tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35542916765647328742024-02-08T13:51:10.358+11:00Jolene: The Country Music BlogSophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.comBlogger602125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-18950906313238393042018-02-04T08:40:00.001+11:002018-02-04T08:40:11.250+11:00A new homeAfter several years on this platform, Jolene: The Country Music Blog has moved to Wordpress. The entire site content is on the new platform, but this original Blogger site will remain as an archive.
Thank you to the thousands and thousands of readers who have visited this website - I hope you will join me at the new site!
https://jolenethecountrymusicblog.wordpress.com is the Wordpress Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-5390506539741191372018-02-02T09:31:00.005+11:002018-02-02T09:36:28.572+11:00Single release: 'Your Anything At All' by Imogen Clark
In mid 2016 Imogen Clark release an impressive debut album, Love & Lovely Lies. Now she's released an impressive new single, 'Your Anything At All', from her upcoming second album, Collide, which will be available on 27 April.
Clark says of the new single, 'I wrote 'Your
Anything At All' in my head while on stage at one of my gigs. The song
covers defiance and confidence in the Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-21948600204777994262018-01-29T20:06:00.000+11:002018-01-29T20:06:02.900+11:00Interview: Dean Ray
Australian singer-songwriter Dean Ray won fans on the 2014 season of The X-Factor with his incredible voice - but his musical career started far earlier than that. Indeed, it started before he was born, as I found out when we spoke recently about Ray's second album, The Messenger, and other things. Originally from Queensland, Ray now lives in Melbourne and tours around the country.
Ray isSophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-61655473481254764162018-01-28T16:24:00.000+11:002018-01-28T16:24:56.101+11:00Single release: 'Always On My Mind' by Jessica Mauboy and Warren H Williams
The soundtrack albums for the Seven Network series The Secret Daughter have yielded several great new tracks from singer Jessica Mauboy, and the second season soundtrack contains a cracker in the form of a song made famous by a young lad named Elvis Presley and, later, by an older lad called Willie Nelson. On 'Always On My Mind' Jessica teams up with legendary country music performer Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-56472652617391820422018-01-28T16:05:00.001+11:002018-01-28T16:05:41.036+11:00Album news: Vacancy by Broads
This is actually old album news, as Vacancy by Melbourne duo Broads was released almost a year ago. But given that the internet facilitates serendipitous discoveries of all sorts, and albums are hypothetically available forever, I feel it's another better-late-than-never situation.
I first heard a Broads song on ABC Country online radio - a great place to discover new music, even when Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-5559063247765415062018-01-28T15:46:00.001+11:002018-01-28T15:51:44.438+11:00Album review: Rise by Amber Ikeman
American singer-songwriter Amber Ikeman grew up in the state of Florida then moved to live and work in Yellowstone National Park in Montana. This journey echoes that of Australian artist Harmony James, whose first album, Tailwind, was created while she was working on the Barkly Tableland in the Northern Territory, and just as the Barkly lefts its mark on James's music, so has Ikeman's state of Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-90062584659166719272018-01-14T21:30:00.000+11:002018-01-14T21:30:05.416+11:00Single release: 'Waiting for the Rain' by Alison Ferrier
Melbourne singer-songwriter musician Alison Ferrier has released the first single from her forthcoming third album, What She Knows (out 16 February). 'Waiting For The Rain’ is a laid-back yet gutsy country rock song that features some lovely pedal steel and Ferrier's warm, inviting voice.
Watch the video below or
www.alisonferrier.comSophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-3649101145470148502018-01-14T21:15:00.002+11:002018-01-14T21:15:12.590+11:00Single release: 'Insane' by Georgie Taylor
One of the observable effects of the CMAA Academy of Country Music in Tamworth is not only the level of professionalism amongst singers, musicians and songwriters in their twenties and older, but the emergence of artists in their teens. At least, that's my theory. By creating a culture of professional development within the Australian country music scene, the Academy has sent a signal - Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-4497378010472804652018-01-14T14:13:00.001+11:002018-01-14T14:13:42.790+11:00Jess Holland takes her Miss Demeanour to Tamworth
Singer-songwriter Jess Holland has a brand new album, Miss Demeanour, and she is launching it during the upcoming Tamworth Country Music Festival. Jess is a fantastic live performer, and the singles she's released so far from the album - including the latest, 'Australian Dreamer' - have built anticipation for a great new release. I had a chat to Jess about her launch show and other Tamworth Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-41416201911601586962018-01-09T22:22:00.001+11:002018-01-09T22:24:39.406+11:00Single release: 'That Ole Train' by Slim Dime
Melbourne duo Slim Dime have been working on a new album, and their original song 'That Ole Train' is the single released ahead of it.
