The first line of the first song off of Mercy Bell’s latest EP tells you everything you need to know about this stellar record. “Plan B and a Gatorade, another Walgreens on a Sunday/Blonde hair driving getaway, so no one has to know,” – from the title track – is confrontational, wildly relevant and brilliantly executed. As Bell sings, “We can’t have a Golden Child with mud on his face.” Though, there is definitely a strong 1990s Country vibe on the record (think more Lucinda Williams and Roseanne Cash, rather than the hokey Nashville neon sound), there are also some pretty strong parallels to more contemporary fare like Lilly Hyatt and Jaime Wyatt’s phenomenal Neon Cross.
Adobe & Teardrops Interviews Mercy Bell About New Album
Sit in a room when Mercy Bell is singing, and you know you’re experiencing something special. Bell’s songs are deeply intimate, asking us to bear witness to her lowest lows and soaring heights. So it makes sense that for her new album, Golden Child, which is out tomorrow, Bell is turning the focus away from herself and creating character sketches — a la ’90s country. With J.R. Bohannon at the helm for this one, Bell’s pulling out all the big guns to make sure these erstwhile characters have the musical firepower that’s their due.
In this interview, Mercy fills us in on the album and some the greatest honor of her life.
Under The Radar Premieres Shay Martin Lovette’s New Music Video
Indie folk troubadour Shay Martin Lovette shared his evocative sophomore effort, Scatter & Gather, this May, establishing himself in the same raw Americana lane as Jason Isbell, Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, or Townes Van Zandt. Alongside production from Joseph Terrell of Mipso, Lovette delved into story and character portraits, one of the most moving of which was album highlight “For Rose Marie.” Now Lovette is back with a new animated video for the track, premiering with Under the Radar.
Glide Magazine Premieres Elijah Ocean’s New Song
With a resounding twang and a venerable gravitas, Elijah Ocean evokes the sounds of honky-tonk bars masked with a singer-songwriter flair. The talented storyteller has opened for legends like Dale Watson and emerging stars such as Charlie Crockett and backed up like-minded talents Zephaniah OHora and Michaela Anne. He’s played to packed houses from the Mercury Lounge to the Troubadour and is a regular at festivals like Stagecoach, Americanafest, and SXSW. And with a name like Elijah Ocean who wouldn’t believe his voice is almost biblical.
Rolling Stone Country Features Elijah Ocean’s New Album
With its Alan Jackson guitar twang and some dreamy pedal steel, Elijah Ocean’s new song “Thirty-Five” is straight out of a Nineties jukebox. The rambling singer-songwriter and Maine native, who landed in Nashville after detours in Brooklyn and L.A., released the song on Monday as the first taste of his upcoming album Born Blue.
No Depression Reviews Shay Martin Lovette’s New Album
On the title track of Shay Martin Lovette’s second LP, Scatter & Gather, he muses on the magnetism of certain people in our lives. Whether it’s a partner, family member, or friend, there is a person, or people, who, no matter how far you roam, you will find again and again. The Boone, North Carolina-based singer-songwriter summarizes this enduring connection best when he sings: “When where we’ve been wears us thin, we scatter and gather again.”