Friday 25 March 2016

Playlist week of March 19, 2016

Playlist week of March 19, 2016 - BBC Playlist
A round up of last weekend's Country2Country Festival.
Brand new music from Lonestar, Joey & Rory and a pop star of the 80s turned country star
Classics from Hoyt Axton and Jerry Reed




















Miranda Lambert – What About Georgia? 
Jerry Reed – Georgia Sunshine
Dori Freeman – You Say | Album: Dori Freeman (5 Feb 2016) Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
James House – Anything For Love (March 20, 1937; died Sept 1, 2008 (aged 71) BIRTHDATE
The Black Feathers – Take Me Back | Album: Soaked to the Bone (Blue House Music) Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Bandcamp
Lori McKenna – Your Next Lover
Charlie Worsham – Mississippi In July | Album: Rubberband (Amazon UK new UK 2016 release)
Gordon Hendricks - Stirring Up Feelings
Lorrie Morgan – Is It Raining At Your House? | Album: Letting Go... Slow New Amazon UK - UK iTunes  
Lonestar – Never Enders New Single
Alice Wallace – A Traveling Song | Album: Memories Music & Pride (Oct 2015) Amazon UK | UK iTunes | Amazon.com
Billy Yates – She’s My Country Girl Hotdisc #207 March 2016 Single
Maren Morris – 80s Mercedes | Album: Maren Morris - EP Amazon UK - Amazon.com - UK iTunes  
Steve Young – Seven Bridges Road Obituary Outlaw Country Pioneer Steve Young died at 73 on March 17th. The Georgia native was a noted contributor to the Outlaw movement in the 1970s
Cyndi Lauper – Heartaches By The Number New Single
Red Sky July – Walking Country Song New 
Alan West – Hillbilly Woodbines
Little Big Town – Sober
Lonesome River Band – Rose In Paradise | Album: Bridging the Tradition New Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Roxie Dean – Cherokee Rose
Hoyt Axton – Nashville | Album: Joy to the World: The Definitive Collection (Humphead; 50 Tracks) New Amazon UK
Kelly Clarkson – Piece By Piece
Andrew Combs – Nothing To Lose | Album: Various Artists: Country To Country Vol.2 (Humphead) Amazon UK
Frank Solivan & Megan McCormick – Mexico | Album: Family, Friends & Heroes New Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com 
Joey & Rory – Softly & Tenderly | Album: HYMNS: That Are Important To Us Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com

New on The Show

The Black Feathers
“Take Me Back” -  "Really impressed, another lovely duo to come out of the UK, their voices blend so nicely, I think they've got a lovely sound" - Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

The Black Feathers are an award-winning duo from Gloucestershire in England. The perfectly paired voices of Ray Hughes and Sian Chandler intertwine effortlessly to create a sound combining elements of folk, roots, alt-country and americana.
They married in 2012, which also marked the beginning of their musical adventure as The Black Feathers. They designed the band logo on honeymoon and the music soon followed. This close collaboration became the backbone of The Black Feathers’ sound. 

Whether playing to a 1,500 strong audience at the Colston Hall in Bristol, or to 80 crammed in to the Green Note in London, The Black Feathers give an intimate performance that draws the listener in to a special, strong and unique bond between two people.
They have toured in Europe and in the USA including a sell out show at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee.
2014 saw the release of Strangers We Meet, the duo's debut 5 track EP. It gained national airplay on BBC Radio2, as well as warm reviews from national music press, including an interview in The Sunday Times. The Telegraph also listed it as one of the best albums of the year.

They released their album SOAKED TO THE BONE on Feb 26, 2016. All songs are written by Sian Chandler and Ray Hughes
except track 9 written by Bob Dylan and it was recorded at Strawhouse Studios in Oxford, England
Like their shows, this album is mesmerising and stunning in equal measure. 11 songs in total, 10 of them written by Sian Chandler and Ray Hughes themselves, the other written by Bob Dylan. And when I say that the Black Feathers own compositions stand shoulder to shoulder with Mr Zimmerman's "Make You Feel My Love", then this really is no exaggeration and gives you a good indicator of the strength and depth of their songwriting quality. This album ebbs and flows effortlessly, from the sublimely delicate "Homesick" to the harder edged "Blind" and from the breathtaking acoustic space of "Winter Moves In" to the slightly bluesier vocal inflections of "Spider And The Fly". There isn't a note wasted, nor a word out of place. It's a wonderfully balanced album that immediately insinuates its way into the listeners (sub)consciousness, and at time of writing shows no inclination to leave anytime soon.
"Soaked To The Bone" is an artistic triumph for a duo of undeniable talent - and that talent is there for all to see in terms of musicality, vocals and songwriting. - Fatea Records Review
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Tuesday 22 March 2016

