Song reviews

There are a lot of sassy women in country music these days and Lauren Freebird duly adds herself to that roster with “Like A Bomb” being infused with both a bourbon for breakfast attitude and make your own dinner lyrics.

Much as I hate to admit it, I liked this song. “Qrange Turned To Blue” sounds like it should be carried on the wind with Melanie Stevens doing the whole heart on her sleeve lyric thing with some style. Nice voice too.

“When Youth Was Wasted” is infused with that seventies singer songwriter vibe and is none the worse for that with Dover Lynn Fox throwing in some literate lyrics before taking her song to the bridge. This one is indeed easy on the ear.

Another song with coffee shop sensibilities, “Karen’s Couch” makes a convincing case for another cappuccino as Her Skin turns up the guitars and mixes in enough angst ridden lyrics to make you want more.

There’s nothing wrong with heart on your sleeve lyrics and Angela Chambers duly adds a healthy amount of them to her song “Say It To My Face” to provide some necessary counterpoint to the plastic production.

I remember catching The Hedrons at a bar in Glasgow some years ago and recall them as being a rather boisterous band. “Human”, however, is mellow middle of the road rock that is surely destined to be added to a Radio 2 playlist. Nice.

Delicately presented and infused with wistful words and fey melody, “Lately” is the kind of song that pretty much defines ear candy. Mared walks down the sentimental path with this song but you nonetheless want to follow her.

Not a song to induce a smile, “How Rude” nonetheless rolls along with a notable amount of intensity and purpose. Brume are indeed bleak mixed with dark clouds and power chords yet they have a poise that makes it all worthwhile

Monsieur Minimal makes interesting use of middle eastern rhythms to keep his entirely instrumental song “Anatolia” moving along at a spirited pace on its way to a vaguely psychedelic destination. It’s a trippy thing.

Having done the time travelling thing in search of musical inspiration, Lenexa Drive duly put on their best pop punk shoes and kick their song “Fading Echoes” around the room with considerable gusto. It’s a nineties power chord thing.

Old school rock never goes out of fashion and “Red Light Rumble” by Barrel Smoke duly fires up the proverbial tour bus and takes it out on to the road once more. There are guitars aplenty, as you might expect, and the song improves with beer and volume.

“The Drugs Are Working” runs deeper than its title might suggest with Hook pulling some solid rock moves together, with a guitar solo of course, to remind us all that music of our fathers is not dead yet. Works well with beer too.