Trains are a perennially favourite subject for a country song, with good reason: they invoke the possibilities of new places, new people and momentum into the future, all good elements for a song. On this track band members Chris Taylor and Jen Land give us a Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-30500350469487942002018-01-09T21:25:00.000+11:002018-01-09T21:25:04.140+11:00Single release: 'Wildflower Bruises' by Homegrown
'Wildflower Bruises' is the title track of a new six-track EP from Far North Queensland trio Homegrown, and it is a piece of utter loveliness. Siblings Katelyn, Liam and Kasey O'Donoghue (20, 18 and 15 years old respectively) share a a childhood of singing together; they released a five-track EP in 2016, and toured Australia throughout 2017. That history - and, no doubt, the family Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-81617380126031829702018-01-09T19:43:00.000+11:002018-01-09T19:43:19.254+11:00The Wolfe Brothers hit the road to Tamworth
After another massive year The Wolfe Brothers are taking their Let's Hit The Road Tour to the Tamworth Country Music Festival, playing one big show at Blazes Auditorium at West Tamworth Leagues Club on Wednesday 24 January at 8.30 p.m. They'll be supported by NZ sensation Jody Direen.
Towards the end of 2017 I caught guitarist Brodie Rainbird on a rare day off and found out what he and Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-18674753263226149042017-12-18T19:52:00.002+11:002017-12-18T19:52:55.387+11:00Interview: Jonny Taylor
Western Australian singer-songwriter Jonny Taylor has spent the last few years touring Australia and winning fans all over the country. Now he has a new album, Dig Deep, that showcases his phenomenal voice and his great songwriting skill. He is set to win even more fans once he kicks off his next round of touring at the Tamworth Country Musical Festival in January. It was my pleasure to Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-35167658916207533882017-12-10T08:13:00.001+11:002017-12-10T08:13:35.154+11:00Single release: 'Always' by Lucy Parle
Lucy Parle's name will likely be new to you, as it is to me - and that's because she's only 14 years old. But her new song, 'Always', is a heartfelt song that indicates that Parle is able to access a range of emotions for her work, and channel them into her writing and performance. Parle has a great country music voice, and that, combined with her obvious talent, is no doubt why she was crownedSophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-90098740009328625342017-12-10T07:52:00.003+11:002017-12-10T07:52:40.129+11:00Single release: 'See You Around' by I'm With Her
I was already a fan of American artist Sarah Jarosz when I found out about her new project, a band called I'm With Her that includes Sara Watkins and Aoife O'Donovan.
The women - who have several Grammy Awards and nine albums between them - had crossed paths over the years, but I’m With Her came together by happenstance for a performance at the 2014 Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Clearly they Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-47634069477624935352017-12-03T14:55:00.001+11:002017-12-03T14:55:19.439+11:00Single release: 'I Don't Wanna Grow Up' by Kora Naughton
Kora Naughton is sixteen years old but her music sounds like it's made by someone with a lot more life experience - and, no doubt, that is because Kora has already had a fair bit going on in her life.
In 2015, Kora found out that due to a serious spinal cord condition, she would have to give up her passion of cheerleading - a sport she had loved since she was seven years old. The condition Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-59129353441825926922017-12-03T14:16:00.002+11:002017-12-03T14:45:00.452+11:00Album news: The Western Saloon's Christmas Mix Tape
The Western Saloon is Western Australia's home of alt-country and Americana music - and Christmas has come early for country music fans, with the release of a very special Christmas Mix Tape featuring some of The Western Saloon's most festive performers.
