Georgi Krastev – “Mountain Mare”
-If you’ve been around my writing for any length of time, you know I love some good gentle fingerpicking acoustic guitar work. This song fits that mold beautifully. There’s also some delicate vocal harmonies that follow, making it a good fit for the sound we’ve been curating here at EarToTheGround for over a decade. The piano plays an important role in this song as well, delivering soft chords in the background that provide a base for the vocal harmonies to rest. This is a composition style that brings together a gentle sentimentality, which is perfect for the lyrical message about coping with lost, trying to be a “hopeful man” in the wake of the pain.
MacLaine – “Beach Read”
-I’ve been a sucker for this type of delicate vocal work for years now and MacLaine brings a gentleness in the sound that absolutely melts me. I have listened to the track several times now and I’m pretty sure I’ve smiled every time. The line “I have lost you but I had found myself again” is so poignant and meaningful. It’s a track about self expression and discovery, all capturing this sentiment of needing to go through pain to get to where we need to be. I appreciate the blend of love, care, and ultimately existentialism that comes through in this meaningful folk piece. The vocal wins it over for me, but the lyrical reflection is worth engaging in as well.
Frances Whitney – “Going Somewhere”
-When you click play on this song, you’re going to need to just sit down and pay attention. In what might be the best single line in a song I’ve heard so far in 2025, Whitney writes, “well, I quit booze ’cause I drank it like holy water.” What a line! And then it’s followed with this similar power line, “But I’m scared weed might be taking it’s place at the altar.” Whitney has an incredible voice and the easy going folk vibe of the track is really well done. This whole composition is on another level. The elements of personal, confessional sincerity here remind me of great artists like David Ramirez and Jason Isbell in their ability to call out pain. It’s an outstanding track that is musically satisfying while being lyrically an absolute tour de force. I might be writing about this one again at the end of the year.
Image courtesy: Frances Whitney IG
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