Abby Anderson is a singer-songwriter signed with independent label, Black River Entertainment. In 2015, at the age of 17, she finished high school early and moved to Nashville. After living in Nashville for just two years and performing at some of the cities most famous venues throughout 2017, Anderson landed a record deal. That same year she released her first single, "This Feeling." In 2018 Anderson was recognized as one of Pandora's "County Artist to Watch." Another achievement to put under her belt, the honor of becoming one of CMT's Next Women of County Class of 2018, along with Ashley McBride and Kassi Ashton. Anderson's single "Make Him Wait,” which was released in April of 2018, has been streamed on Spotify over 4 million times. Anderson said the song was inspired by dating advice that her parents gave her. The music video, directed by Chris Hickey, premiered on CMT that September. Later that year, Anderson's released her I'm Good EP. One, of five songs on the album, was written by country music stars Kelsea Ballerini, Thomas Rhett, and Rhett Akins. Throughout 2017 and 2018 Anderson has gone on to tour with Chase Rice, Russell Dickerson, and Brett Elderdge. In 2019 Anderson was recognized as a member of The Bobby Bones Show's Class of 2019, as well as Sounds Like Nashville's list of artists to watch. She also released another single, titled "Good Lord." and made her television debut on the TODAY Show. Just recently in October, Anderson released a song titled "Flowers" and joined Rob Thomas during his Chip Tooth Smile Tour. I really liked "Make Him Wait" it's a sweet song about when a couple first starts dating and falling for each other. It really is advice a parent would give to their daughter when they first get into the dating scene. Her newest sing "Flowers" is just a kick-ass song, about not taking your ex back after he did you wrong. A cheers to moving on and moving forward, that flowers for forgiveness just won't do. All information from Wikipedia and AbbyAndersonMusic.com Visit Abby Anderson's website here.
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The Highwomen consists of four powerful female voices: Amanda Shires, Maren Morris, Natalie Hemby and Brandi Carlile. The group came together in 2019. One of the creators of The Highwomen, Amanda Shires, told Rolling Stone her idea to form an all-female band came from the of the lack of women represented on county radio. Shires says when she was listening to county radio, she wrote down the songs that were played, and they were all primarily men. That's when she started calling radio stations and asking them to play more women. As a woman who writes music, and owns this blog, I love this idea. I have also pointed out the lack of women representation on county radio. Of course we all know these four have amazing voices, but when you put them all together... it is magical. In my opinion their song, "Redesigning Women," is about cutting out all the stereotypes that have somehow been formed about women. We are all ever changing and evolving. Women are not just at home cleaning, taking care of babies, waiting for their husband. We are kick ass women with careers, and changing the world. We are women who have babies and spouses, who also travel and work all at the same time. Along with these women, I too believe it's time for county radio to show their support for the hard-working women in this industry. If you would like to support The Highwomen, you can find their debut self-titled album on most streaming services, and YouTube. The Highwomen are a counter part of the 1985 supergroup, The Highwaymen, consisting of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson. Dillon Carmichael is from a small town in Kentucky, called Burgin. His roots run deep in county music, his uncles are county legends John Michael Montgomery and Eddie Montgomery from the great duo Montgomery Gentry. Carmichael's parents were also musicians. His dad was in a southern gospel quartet and his mother sang in eastern Kentucky. After graduating high school Carmichael moved to Nashville and got a publishing deal at the age of 18. He then started to collab with many songwriters, but the one who influenced him the most, was David Cobb. Carmichael says Cobb helped make his debut album Hell on an Angel a reality. Before his debut album came to reality, in 2017 Carmichael released his first single “Old Songs Like That.” This single has a Waylon Jennings and George Jones sound to it, so you could say it is traditional country. His second single, “Made to Be a County Boy,” was released that next year in 2018.This song sounds like a single Montgomery Gentry would release, which I love. In late 2018, Carmichael’s debut album Hell on an Angel was released. His first song to radio “Dancing Away with My Heart” came off of that album. This is a very sweet love song, and Carmichael’s rough sounding, twangy voice, just makes it perfect. “Dancing Away with My Heart” is beautifully written. “Hell on an Angel” the single, leans more to the rock sound, but also has the steel guitar that’s loved in county music. His latest single, "I Do It For You" was released in June of this year. It still has the old county feel and sound, but leans a little towards 2000's county vibe with its upbeat tempo. In the song he talks about all the things he usually doesn't do, but says he will do them for a certain special girl. Carmichael has landed on the “Artist