Playlist week of 4th April 2015

2015-04-04

4th April 2015 – BBC Playlist

Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire Show playlist April 4, 2015

Brand new music from Montgomery Gentry, Daryle Singletary and Allison Moorer.

Classics from Tommy Cash, Bobby Bare and Merle Haggard. Plus some Gospel flavoured tracks peppered in for Easter weekend.

Judy Rodman - Girls Ride Horses Too | Album: A Place Called Love/ Back To Back MP3  

Larry Gatlin & The Gatlins - Half Moon Motel (Steve Gatlin April 4, 1951) BIRTHDAY

Erin Enderlin - Monday Morning Church | Album: Erin Enderlin EP MP3 (2011) 

Montgomery Gentry - Folks Like Us | Album: Folks Like Us MP3 (Out April 21) NEW Single

Ruth Bloomquist - I Know Love | Album: One Day Ain't Enough MP3  

Tommy Cash – Listen | Album: The Very Best of Tommy Cash CD (April 5, 1940) BIRTHDAY

Jimmy Webb - High Rent Ghetto | Album: Twilight of the Renegades CD

Callaghan - Noah’s Song | Album: A History of Now (out 7 April 2015) CD - MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com 

Balsamo Deighton - I Don’t Know Why (Single) MP3

Daryle Singletary - There’s Still A Little Country Left | Album:There's Still a Little Country Left CD (out April 20)  MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com 

Tina Adair - Pray For Mama & Daddy | Album: Classic Country for the Family MP3 (recorded 1997)

Tyler Barham - Just Two Kids  NEW Single

The Fairfield Four & Lee Ann Womack - Children Go Where I Send Them | Album: Still Rockin' My Soul  (R&B/ Soul out March 10, 2015) MP3 - Amazon.com

Jill King - The Part I Don’t Understand | Album: Jillbilly (2003) CD

Merle Haggard & Janie Fricke - Ridin’ High | Album: The Very Best Of Janie / Saddle The Wind (2 On 1; 2 Jun. 2014; Morello Records) MP3  (Merle Haggard; April 6, 1937) BIRTHDAY

Melonie Cannon - I Feel You Everywhere | Album: Melonie Cannon (2004) CD

Bobby Bare - Miller’s Cave | Album: The hits of Bobby Bare, Vol. 2 MP3 (April 7, 1935) BIRTHDAY

Bari Leigh - Was She Pretty | Album: Tonight, I'm Unchained  (July 2014) MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com  

Joey & Rory - Gotta Go Back | Album: Inspired Songs of Faith & Family CD (July 2013)

Darius Rucker - You Me & My Guitar | Album: Southern Style NEW CD - Smart Choice Music - Amazon.com 

Allison Moorer - If I Were Stronger | Album: Down To Believing NEW CD - MP3 - Smart Choice Music

John Schneider - The Auction | Album: Take The Long Way Home (1986) CD (April 8, 1960) BIRTHDAY

Jeff & Sheri Easter - Mama’s Bible | Album: By Request (1999) MP3 

Hal Ketchum - Baby I’m Blue | Album: I'm the Troubadour CD - UK iTunes - Amazon.com  (April 9, 1953) BIRTHDAY

Jenny Ritter - A History Of Happiness | Album: Raised By Wolfs (out in Sept?) NEW

Jeanette Williams - Your Last Mile | Album: Cherry Blossoms in the Springtime (1999) CD 

Alan Jackson - The Old Rugged Cross | Album: Precious Memories (2013) MP3

New on The Show

Bari Leigh

“Was She Pretty” – “My favourite one off the album” - Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

Genre: Southern Rock/ Country/ Country Rock / Pop

Home Town: Darnestown, MD

Record Label: Starfish Music Group ECR Music Group

Short Description: Singer, Songwriter, Whiskey Dranker and Geetar Slanger.

Influences: Miranda Lambert - Brandi Carlisle - Jack White

Bio - Bari Leigh began writing songs at age 7. In her teens, she found her voice and her life's passion. Self taught in guitar and piano, she stepped onto the stage and never looked back. Born and raised in Darnestown, Maryland, Bari's music has a slant of country, infused with pop and heartfelt soul.

She moved to Los Angeles this year to advance her career and often performing at local venues such as The Key Club, House of Blues and Room 5 to name a few. Bari's EP was submitted to be reviewed at the ASCAP "I Create Music" Expo by her producer. Out of 900 applicants, Bari's "The Sand Will Catch Our Fall" was chosen as the judge's favorite. They were impressed by her advanced songwriting and strong voice. This led to Bari Leigh's radio debut. "The EP" (Starfish Music/Engine Company) a 5 track set was released March 8, 2011 (Amazon UK - Amazon.com current Best Sellers Rank: #952,839 in Music) was played across the United States. According to the blurb: Bari Leigh's original lyrics and sound impact people on a visceral level. Her authenticity is a breath of fresh air and leaves you wanting more. Her highest aspiration would be to make a difference in this world through her music, making a positive difference. With her poignant writing, soulful voice and steadfast ambition, we expect great things from this rising young star.