Playlist week of March 12, 2016

Playlist week of March 12, 2016 – BBC Playlist
Taking a took at the artists appearing on both the Main & Pop Up Stages at the weekends Country2Country Festival 2016
Classics from Gene Watson & Charley Pride

Phil Vassar - Carlene
Jessi Alexander - Honeysuckle Sweet
Gene Watson - Pick The Wildwood Flower
Charles Kelley & Miranda Lambert - Wish You Were Here What a great result it is as well
Ashley Campbell - Remembering "a real talent...quality music"
Malcolm Holcombe - Leaving Anna | Album: Another Black Hole www.malcolmholcombe.com
Crash n Recovery - Minefield
The Great Western Tears - The Late Great Man In Black
Ashley Monroe - Bombshell
Darius Rucker - Half Full Dixie Cup
Jan Howard - To Love A Rolling Stone (March 13, 1930) BIRTHDAY
Michael Martin Murphey - The Cosmic Cowboy (March 13, 1945) BIRTHDAY
Valerie Smith - Sweeter Fields of Clover
Sam Hunt - Leave The Light On
Jann Browne - Love's Gonna Live Here
Vince Gill - I'll Be Waiting For You
Kacey Musgraves - Pageant Material
Jerry Jeff Walker - What I Like About Texas
Carrie Underwood - What I Never Knew I Always Wanted
Glenn Williams - The Things That I've Done
The Evie Ladin Band - Drinkin' Bout You
Paul Overstreet - Seein' My Father In Me
Leslie Satcher - Love Letters From Old Mexico
Ron Pope & The Night Hawks - Southern Cross
Maddie & Tae - Fly
Charley Pride - In The Middle Of Nowhere
Bobbie Cryner & Dwight Yoakam - I Don't Care
Clinton Gregory - Chase Away The Lonely
Locust Honey String Band - McMichen's Breakdown

New on The Show

Sam Hunt

Hailing from rural Cedartown, Georgia, Sam Hunt quickly establishing a name for himself and became one of Nashville’s most talked about young talents.
Hunt had been writing songs and playing music since his days as quarterback at the University of Alabama Birmingham.  
Following graduation, Hunt made the move to Music City to pursue songwriting full-time.
Shortly after settling into the Nashville scene, Hunt was signed to a publishing deal and started working with some of the top writers in the business.  Hunt began to develop his craft and quickly gained recognition as a gifted singer-songwriter.
Since moving to Nashville, Hunt has garnered cuts with some of country music’s biggest stars including Kenny Chesney’s No. 1 smash “Come Over,” Billy Currington’s latest “We Are Tonight,” and Keith Urban’s “Cop Car.”
Hunt’s own eclectic style owes its roots to country music with influences in pop, folk and R&B music.  Sam has been winning audiences over throughout the southeast in recent years with his soulful sound, touring with David Nail and joined Little Big Town's summer tour.
Between tour dates, Hunt continued to write and record songs for his upcoming debut album.
HUNT’S ‘PARTY’
  • Sam Hunt’s introductory album, MONTEVALLO (MCA Nashville/UMGN), was the No.1 on Top Country Albums for 2015 (Based on multi-metric album consumption). 
  • It led the Top Country Album chart for 8 non-consecutive weeks
Released in late 2014, the set has produced three No.1s on both Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay: “Leave the Night On,” “Take Your Time” and “House Party.” Hunt, who won the multi-genre favourite new artist award at the American Music Awards on Nov. 22, is the top artist for 2015 on Hot Country Songs, Country Digital Songs and Country Streaming Songs, and was No.2 on the overall Top Country Artists tally. Plus, “Take Your Time” is No.1 on both the 2015 Hot Country Songs tally and Country Streaming Songs. “House Party” is No.3 on Hot Country Songs for the year.