to Watch “lists from Billboard, to Rolling Stone, Pandora, and more. “Dancing Away with My Heart” was number 2 on county radio’s most added chart, according AllMusic.com. Dillon Carmichael's voice and sound is just something I really love. If you want to watch his latest music video it is below, as well as his official social media profiles. All information found on Dillon Carmichael's website and AllMusic.com Brandon Ratcliff is a singer-songwriter from Cotton Valley, Louisiana. His roots run deep in the music industry, with his mother being Suzanne Cox of The Cox Family. At 20 years old Ratcliff was offered a publishing deal in Nashville, but decided to turn it down because he wanted to "work on his craft." Ratcliff then found great co-writing partners, and friends, Pete Good and AJ Babcock. They all three crafted Ratcliff's sound, drawing inspiration from county music to R&B, and great talents such as John Mayer and Stevie Wonder. Sometime later, Grammy-award winning producer Shane McAnally (Merry Go Round, Vice, Space Cowboy) teamed up with the trio. Ratcliff's songs relate to the modern-day dating era, and coincidentally the rules of breaking up. His songs are about the rough times, that the modern teenager, or young adult, goes through when dating in the 21st century. When I first listened to "Rules of Breaking Up" I thought "I have been through this exact situation." You want to reach out to this person when you need to talk, but you can't just be friends, or hold on to what it used to be. That whoever wrote these rules, suck because they don't know how good it used to be. With "Number in My Phone" a friendship transforms into something more, but ultimately the other person ends up leaving, and your just left with the photos, texts, and memories. That you could have just saved yourself the heartbreak. His slick-smooth voice tells the stories of "Rules of Breaking Up" and "Number in My Phone" so well. His runs are very well executed, you can follow along to the song, and it feels like he went through what he sings about. It's one of those situations where you believe the artist as they sing their song, not everyone has that, but Ratcliff does. Information from: Monument Records. For more on Brandon Ratcliff you can visit his website by clicking on this link. His social media and latest single is linked below. Logan Brill is a singer/songwriter from Knoxville, Tennessee.Brill moved to Nashville when she was 18 years old to attend Belmont University. In 2012 Carnival Music Company signed her to their record label. After signing a record deal, she began touring in the U.S. Brill has opened for music legends such as Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard, and Steve Earle. Bailey Bryan is a singer and song writer from Sequim, Washington, who now lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Bryan began writing songs and performing in her hometown at 12 years old. In 2016, Bryan was nominated by Hillary Scott, from Lady Antebellum, as an 'Artist of Tomorrow' at the Grammys. In 2017, she released her first single, "Own It" with 300 Entertainment, Warner Music Nashville. "Own It" landed at number 60 on the U.S County Airplay chart. That same year, she released an her So Far EP. Bryan also opened up for Kane Brown and Dan + Shay on perspective tour dates. Early into 2018, Billboard named her as one of the "15 County Artists to Watch in 2018." In November, she released another single titled "Songbird." Bryan also went on tour to open for Kelsea Ballerini. In 2019 Bryan is touring around the US and opening for artists such as Lady Antebellum and Cole Swindell. She has also released a new single and music video for her latest single, "Perspective." I definitely believe Bailey Bryan is an artist to watch out for. She writes from the heart and you can hear that in her songs, and you can hear it in her voice as she lays it all out on the table. What I'm trying to say is that she gives it her all. Her voice is very beautiful, she could easily be the next super county star overnight. She's already a star, but I believe she could be the next Danielle Bradberry. Information from Wikipedia and Warner Music Nashville Rob Bellamy is a singer-songwriter originally from Providence, Rhode Island, but currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Before his journey as a musician, Bellamy was a professional hockey player. His love for hockey started when he was just a teenager. Later in his professional career he was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers as well as other teams. Bellamy says when he was in his 20’s he was gifted his first guitar, and would spend his downtime from hockey and school practicing. Eventually after years of playing hockey he made the move to Nashville, and hasn’t looked back. Currently, Bellamy has one EP out titled “Long Fright Train” and a single with Ayla Brown called “Make It Mean Something.” He is also touring around in states like Massachusetts as well as Nashville with Ayla. I would describe Rob Bellamy's sound as honky-tonk county with a little rock sound, that makes you feel good when you listen to it. Rob's voice has that kind of raspy voice with a southern twang. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Follow Rob Bellamy on social media and check out his music below. All information from Rob Bellamy's website.
Southerland is a new county duo featuring Chris Rogers and Matt Chase.
