Three of my favorite new folk songs, including a song of the year candidate

Hollow Coves – “Hello”
-This is not to be confused with Hello, Coves Hollow. It’s Hellow Caves, Helio. Howdy Cloves, Hell no. Wait… *ahem* No but seriously I love this song. There’s a calm, peaceful nature to the acoustic work. The lyrics are endearing and poetic, conjuring memories of some of my favorite people from my own life. That “wish I could go back and change it all” sentiment is pretty much accurate. I appreciate the welcoming, longing, sincerity of the lyrics and the beautiful vocal blending. I hope I get to hear this band live one day. When I meet them, I’ll say “Hello, Hollow Coves!”

Zan Fiskum – “Come Home”
-This song gives me chills in the “how can you see inside my soul” kind of way. Fiskum has an incredible vocal, which I’ve waxed poetic about in the past. But this song… there’s something different about it. It feels almost like a hymn or a piece of sacred writing. The romantic calling out to “Come Home” is absolutely stunning. The acoustic guitar is the perfect vehicle for delivering the message from Fiskum’s powerful and sincere vocal style. I’ve been listening to it for a week since I approved and am looking forward to revisiting it when I do my end of year lists in December. Fiskum’s warmth and sincerity is sure to charm and win over a lot of our readers.

Alexandra Grace – “Medicine”
-There’s an earthy, rootedness to this song that makes it feel like something that would make Emmylou Harris smile. The beautiful connection between what feels like an Americana/country tradition with vintage folk sentimentality really works well on this track. The articulate vocal style seems like a voice I’ve been hearing my whole life. I wish I could put my finger on exactly who Grace reminds me of, but at this point I’m just so happy to be charmed by this new discovery. It’s a careful and harmonious composition, begging the attention of fans of the Joni Mitchell era of classic folk music.

Image courtesy: Zan Fiskum IG