The 10 track TONIGHT, I'M UNCHAINED (Starfish Music/ ECR Music Group MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com ; current Amazon.com Best Sellers Rank: #490,295 in Music) released July 29, 2014 was Bari Leigh's debut album. Written and recorded over a two-year period, the then 25 year- old artist was at its helm as the beautiful Leigh co-produced the album, wrote or co-wrote all of the songs.,

However it seems that excitement about her music was built from early DIY recordings that Leigh released prior to founding Starfish Music. Surprisingly, national and college radio embraced the tracks, as did the taste-making music press. This early notoriety culminated with a feature about Leigh and her music on national television, with CBS's Entertainment Tonight.

"Bari Leigh is set to explode with her infectious mix of pop, country, blues and soul...(a) buzz-worthy artist." – Entertainment Tonight (CBS)

For The Country Record - Bari flirts with the darker sides of life a lot across this record. ‘Was She Pretty’ (written by Bari Leigh and Mamie Lew Gardiner) accuses her partner of playing

away, but instead of raging at him or wailing of her heartbreak, she simply asks, “was she pretty?”, almost as if she is trying to give him an understandable reason for loving another woman. “Were her eyes so blue she made you untrue last night? Did she smile and call you witty? Baby did I ever cross your mind?” Bari continues to plague him with desperate questions, wondering if the reason he betrayed her was because the woman in question was so irresistible, so complimentary, that he couldn’t help himself. The blame almost doesn’t lie with him, taking a picture of a relationship so painstakingly real and gritty that we start to wonder why no-one has considered this angle before.

In March 2015 this beautiful looking lady went for adds at radio and should certainly attract attention with the stuning cover art.

Top Tracks: Was She Pretty, Man’s World, One Last Ride, Desperately

CONNECT with Bari Leigh:

BALSAMO DEIGHTON

“I Don’t Know Why” – ”On the fringes of country music but I really like what they’ve done to this one, just wait for her vocal to come in, really beautiful” - Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

Americana, Folk rock, Country

Steve Balsamo is a Welsh singer and songwriter, best known for playing the lead role in the London production of Jesus Christ Superstar during the mid-1990s. See >> solo performance  Gethsemane Live as shown on BBC TV's Songs Of Praise.

The band The Storys were formed in 2003, with Steve at the helm, playing a '70s West Coast-influenced country rock style.

(Maverick Magazine features:  Image - Images ) A huge music fan, Elton John personally called Steve and told him how much he loved the album. He then invited the band to tour with the “rocket man” all over the UK and Europe during the summer of 2005.

"Wonderful songs, great playing and instinctively beautiful harmonies" - Bob Harris OBE, BBC Radio2

The Storys quietly built up a large fan base, which includes some major stars with Elton John personally calling the band to say how much he loved their debut album. The move saw them support the rocket man at his Liberty Stadium gig.

The Storys could have been the next Eagles but were let down several times when so close to making it big with labels falling flat. Rosalie Deighton (vocals/guitar) later joined the band replacing Dai Smith. In June 2010 Smith returned to play The Storys last gigs hosted by Bob Harris at The Grand Theatre in Swansea. Deighton helped write and record for the The Storys third album, ‘Luck’.

Rosalie (influences Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris) was playing spoons by the time she was four and soon progressed to mandolin and fiddle, touring with the family until she was 19. After EMI, Rosalie was signed for four years to Independiente Records, who have represented artists like Travis and Paul Weller, and she was published by Chrysalis, while Echo Records became her label.

Steve Balsamo and Rosalie Deighton first met over 10 years ago at Grammy award winning producer Martin Terefe’s London recording studio where he was working on their respective major label debut albums. Bonding over a love of 70’s singer/

songwriters, country music and cake, they vowed one day to record together as they felt their voices would blend and give what Emmylou Harris calls ‘the rub’.

Several times around the world in various musical guises and Balsamo Deighton’s paths crossed again when Rosalie supported Steve’s highly regarded country/rock band.  

To date the duo have released a couple of cover songs to whet peoples’ appetites; ‘Sky Blue and Black’ by Jackson Browne (A Song for Harry's Fund) released March 24,  2013 (Amazon UK Bestsellers Rank: #272,65 in Songs) and Shawn Colvin’s ‘I Don’t Know Why’ (released Aug 12, 2012 Amazon UK Bestsellers Rank: currently ranked # 66,806 was #172,054 in Albums) for which “they have made a remarkable, hair raising/removing video”

Balsamo Deighton have been putting the finishing touches to their debut album with producers Tim Hamill and Ben Robbins and are looking forward to sharing the fruits of their labour both on record and on the road.

Watch their >> EPK (published in Jan 2014) which gave a preview of tracks from their  Balsamo Deighton anticipated debut album. They excitedly collaborated with PledgeMusic (167 Pledgers raised 116% of the goal) to crowd fund the project.

They are planning on releasing the new music in early May 2015.

On Sunday 8th March 2015 they played on the Big Entrance Stage as one of the numerous Pop Up Stage acts at C2C2015 Country to Country Festival at London’s O2 Arena 

Catch Balsamo Deighton live when they will be opening for the wonderful CALLAGHAN during April 2015:

Mon 13 April - The Cellars, Portsmouth / Fri 17 April - Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham

Tue 21 April - The Rocking Chair, Sheffield / Wed April - The Louisiana, Bristol /Thu 23 April - Green Note, London

CONNECT with Balsamo Deighton: