Rochelle Mills

Rochelle Mills

Review: ‘Overground’ – Police Dog Hogan

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This is a band that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing live a couple of times, born entertainers that do well on the festival circuit however their studio recordings capture that energy that they bring to the stage and showcases their musicianship as a unit. Overground features some lyrical gems in the form of ‘Here Comes Crow’ and ‘Funfair On Shepherd’s Bush Green’, the latter of which is a wonderful storytelling song which paints a clear picture in the listeners mind with it’s beautiful imagery. Meanwhile, ‘Here Comes crow’ is a slightly haunting number, the use of the instruments here, to compliment the lyrical themes, is innovative, particularly that fiddle part that starts the song off. ‘I Need Your Love’ is powerful yet simple whereas ‘Kathleen O’Hare’, again, showcases the ability of the band to tell a good story. To conclude, after a long, enforced hiatus off the road due to the pandemic, the band have been busy plugging away, crafting what is arguably their best collection of songs to date and I can’t wait to see them bring these stories to life in a live setting once more. 

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Review: ‘Be a Better Me’ – George Ensle

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This is a fantastic Texas folk record and a good one to add to any music fan’s collection. Ensle’s storytelling lyrics coupled with his fingerpicking guitar style set the scene for an intimate and authentic foundation. A laid-back, raw vocal style delivers the 11-song collection, which takes you on a journey. The title track opens the album, it’s a positive introduction with an inspiring message. His writing draws on everyday experiences as is shown on ‘$1.65’ where he humanises the plight of a homeless man, and gives him the titular sum without judgement or questioning. It’s a beautiful song with another lesson to be learnt from it’s lyrics. There’s a live feel about the whole record which is stripped back with an authentic instrumentation. It’s well produced to capture the realness and down to earth nature of Ensle and his songs. The closing track is the bouncy, ‘Down by the Riverside’ a toe-tappingly good ending to a strong record from Ensle. 

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Review: ‘Good To Be’ – Keb Mo

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After celebrating fifty years in the industry, country blues icon, Keb Mo, returns with the Compton-meets-Nashville, genre defying ‘Good To Be’. The record is a celebration of his roots and of his growth as an artist over the years. From the laid-back title track, the whole record oozes with a sense of optimism and the five time GRAMMY award winning singer’s soulful vocals have never sounded better. Keb Mo is joined by some special guests on a couple of tracks, he teams up with Darius Rucker on stand out song ‘Good Strong Woman’, the pedal steel soars as the pair celebrate the influence of true love. Meanwhile, he is joined by Kristin Chenoweth on the intimate closing track, ‘Quiet Moments’ a vulnerability creeping into his voice, the strings beautifully complementing the feeling and emotions that the song portrays. It’s a brilliant record from Keb Mo where, even when he tackles more difficult topics, such as social justice on the track ‘Louder’, he finds a way to appreciate what he has, celebrating the present and that’s exactly what a lot of us need to listen and learn from. 

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Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton releases first track from ‘Run, Rose, Run’

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Country music icon, Dolly Parton, has announced the upcoming release of her latest album, Run, Rose, Run, out this March 4th. The album, out on Butterfly Records in partnership with Ingrooves/UMG, is the companion project to an original novel, Run, Rose, Run, co-authored by James Patterson and Parton releasing on March 7th. The album will be available on all digital streaming platforms and for digital download, as well as in CD, standard vinyl and some special vinyl color variants. Pre-order for the Run, Rose, Run Album available now. Pre-order for the Run, Rose, Run novel available here.  It was through the writing process of Run, Rose, Run with Patterson that Parton was inspired to write, record and produce the companion album to the story. Co-produced by Richard Dennison and Tom Rutledge, the Run, Rose, Run Album mirrors the story of a young woman who leaves home for Nashville, TN to pursue her music-making dreams and the dark secret from her past that threatens it all. Set to the Country/Americana/Bluegrass sounds that are intrinsically woven into Parton, this album provides an even deeper and more relatable sense of the novel – giving the audience an all-encompassing experience on and off the page. In addition to announcing her upcoming album, Parton has released the first track and lyric video from Run, Rose, Run, “Big Dreams and Faded Jeans.” “So many people come to Nashville with their sack of songs,” says Parton. “Whether they’re running from anything or not, they’re running towards a future. That’s what ‘Big Dreams and Faded Jeans’ is all about. I am so pleased to finally share the first song from this exciting new album with all of you!” In partnership with the release of the Run, Rose, Run album, Parton has once again teamed-up with Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams for a second run of her wildly popular, “Dolly’s Strawberry Pretzel Pie” ice cream. An allocated portion of the proceeds from the flavor’s sales will go to Parton’s beloved literacy program, The Imagination Library. Jeni’s will also offer customers and Dolly fans an exclusive, special edition of the digital album which will feature an exclusive bonus track, “Rose Of My Heart,” for a limited time only at jenis.com. To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Maren Morris to release new album ‘Humble Quest’ March 25th