Tracks include:
'Mele Kalikimaka' by Simone and Girlfunkle
'Silent Night' by J.A. Rogers
'So This Is Xmas' by the Lindsay Drive Choir
'Have Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-26020903053889999882017-12-03T11:07:00.002+11:002017-12-03T11:07:20.678+11:00Interview: Michael Rose
Australian singer-songwriter Michael Rose first played to audiences in the pub-rock scene in the 1970s. He took a break for a few years and has re-emerged with Give Back the Night, an album of very personal songs that can sometimes be confronting because they're so emotional. But that's all part of his drive to be honest in his music, and to connect with listeners, and the experience of Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-88530378492448727462017-11-28T21:46:00.000+11:002017-12-04T12:53:42.865+11:00Single release: 'Pity Me' by Paula Standing
This new song from South Australian artist Paula Standing evokes dusty roads, broken dreams, love gone wrong and revenge about to be taken. You know when a song contains a lyric about fluid being drained out a brake, something is about to turn bad ... Standing's narrator means business, and Standing sounds like the business as she sings the story.
Standing is a classically trained singer, Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-41970279352853259032017-11-28T21:33:00.001+11:002017-11-28T21:33:13.130+11:00Single release: 'Fall Apart' by The Sound of Ghosts
As more proof of my theory that some of the most interesting country music is coming out of Los Angeles, The Sound of Ghosts is a band that combines traditional country sounds with Americana with brass and some rock and blues. The result is the powerful, irresistible sound heard on their new single, 'Fall Apart' from their upcoming album Delivery & Departure, a song about being 'perfectly Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-18387170153587778902017-11-28T21:14:00.001+11:002017-11-28T21:14:31.753+11:00Single release: 'To Our Home' by Anais
Brisbanite (Brisvegan? Where are we landing on that these days?) Anais is 17 years old and has already had a life-changing moment thanks to social media. After placing second in the Ekka Country Music Showdown, she posted a photo on Instagram and was noticed by producers Will and Michelle Gawley of Lighthouse Records in Nashville. Despite initially thinking their message was a joke, Anais soon Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-36502697413794370082017-11-21T20:27:00.000+11:002017-11-21T20:27:04.237+11:00Album news: Wild & Free by Vanessa Delaine
New Zealand/Australian singer-songwriter Vanessa Delaine has released Wild & Free, a country-blues album that had its beginnings in the end of an 18-year relationship. It's likely not surprising, therefore, that this is a personal and somewhat confessional album - and from the sound of these songs, and Delaine's voice, she's doing just fine. As she sings on the third track, 'Good Advice', 'Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-64765193034106956312017-11-21T18:52:00.000+11:002017-11-21T18:56:03.651+11:00Single release: 'Got Me Fallin'' by Emily Markham
Emily Markham is from the South Coast of New South Wales, and played to audiences there recently when she opened for Amber Lawrence and Travis Collins on their Our Backyard tour. Emily's new single, 'Got Me Fallin'', can be found on her debut EP, Come on Over. It's a lovely song about the beginning of a relationship - with its great tempo and Markham's smooth voice, just the thing to play Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-62701726136116575002017-11-21T18:40:00.002+11:002017-11-21T18:40:58.446+11:00Album news: Aurora by Case Garrett The amount of music I'm being sent these days is far outstripping my ability to keep up - but instead of being paralysed by choice, I'm going to try to cover as much as of the good stuff as possible even if it means I can't always do a full album review, as these can take a few hours.
Which leads me to this very first 'album news' piece - not a review, but not not a review. A shorter review, if Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554291676564732874.post-11018534270834251952017-11-19T12:23:00.000+11:002017-11-21T07:57:30.490+11:00Single release: 'Learning to Let Go' by Josh Taerk
Josh Taerk is a Canadian singer-songwriter who was playing a show in his home town, Toronto, when he was spotted by Max Weinberg, the drummer for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. Impressed, Weinberg invited Josh to open for him at his sold-out show. That was in 2010, and since then Taerk has been writing, recording and performing - and steadily building his following. He released his Sophie Hamleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554843530841363328noreply@blogger.com0