The Best Americana, Country and Folk Music Publicity
“We finished it just to finish an album,” said emerging Nashville elite Mercy Bell. She spoke humbly of her work but didn’t undercut what she’s managed to build or the emotional pain from which it was born.
Her new self-titled album took three years to make and follows her debut, 2011’s All Good Cowboys. An eight-year gap can seem like an eternity in the music industry; trends move rapidly and independent musicians are always at the mercy of time…
As part of their “5 Songs You Need to Hear” column, Wide Open Country Has this to say about Blank’s “Don’t Think Twice”:
Dutch singer-songwriter Judy Blank sings a tender lullaby to anxious hearts on the sweet, gently rolling acoustic number “Don’t Think Twice.” The song is from Blank’s album Morning After, which will be released in the U.S. this Friday (Nov. 1).
Signe Marie Rustad’s latest album, When Words Flew Freely arrives 1 November from Die with Your Boots on Records. Reminiscent of classic singer-songwriters of the 1970s (Joni Mitchell, Judee Sill), Rustad has a voice and musical vision that’s decidedly of this time and, also, timeless. Listening to her latest single, “A Thousand Lights”, one hears her sense of optimism come through in the wordless, ethereal choruses and in the tune’s sweeping, lush arrangement. If ever there were a song that captured rediscovering hope after a long walk with hopelessness, “A Thousand Lights” is it.
First released in 1989, Shawn Colvin’s album, Steady On,was an auspicious debut, the arrival of a new voice in American singer-songwriter circles. Continuing a tradition forged by the likes of Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, and Jackson Browne, the album contained songs such as “Shotgun Down the Avalanche”, “Diamond in the Rough”, and “Something to Believe In”, songs that demonstrated Colvin’s ability to reveal fully-formed characters whose struggles and triumphs were both familiar and intriguing.
Judy Blank is about to achieve a milestone for Dutch artists, set to be the first one to perform at AmericanaFest later this month. Blank has since garnered international acclaim for her emotive songwriting. Blank’s 2018 LP, Morning Sun, is awash with American folk influence, inspired by a trip to the U.S. that she had taken following the release of her debut album. Present on the album is “1995”, a nostalgic folk song that has Blank mournfully reflect on the feelings of entrapment that she had felt with a past love. Sweet acoustic instrumentation works alongside Blank’s warm vocal delivery to delicately craft each heartfelt rumination, making for an ensnaring listen.
On September 13, Shawn Colvin will release an acoustic anniversary edition of her landmark 1989 album, Steady On. Ahead of the album’s release, Colvin has shared her new take on the classic Steady On track “Cry Like An Angel.”