Abby Webster – “I Wanna Live!”
-If you’re a fan of traditional country music sounds, this track definitely connects. The banjo is absolutely excellent. The lyrics have this hard edge to them, encountering drinking and smoking again. It’s about having a “hard time being a person.” It’s easy to focus only on music that talks about having made it, having arrived in some enlightened state. But you know what? Most of us are much more like this… we want to live and forgive ourselves, but we gravitate towards these things that numb us out of our own lives. I appreciate how someone like Hank Williams or Townes van Zandt would love a tune like this. It’s so raw and real. We’re happy to support it.
The Burney Sisters – “Elaine”
-There’s a light-hearted energy to the strumming on this track that pulls the listener in right away. Once the vocal starts, though, the song has this beautiful juxtaposition of melancholy sentiment and bright, wonderful vocals. The steel guitar adds an additional layer of production depth that feels both “old time” as well as crisp in the sound. I’m not sure what compositional magic is happening on the chorus, but it makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck with all of those good feelings. The lyrics are complex, highlighting this message of emotional harshness, “Elaine, that’s life… get over it.” If you’ve grown up in a similar culture, you know how abrasive and challenging this can be. It’s also quintessentially indicative of the hard-backed folks that forged country music history. I love all of the layers of this song, both with its musicality as well as the lyrical work. This one is a gem and I’m so glad to have it on our site.
Image courtesy: Abby Webster IG
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