New Artist Spotlight Archives - Page 6 of 6

Rachele Lynae – New Artist Spotlight – CMA Close Up by Bob Doerschuk

August 21, 2013 Leave a comment

Rachele Lynae

The daughter of a fisherman, Rachele Lynae was raised on Alaska’s Kodiak Island. From the start, she set her eyes far beyond the snow-capped mountains that towered on the horizon, toward the Lower 48 and a career in Country Music. She began singing in church at age 5, did her first show at 11 in the Kodiak Lions Club, started writing songs at 12 and embarked on her first tour at 17. Enrolled after that in Belmont University, she polished her chops at Tootsies Orchid Lounge and other Lower Broadway venues.

In her senior year, Lynae cut an EP that soon made its way to Jamie O’Neal. The celebrated Country artist took Lynae under her wing, eventually producing her self-titled, six-song “party pack” digital EP on O’Neal’s Momentum Label Group imprint. Her single, “Fishin’ for Something” (written by Lynae and Hannah Bethel) dropped July 2, immediately receiving five new adds on Mediabase.

“Party ‘Til the Cows Come Home” (Lynae, O’Neal, Stephanie Bentley and Jimmy Murphy) is a full-bore barn burner, complete with a high-impact guitar lick, internal rhymes and a powerful chorus that summons the listener to join the fun. Equally impressive, Lynae employs multiple arrangement devices — sing-along riffs, sudden breaks and other elements that change constantly yet never impede the groove.

And, oh, yeah, she can sing too. On the power ballad “Done Is Done” (Lynae and Luke Sheets), check out how her intensity varies from delicate to resonant and assertive within the space of a few bars, making it all sound easy and never losing focus. Even in these few moments, Lynae’s fiery delivery could illuminate the Northern Lights.

IN HER OWN WORDS

BOOK ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND

“My Bible is sitting next to a copy of Pride and Prejudice.”

PET PEEVE

“Driving under the speed limit.”

FAVORITE FOOD ON THE ROAD

“When I’m on the West Coast, I have to hit up In-n-Out Burger at least once! Other than that, does coffee count as food?”

WHAT YOU HOPE PEOPLE WILL SAY ABOUT YOU 50 YEARS FROM NOW

“I want people to say that I have always been inspiring and empowering – a cheerleader for love.”

On the Web: www.RacheleLynae.com

On Twitter: @RacheleLynae

The Henningsens – New Artist Spotlight – CMA Close Up by Bob Doerschuk

August 20, 2013 Leave a comment

The Henningsens

These are halcyon times for Country vocal groups. So how does a new group stand out? The Henningsens have at least two ways of making an impression in this crowded field.

One involves songwriting: On American Beautiful, their Arista Nashville debut, Brian Henningsen, son Aaron and daughter Clara, as a trio or in various combinations, join with various co-writers on all 10 tracks, with consistently pleasing results.

Match that with singing that exceeds today’s standards for technique, expression and emotion, and you’ve got a winner on your hands. Producer Paul Worley captures every nuance of Clara’s phrasing and then pulls back to reveal their three-part power in all its glory. The title cut (written by all three with Brett Beavers) anchors on a punchy power-guitar riff and soars on a catchy, sing-along chorus. It’s no surprise that this single totaled 77 Country Aircheck and Billboard radio adds in its first week.

But dig into the album and you’ll discover other levels of artistry. A nostalgic fiddle and dreamy waltz setting take us deep into “Arkansas” (Brian and Clara with Cactus Moser), whose story of aged siblings gathered for a brother’s funeral casts a spell that lingers after the last chord dies. (Recollections of “kerosene nights and innocent days” draw us back into a nearly forgotten past.) And when they join voices to celebrate the light that guides them through stormy times on “To Believe” (all three with Jimmy Yeary), even doubters have to be left feeling a little less alone.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

BOOK ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND

BRIAN: “Jayber Crow, by Wendell Barry.”

CLARA: “The Bible, Sense and Sensibility.”

AARON: “The Bible.”

WHAT YOU WOULD BE IF NOT A MUSICAL ARTIST

BRIAN: “A farmer.”

CLARA: “A marine biologist.”

AARON: “A senator.”

MUSICAL HERO

ALL: “Our producer, Paul Worley.”

SONG YOU’D WISH YOU’D WRITTEN

ALL: “‘The House That Built Me’ or ‘Wichita Lineman.’”

