Listen to the wind blow – a folk set for this chilly December

The Heart Of – “A Long December”
-This haunting composition is sure to win a lot of fans for The Heart Of. The mix is delightfully simple. The lead vocal is absolutely stunning, which pulls in the listener immediately. The tone of the vocal dances brightly with the traditional piano in the background. The guitar is the mortar pulling it all together. This is a stunner. Give it a spin.

Alex Bayly – “Animal”
-Bayly’s songwriting is quintessential ETTG. This is the kind of music that is precisely why I became a blogger. The quality oozes from the vocal to the production. It’s all really good, with connotations of Bon Iver and subtle singer songwriters like Iron and Wine. This is a delightful track that should be on rotation for folk playlists for the foreseeable future.

Anna Nalick – “As time goes by”
-If you watched the PBS special on Country Music, you know it’s rare to find this kind of haunting folk country music any time in the past 30 years. But here we meet the female equivalent of the Colter Wall sound. Nalick’s sound feels like you’ve unearthed some type of early 50s gem from a stack of vinyl. Her vibrato will cut clear into your soul. The song feels like the heart of a real live woman, worn bare for all of us to see. It’s breathtaking.

Ron Pope – “Habits”
-Ron Pope is one of those artists that I only found recently (somehow) but my friends seemed to know about him for years now. I was happy to discover his thoughtful songwriting and clear production. This track is about self improvement and being aware of who you are as a person. It’s a nice little pop country ditty that deserves a spot here to make you smile.

Lee DeWyze – “Castles”
-Dewyze has a wonderful style. I can’t quite draw any comparisons here, but I know that I love the composition. The vocal harmonies that enter the track made me stop in my tracks. As soon as I heard the blending of the quality guitar work and the vocal harmonies, I knew I’d be a fan of DeWyze for a very long time. This is such soulful music, it feels like a slice of home wrapping a blanket around my heart. I didn’t even grow up in a castle!