmering pop qualities meshed with a grubby edge in a way that would surely please the younger Tanya Donelly. A few months later, they dropped a second EP ‘Stupid Hat’, largely constructed of more of the same…choosing not to tinker with what seems, essentially, a perfectly good musical formula.