Before getting fully into 2015 releases (there are plenty of good ones already out there), I will quickly go through some 2014 release that I either bought or received during the last couple weeks of 2014. I know I’m already far behind on the 2015 stuff, but it would feel wrong to leave these out without even a mention, because I’ve been listening to them a lot during the past month.
First we have Harlan Pepper from Hamilton, Canada. I’ve been aware of their existence for a while and finally picked up their 2014 album Take Out a Twenty and Live Life to The Fullest from Zunior’s Boxing Day sale. I’ve been enjoying this one a whole lot. My favourite song is this one called TV (Let It Slide). That line “Let it slide / that’s my motto / It hasn’t done me much good” hits me every time. I’m guilty as charged.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBDVUOzLarI]
Harlan Pepper Website
Staying in Canada. Next we have Canadian singer-songwriter Graham Nicholas and his excellent album Sometimes Chicken, Sometimes Feathers. I was extremely interested when I read comparisons to John Prine, early Ryan Adams etc and this somehow managed to live up to my expectations. Of course I didn’t expect him to be as good as those guys, because well hardly anybody is as good those guys. Nevertheless, this is a damn fine Canadian country/folk album. This is Wandering Angel from the album.
Graham Nicholas Website
Time to leave Canada behind for a while and locate into Nashville, TN, where Luke Bell is delivering awesome country sounds. I tried to find his album Don’t Mind If I Do before writing my albums of the year lists, but his Bandcamp only contained three songs at the time. I bought them for 5 bucks and recently Luke added the whole album there and I was finally able to download this whole gorgeous country album. So Luke, if you read this. I kind of owe you $5, because I got the whole thing for half price (but don’t send any wise guys after me, paypal address will be a better option). Anyway, it’s a great album and it indeed might have ended up on my albums of the year list If I had heard it in time. This one is a great song called Sometimes.
Luke Bell at Facebook
Moving on to Los Angeles and it’s time to end this little blog post with something breathtakingly beautiful. HT Heartache aka Mary Roth might not be someone that I listen to on a daily basis, but when the time is right, the slow-paced beauty of her new album Sundowner definitely has the quality to get under my under skin and take full control of my heart. This is HT Heartache’s music video for the song Cowboy Poetry.
HT Heartache – Cowboy Poetry from HT Heartache on Vimeo.
And this is Roam Cold Highway from the album.
HT Heartache Website