I have written about Chirs Rogers on my blog a couple of years ago, I have met him multiple times, and have followed him for many years. So.. yes I may be a little bias in picking these guys as the next county musicians to feature on this blog.. but they are really great vocally. Chris is from Georgia, and currently lives in Nashville. Chris caught my attention right away all those years ago on Twitter, with his deep, and authentic county vocals. He has released an EP titled "Rollin' Wheel" and single "Sippin On Summer" and has written for many other country artists. Chris is an artist I have loved listening to since 2014. Matt Chase is from Charleston, but now lives in Nashville as well. Matt is a songwriter and also a National Registry EMT. Matt's vocals are a mix of Gary LeVox, from Rascal Flatts, mixed with a southern twang. Together Southerland has contrasting voices that sync well with one another. I could not be more excited to hear their music! I'm sure if you live in Nashville you will be seeing them a lot. Their socials are linked at the bottom of this page. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Below is Southerland's cover of Zac Brown Band's "Keep Me In Mind." (Credit to Facebook and their videographer) Ayla Brown is a singer-songwriter from Wrentham, Massachusetts. In 2005 Ayla was a contestant on American Idol rounding off the top 16. After American Idol Ayla went on to do many appearances, locally and nationally, with well over a thousands of fans in attendance. She has performed at the Kiss 108 concert in Mansfield, Mass. in front of twenty-thousand in attendance, as well as many other local venues. In 2006, Ayla released her debut album titled, Forward. The title track Forward hit radio number thirty-four on Billboards's Adult Contemporary chart. The album sold three-thousand copies, which placed Ayla twenty-third for American Idol alumni un-certified album sales. After many performances and a few years later, in 2010 Ayla released her EP titled Circles. The first single off the album, "Pick It Up" received its own music video, which premiered on her then record labels YouTube channel. In 2010 she also appeared on The Early Show and Fox and Friends. Ayla got the opportunity to travel overseas and spent two weeks in Afghanistan, where she played for over fifteen-thousand troops. In 2011 Ayla finally decided to move to Nashville to pursue her music career. She then released her first single "Goodbye for Good." After her move, in 2012 she released her self-titled album released to iTunes. She recorded her debut album under Ambient Entertainment and co-wrote seven of nine songs. Throughout 2012 she opened up for many country music legends such as, Loretta Lynn, Josh Turner, and Jason Aldean, as well as appeared on morning shows. In 2012 and 2011 she preformed at CMA Music Festival on many stages. In 2015 Ayla Brown released LP, Let Love In, where she wrote or co-wrote every song on the LP. After the LP was released she embarked on a nationwide tour. In 2017 she released two singles titled, "Take Your Name" and "Label." Currently Ayla is serving a as spokesperson for the Songs of Love Foundation. This organization creates free, personalized, original songs to bring joy for children and teenagers who are facing tough medical, physical, or emotional challenges. In the start of 2019 she released a duet with Rob Bellamy titled "Make It Mean Something." Ayla is also currently touring, and back in Boston as a morning show co-host for Country 102.5. Ayla Brown's voice is very powerful, I would compare her power-fullness to Christina Aguilera or Lady Gaga. I really love her voice and the power that comes with it, I believe it is very unique in county music. You can really hear how breathtaking her voice is, in her other duet with Rob Bellamy, where they cover the song "Shallow." Alya Brown is the real deal and she blows me away with her voice. Her YouTube video for "Take Your Name" and "Shallow" are below, along with her social media and where to find her music! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To visit her website click here You can listen to Alya's music on iTunes, Spotify, or any other music listening app. To end the year off, I wanted to make a contemplation of just *some of my favorite artists of 2018! 10. Kyle Elliott Kyle Elliott's voice just sounds like a classic country song. It is raw and you can hear the emotions in his voice as he sings. His single, "Anymore", showcases these features as he sings about the heartbreak in love. 9. Adam Craig When I first heard Adam's current single, "Just a Phase" on the radio, his voice hit me and I immediately turned up the volume. Not only does Adam capture you with his voice, he captures you with the lyrics and the music. All of his songs in his self-titled EP are so great that when I listened to them, I didn't want them to be over! 8. Hilary Williams I love albums and artists who put their heart and soul into projects, that is it so personal to them, it has to be exact. Williams does this with My Lucky Stars, you can hear her pour her heart in each and very song. Her latest single "Crazy" is one of my favorite song of 2018, it's a beautiful song about the ups and downs of relationships, but making it work because the love they have for one another. 7. Karissa Ella When I first listened to Karissa's music I felt like it had that old school charm, but with her new song, "Southern Comfort," she brings out her southern rock side. Her voice is a mixture of clean but twangy, and I think that is something we could use on radio right now. We have a lot of female artists coming out with new music and pushing the 'girl power' movement, and I feel like Karissa would fit in very well with these women of country music. 6. Mitchell Tenpenny His voice his one of most unique on country radio right now. "Drunk Me" is one of my favorite songs right now because it tells a story that a lot of people can relate to, whether they listen to country music or not. 5. Tyler Steel When I first listened to Tyler Steel I was immediately blown away. His voice is so different, but it’s so great and something I think we need more in country music. His voice, his sound, and even his look is the perfect combination. 4. Erin Kinsey I like Erin's music because it has that relatable touch to it, you can tell she wants to craft her music based on her life. Her voice is also very beautiful and mature, she reminds me of a younger Kacey Musgraves or Lauren Alaina with her county twang. 3. Kayla Woodson Kayla Woodson's voice is very strong and powerful. She immediately captures your attention with the first lyric. I cannot wait to see the even bigger impact she will make in Nashville throughout the upcoming years of her career. Kayla could be the next Carrie Underwood in Music City, trust me when I say she is one to watch. 2. Cody Johnson When I listened to him for the first time I thought "Finally! I found another Justin Moore!" Because he doesn't only have that recognizable voice, but he has that traditional country sound! I don't know any other way to describe him all together than "country." 1. The Young Fables I got the chance to meet Laurel and Wes when they came to Chattanooga to play a show last year, and they absolutely blew me away. Their talent and passion for music was undeniable, they were also two of the nicest, and funniest people I have ever met. Laurel has one of the prettiest voices I have ever heard, and Wes plays guitar like Brad Paisley and Keith Urban combined. |
AuthorHey y'all, I'm Jess! I have a Bachelor's Degree in communication and thought blogging would help me through my career! Archives
October 2020
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