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Grammy-winning superstar Maren Morris’ new album, Humble Quest, is slated for release on 25th March via Sony Nashville. The album features lead single, “Circles Around This Town,” released last week. Fans can pre-save/pre-order the album now from HERE! Maren began writing the songs on Humble Quest in the beginning of the pandemic as a series of major life changes unfolded—new motherhood, an upended career, the death of beloved friend and collaborator Michael Busbee and more, further compounded by lockdown. She felt control over life quickly slipping until she had a freeing realization—she was never in control in the first place. It’s from this place of personal truth and clarity amid darkness that Maren’s most genuine songs yet began to flow, creating an important distraction from the times rather than a snapshot of them. Maren found herself reckoning with humility in ways she’d never imagined as she thought about how the goal of appearing humble puts artists, especially women, in a box with unrealistic demands to keep them small. Humble Quest documents Maren’s journey to redefining humility on her own terms as a grounded state of understanding one’s own truth rather than the capacity to appear authentic to others. Produced by frequent collaborator Greg Kurstin (Adele, Paul McCartney, Foo Fighters) and written alongside her husband Ryan Hurd, Julia Michaels, Jimmy Robbins, Natalie Hemby, Laura Veltz and Jon Green on Busbee’s piano, Humble Quest finds Maren on a journey to embrace the imperfections in her life through snapshots of her rises and falls, overshares, lullabies, wine-soaked conversations with one old friend and a final goodbye to another one. “Am I humble enough now?” Maren asks herself sometimes. “Maybe. Or maybe I still haven’t found it yet. Or maybe, who cares as long as your friends and, most importantly, you know what your heart is all about? But here’s to taking the quest to find out.” To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Michael Ray Earns Fourth No. 1 Single with “Whiskey And Rain”

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  At age 8, Michael Ray’s grandfather taught him his first guitar chords. Listening nonstop to Merle Haggard and George Jones as a kid, he fell in love with intricate stories sung by legends. Determined to make his own distinct contributions to the genre, Ray made a mission of sharing his deep appreciation for traditional Country music while pushing the format forward, leading to his fourth No. 1 single “Whiskey And Rain.” “I owe this one to the fans who love Country music just as much as I do,” shares the Florida-native. “I knew when I first heard this song, it embodied everything I love about Country music, and I hoped people would find it as relatable and personal as I do. “The support for ‘Whiskey And Rain’ has been so overwhelming and exciting,” Ray continues, “I can’t think of a better way to gear up for 2022 than this: celebrating with a song that’s so special to me.” “Whiskey And Rain” was written by Josh Thompson and Jesse Frasure and released as the lead single from his seven-song collection Higher Education. To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Caitlyn Smith

Caitlyn Smith releases Monarch theme tune ‘The Card You Gamble’

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Country singer-songwriter Caitlyn Smith’s latest single “The Card You Gamble” (Arista Records/Monument Records), the theme from highly-anticipated new US TV series MONARCH, is available now. Stream it HERE! Caitlyn will visit the UK in March to perform at the prestigious CMA Songwriters Series on March 10 at Indigo at The O2, part of the C2C (Country To Country) festival. Look out for more live shows to be announced. With a penchant for storytelling, The New York Times boasts Smith “has a striking voice of her own…with glimmers of both the girl-next-door naturalism of Sheryl Crow and the way ward attack of Sia,” while NPR declares “Caitlyn Smith has a voice that grabs you the first time you hear it,” all while being an in-demand songwriter who has had cuts by Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Jason Aldean, Miley Cyrus, Meghan Trainor, John Legend and more. “To jump into a song like “The Card You Gamble” that has so much drama, suspense and mystery was such a fun experience,” says the Minnesotan. “I love that the Love Junkies wrote the song almost as its own character in the show. The music is so central to the storytelling in MONARCH, and I’m just excited and honoured to be a part of it.” Produced by three-time GRAMMY Award nominee and series executive music producer Adam Anders and co-producer Peer Åström, “The Card You Gamble” was written by The Love Junkies – Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose. “The Love Junkies wrote an amazing song that encompasses the themes of our show both lyrically and musically, but stands on its own legs,” shares Anders. “Caitlyn’s voice perfectly matches the sonic landscape that Peer and I wanted to create.” To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Maren Morris

