The tight arrangement has zero slack and we are swept along this tuneful, bombastic country road with some abandon. Fun!
Country Pop
Following the much deserved success of her single My Heart Song, Tanya Ryan releases her long-awaited album Open, and it somehow manages to far exceed even the most positive expectations.
Patriotism and love, family and service, gratitude and longing all mashed together without a sleigh bell in sight!
Battle Ready is a slow-burning track that sneaks up on you as you listen through. There’s a dark narrative lurking behind the beauty of the arrangement. Tuneful and tastefully produced, that all makes it classic country, in a nutshell!
In a timeless production that feels simultaneously classic and contemporary, there are plenty of hooks in the melody and backing vocal arrangement to make the insistent motifs memorable.
Dave’s voice has the right level of gravitas and directness to deliver stories, and a sweet and gentle vibrato that ends phrases with a tidy elan. I’d like to wheel out the phrase ‘labour of love’ to describe the collection at this point. It’s just superb!
A magnificently accomplished track that gets better each time you listen to it. I’m a sucker for lyrics that mention brand names, as, for me, it roots the song’s narrative in our reality. Yet the effect of this song is still spiritual indeed. Great!
In the manner that songwriters before her have crafted similarly captivating journeys – Shania Twain, Sheryl Crow, Taylor Swift – Amanda Jordan has fused a brilliantly uplifting and progressive melody, with a warm and comforting musicality, and a story that seems just personal enough to connect, but also vague enough for listeners to make it their own.
It’s warm, fuzzy and comforting as well as accomplished and tuneful. It’s rare to find a song that wears its influences and target so plainly upon its sleeve – it’s a totally refreshing experience.
“I wasn’t a person who was born being a good performer. It took me a long time to get comfortable playing on stage and creating energy between me and the crowd.”
This is something like Americana with a rock edge, a layer of synths, superb story-telling, and a near-gospel style performance – not to mention a hearty hit of big-band, piano-led country swing to see things out
Leading with a simple, calming backdrop, and a flawless vocal, the two-minute beauty that is this cover rides tall on the brightness of its own soulful melodic delivery and the detail and structure of the soundscape.