SOMETHING WE’D NEVER GUESS ABOUT YOU

ALL: “We get along really well but we love to argue. We call it debating.”

On the Web: www.TheHenningsens.com

On Twitter: @TheHenningsens

NEW ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: The Henningsens

By Bob Doerschuk

The Sins – New Artist Spotlight – CMA Close Up by Bob Doerschuk

August 20, 2013 Leave a comment

The Sins

Listening to Muscadine on Go Time Records, you might bet Joe and Kristen Sins grew up together in some crossroads town deep in the Texas countryside. Not so: Both are Californians, though neither is city folk; Kristen grew up in Sonora, on the edge of Yosemite National Park, while Joe’s roots are in Twentynine Palms, close to another wonder of Western nature, the Mojave Desert.

Yet here they are, joined in marriage and music on one of the strongest duo debuts of recent years. Joe has a little grit and twang in his tenor, while Kristen stretches from honeyed intimacy to dramatic upper-register flights. This contrast adds depth to their harmonies without compromising their solo prowess. They wrote each track together too, reflecting their ability to convey emotion with a vivid, even urgent eloquence. And their arrangements are interesting: A unison passage on “One Stoplight Town” symbolizes the passion of their union. Elsewhere, on the title track, they glide between fourths and sixths, with grace or punch as the music requires.

With Kent Wells producing, Muscadine has a guitar-heavy sound, mixed tastefully to energize rather than clash with the vocals. This approach electrifies a story of young love on “Romeo and Juliet Sparks” and, even more impressively, the heartbreaking narrative of a woman surrendering her newborn son to another mother on “She Gave It All Up.” This is a classic Country story song, delivered with the finesse, empathy and feeling it deserves.

IN HER OWN WORDS

FAVORITE FOOD ON THE ROAD

KRISTEN: “Popeye’s Chicken.”

JOE: “Del Taco, when I can find it.”

DREAM DUET PARTNER

KRISTEN: “Kenny Rogers.”

JOE: “My wife – and I get to live the dream! Otherwise, I would choose George Strait.”

TITLE OF YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY

KRISTEN: “Unstoppable.”

JOE: “It’s Been a Helluva Ride.”

SOMETHING WE’D NEVER GUESS ABOUT YOU

KRISTEN: “I love to play Mario video games.”

JOE: “Keep guessing!”

On the Web: www.TheSinsCountry.com

On Twitter: @TheSinsCountry

NEW ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: The Sins Country

By Bob Doerschuk

JJ Lawhorn – CMA New Artist Spotlight

July 30, 2013 Leave a comment

JJ Lawhorn

Many artists draw from their background, but the music of 19-year-old JJ Lawhorn goes deeper, to embody the sights and sounds, aromas and soul, of rural America.

Raised on his family’s Virginia farm, he never dreamed of knocking on doors up and down Music Row. His plan was to study agriculture at Virginia Tech and devote his life to farming. Then, in the spring of 2010, producer Jeremy Stover came across a Lawhorn performance on YouTube. He tracked the young artist down; within a year, Lawhorn had signed with EMI Publishing and, in June 2011, to Average Joes Entertainment.

Produced by Stover and released on July 16, the 13 tracks of Original Good Ol’ Boy sound the way hay smells and the world looks from the bed of a pickup truck. Lawhorn wrote three of these songs alone and co-wrote the rest, investing each one with the kind of authenticity you can’t conjure in the studio. Some of this stems from his delivery: He drawls “count” as two syllables and nearly stretches “around” to three on his solo-written single “Stomping Grounds.”

And his lyrics are extraordinarily evocative, often beginning with a snapshot-like picture: “Red clay mud caked up on the door” brings us close to the vehicle and its no-nonsense driver on “You Can Tell a Man by His Truck” (written by Lawhorn, Stover and Ben Hayslip).

Ultimately, it’s the whole package — the rough-edged music, the painterly words and Lawhorn’s conviction — that makes this a most auspicious debut.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

DREAM DUET PARTNER

“Alison Krauss or Chris Stapleton.”

SONG YOU WISH YOU’D WRITTEN

“‘Silver Wings,’ by Merle Haggard.”

TITLE OF YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY

“The Road Less Traveled.”

YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGE

“The only challenge I have is to be all that I can be.”

LUCKY CHARM

“I don’t believe in luck. I believe in God’s plan for my life.”

On the Web: www.JJLawhornMusic.com

On Twitter: @JJLawhornMusic