Maren Morris releases new song ‘Circles Around This Town’

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Grammy-winning superstar Maren Morris shares a new single today, “Circles Around This Town,” alongside a music video directed by Harper Smith. The song was written by Maren and frequent collaborators Ryan Hurd, Julia Michaels and Jimmy Robbins and produced by Greg Kurstin. More music from Maren is imminent. Maren says: “I could see the visuals for ‘Circles Around This Town’ the moment I wrote the song. I’ve always been so inspired by the industrial, blown out colors of music videos from the 90s, so Harper Smith and I wanted the aesthetics of this video to reflect that grainy, devil-may-care attitude of all my females heroes from that era: Sheryl, Fiona, Alanis. Obviously, having a penchant for the nostalgic, we decided to recreate my teenage bedroom and pin old photos of me as a kid on the walls and have me typing on an old PC computer. I knew I didn’t want to take anything too seriously in this video, so all our amplified ‘signs of the universe’ are purposefully campy, but they also ask the viewer, ‘Is the universe actually showing you signs or do you just know when you need to make a real change?’ ‘Circles Around This Town’ is my story, so I felt like I truly got to relive my journey from Texas to Nashville again.” Furthemore, Maren is nominated for two Grammy awards this year: Best Country Song for “Better Than We Found It” and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Chasing After You,” the #1, Platinum-certified collaboration with her husband Ryan Hurd. One of music’s brightest stars, Maren released her massively acclaimed, record-shattering album GIRL in 2019, one of country’s most celebrated albums that year which spawned smash hits including the four times Platinum-certified, Grammy-nominated “The Bones;” and the Platinum-certified #1 title track. Maren won 2021 ACM Awards for Female Artist of the Year—for the second year in a row—and Song of the Year and three trophies at the 2020 CMA Awards. GIRL arrived three years after Maren’s breakout, Platinum-certified debut album HERO, for which she won countless accolades including Grammy, ACM and CMA Awards. To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton kicks off 2022 with 47 Gold and Platinum certifications from around the world

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Proving that seven decades into her unprecedented career new ground continues to be charted, Dolly Parton is presented with a staggering 47 new sales certifications from around the world to kick off the New Year. Already awarded a plaque from the RIAA in 2014 for over 100 million units sold worldwide, these new honors show continued engagement in Parton’s extensive catalog. “I’ve often said that my songs are like my children, and I expect them to support me later in my life. Well, it looks like they are doing just that!” proclaims Parton. “I am so humbled to have been surprised with this incredible collection of certifications from around the world. I owe a big thank you to my fans, old and new, who continue to be there for me year after year. This is a wonderful way to kick off 2022!” The new awards presented cover certifications from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Norway, Finland & Sweden. To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Dolly Parton teams up with Kelsea Ballerini for ‘Run, Rose, Run’ Audiobook

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It was announced over the festive period that Kelsea Ballerini will voice one of the characters in the Audiobook version of ‘Run, Rose, Run’ – Dolly Parton’s first novel which she penned with best selling author, James Patterson. The novel comes out on March 7th and will be accompanied by a 12 track album of original songs written, recorded and produced by Parton. It’s an enthralling read which centres around aspiring country singer AnnieLee Keyes, the character Ballerini will portray, as she moves to Nashville to pursue her dreams and escape her dark past. Once there she is guided by country music veteran Ruthanna Ryder, who will be portrayed by Dolly herself. “I think our fans are going to love hearing us in a totally different way than they’re used to,” Parton said in a release. “And they’re going to love following our characters on their unpredictable journeys through the Nashville music scene and beyond.” “Working on a creation from the ever-brilliant mind of Dolly Parton has to be a dream job for anyone, especially as a young artist in country music,” Ballerini said in a statement. “And as a writer myself, to be asked to join this project that is also a collaboration with James Patterson—another incredible storyteller not to mention bestselling author—has been truly thrilling.” ‘Run, Rose, Run’, it’s accompanying Audiobook and album will be released on March 7th! To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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