  • In the 2015 Year-End Charts Sam Hunt was ranked #2 Top Country Artist (behind Luke Bryan)
TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2015 IN U.S. (Based on Total Equivalent Album Units)
** NOTE ** A track equivalent album equates to 10 tracks.
Track equivalent albums (TEA) is a term used to describe a method of converting the sale of individual songs (singles) into whole album numbers. In other words, every time ten units of a single are sold, those ten units are counted as one album sale.
Rank, Artist, Title, Total Units
#9 Sam Hunt, MONTEVALLO 1,378,000
TOP 10 COUNTRY ALBUMS OF 2015 IN U.S.
Based on multi-metric album consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).  >> Top 75 Chart <<
#1 MONTEVALLO/Sam Hunt/MCA Nashville/UMGN
TOP COUNTRY ARTISTS YEAR END 2015 in US See >> TOP 50 CHART <<
#1 Luke Bryan/Capitol Nashville/UMGN
#2 Sam Hunt/MCA Nashville/UMGN
Top-Selling Country Albums, 2015
Country Rank, Artist, Title, Total Pure Sales (release date)
 #1 Luke Bryan, KILL THE LIGHTS 851,000 (released; Aug 7, 2015)
 #2 Sam Hunt, MONTEVALLO 757,000 (released; Oct 27, 2014)
BIG HIT
On Country Digital Songs:
Sam Hunt’sTake Your Time” finished at No. 2 behind champion Little Big Town’sGirl Crush” (Capitol Nashville) based on sales.
#1 Little Big Town, “Girl Crush” 1,925,000 sales | #2 Sam Hunt, “Take Your Time” 1,759,000 sales

Top 10 Country Digital Songs Artists of 2015 in U.S. see >> CHART <<
#1 Sam Hunt
Top-Selling Country Digital Songs, 2015
#1 Little Big Town, “Girl Crush” 1,925,000 (released; Dec 15, 2014)
#2 Sam Hunt, “Take Your Time” 1,759,000
#5 Sam Hunt, “House Party” 957,000

Top New Country Streaming Songs Year-End 2015 >> Top 25 Chart <<
#1 “Take Your Time”/Sam Hunt/MCA Nashville
#2 “Girl Crush”/Little Big Town/Capitol Nashville
#3 “House Party”/Sam Hunt/Mca Nashville
TOP 10 HOT COUNTRY SONGS Year-End of 2015 in U.S. See >> Top 100 Chart <<
Based on:
a) All-format airplay, as monitored by BDS b) Sales, as tracked by Nielsen SoundScan and c) Streaming
#1 Take Your Time/Sam Hunt/MCA Nashville
#2 Girl Crush/Little Big Town/Capitol Nashville
#3 House Party/Sam Hunt/MCA Nashville

CONNECT with Sam Hunt:
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Joey Martin Feek Obituary

Pending

Playlist week of March 5, 2016

2016-03-05



Playlist week of March 5, 2016 – BBC Playlist
Artists appearing at next weekend's country2country festival
Brand new music from Lorrie Morgan and Martina McBride. Classics from Bob Wills and Townes Van Zandt.
Tribute to Joey Feek who sadly lost her battle with cancer.


Rita Wilson - Along For The Ride | Album: Rita Wilson (Deluxe) (11 March 2016) Sing It Loud New Amazon UK - UK iTunes
Bob Wills – Take Me Back To Tulsa (March 6, 1905; died May 13, 1975 aged 70) BIRTHDATE
Alice Wallace – Grateful | Album: Memories Music & Pride (Oct 2015) Amazon UK | UK iTunes | Amazon.com 
Skip Ewing – I Wish I Was Somebody Else (March 6, 1964) BIRTHDAY
Sasha McVeigh – When I’m Over You New Single 
Townes Van Zandt – Loretta (March 7, 1944; died Jan 1, 1997 aged 52) BIRTHDATE
Lorrie Morgan - What I’d Say | Album: Letting Go... Slow New Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com  
Cooper & Davies – I Never Said I was Funny
Callaghan – Noah’s Song | Album: A History of Now CD - MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com 
TG Sheppard & Mickey Gilley  - Wine to remember, Whiskey To Forget (Mickey Gilley; March 9, 1936) BIRTHDAY
Brenda Best - Gun & Bible New Single
Frank Solivan – I Am A Rambler | Album: Family, Friends & Heroes New Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com 
Dori Freeman – Where I Stood | Album: Dori Freeman  Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com - Artist Store
Martina McBride – Reckless New Single
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band & Kris Kristofferson – Gold Watch and Chain (Jimmy Fadden March 9, 1948) BIRTHDAY
*** TRIBUTE ***  
Joey Martin – That’s Important To Me
Joey Martin – See You There
Joey & Rory – Jesus Loves Me
Joey & Rory – When I’m Gone

Frankie Ballard – Young & Crazy
Carrie Underwood – Chaser
Daryle Singletary – The Note
Tanya Tucker & Flaco Jimenez – Is Anybody Going To San Antone
TG Sheppard, Jimmy Fortune & BJ Thomas – 100% Chance Of Pain (Jimmy Fortune March 11, 1955) BIRTHDAY
Kellie Pickler – Mother’s Day

New on The Show

Alice Wallace

“Grateful” -  "I think it's absolutely excellent...every track a winner, a wonderful artist" - Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

Has become a shining light on the Los Angeles Americana music scene, sharing her songs of travel, adventure, life, love and loss in her authentic voice…as beautiful as the land she travels,” say the folks at California Country Records.
She was nominated and won a LA Music Critic Award (Best Country/Americana and Best CD - Female) for her album "Memories, Music & Pride" lamusiccritic.com
"She's stunning, and McQueen 'The Cincinnati Kid' cool" - Ray Wylie Hubbard
The crowd-funded MEMORIES, MUSIC & PRIDE (Pledge Music.com), the third album by Alice Wallace, found the Southern California-based Americana singer-songwriter exploring fresh musical terrain on striking self-penned material inspired by new emotional and geographical compass points. Released Oct 9, 2015 by California Country Records (Amazon UK | UK iTunes | Amazon.com) Alice explored fresh musical terrain on striking self-penned material inspired by new emotional and geographical compass points. 

It was co-produced by Kirsten Proffit, of the attention-getting L.A. Americana trio CALICO the band, and Steve Berns, who also helmed Calico's 2014 debut release Rancho California.
Wallace, whose powerful, elastic singing and melodic, literate song-crafting skill have helped her garner nominations as best Country/Americana artist and best live band from the Orange County Music Awards, views Memories, Music & Pride as a significant step forward – one that bears a more integrated yet all-embracing sound.  “This record is more cohesive, as far as style is concerned,” she said. “I like blues, I like folk, I like country. This one still touches on all of those. But with this album I feel like I was trying to bridge the gap between my influences in old-time country with newer artists like Sturgill Simpson and Jason Isbell, whose albums have opened my eyes to what modern country can be.”  
The album’s lone non-original is a cover of “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart,” a 1935 hit by Patsy Montana, the first major female country and western solo singing star. Wallace – who took up yodelling after hearing Jewel essaying the old country singing style on her early records -- reached back to the style of such earlier yodelling recording artists as Montana, Jimmie Rodgers, and Slim Whitman for her interpretation of the tune - See more at: alicewallacemusic.com
The 11-track collection – Wallace’s first release on Los Angeles-based California Country Records – succeeds two widely praised independent releases, Sweet Madness (2011) and A Thousand Miles From Home (2013).
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Cooper & Davies
Originating in Shropshire, Cooper and Davies (Rob Cooper and Si Davies) combined as a duo after some years of solo and band work. Drawn together by a desire to play rootsy Americana, they developed their own style and sound which draws on the traditions of country, blues, bluegrass et al.
Cooper & Davies are. The duo was drawn together by their love of rootsy, gritty, bare bones Americana.
On Aug 3, 2013 they released their 6 track EP Indie & Alternative; THE COACH HOUSE SESSIONS (Amazon UK), which apparently was a big hit on local radio. Their song “Seventeen”, from the EP, was BBC Radio Shropshire’s Song of the Month in April 2014 and continued to get plenty of regular airplay. Both multi instrumentalists, the duo incorporates grooving guitars, laid back bass, wailing harmonica and blistering banjo all held together with a rock steady back beat.
A very exciting opportunity for us Bridgnorthians to play at a prestigious event in the capital city! What a privilege to play on the same bill as Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town and The Shires!” they shared on Facebook.
CONNECT with Cooper & Davis:
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