Wednesday, June 30, 2021

NEWS |Suzie Ungerleider Releases Touching New Single 'Summerbaby'



Two-time Juno Award nominee Suzie Ungerleider has shared a brand new single, titled 'Summerbaby', from her upcoming 10th studio album My Name Is Suzie Ungerleider due out on August 13th, 2021 on MVKA.

Recounting the story of the birth of her daughter, Suzie reveals in poetic form the anxiety she faced due to an early birth, and the relief she felt after her safe arrival, 'This tells the story of my gratitude for her miraculous survival. She was due in October but instead arrived three months early, in July, making her a summer baby. She weighed just 2 pounds 12 ounces. A wee frog-like creature who was scrappy from day one. Just hours after she was born, there were dozens of hot air balloons floating outside my window - perfectly symbolic of the elation that I felt. I wrote this song as a birthday gift for her ten years after she was born'.

'Summerbaby' follows the three previous singles 'Baby Blues', 'Mount Royal', and 'Pumpkins', all featuring on her forthcoming album. The record officially opens a new chapter of her already distinguished and highly successful career, being the first release since the artist formerly known as Oh Susanna announced that she would now record and perform under her birth name.

Bursting with trademark evocative melodies and trenchant lyrics, My Name Is Suzie Ungerleider is the tenth solo studio album by the American-born, Canadian-raised artist revered for such landmark records as Johnstown, Sleepy Little Sailor and A Girl in Teen City. Now based once more in her hometown of Vancouver, the album was made with producer Jim Bryson (Kathleen Edwards, Kalle Mattson, Skydiggers), whose assured touch amplifies the atmospheric dreamscapes contained in Suzie's reflective, intimate songbook.

The decision to say 'so long' to her long-time moniker Oh Susanna represents her recognition that the 'exciting, dark, funny, charming' character that she thought was Oh Susanna was actually Suzie Ungerleider (pronounced Unger-lye-der) all along. 'So here I am, leaving behind the trappings of a persona that gave me the courage to climb up onstage and reveal what is in my heart,' she reflects. 'It once protected me, but I need to take it off so I can be all of who I am.'

The name change is both a personal and political decision, fuelled by her realisation that 'Oh Susanna,' the Stephen Foster song of 1848, contained racist imagery and a belief system that she wanted no part of. She came to understand its historic associations to Minstrelsy, a tradition both demeaning and dehumanising to black people. Leaving Oh Susanna behind, she's become her true self with a wonderful record that marks a fresh beginning, a collection of new compositions that refresh and redefine who Suzie Ungerleider is.

The new album is introduced by the characteristically searing 'Baby Blues,' a song about how the traumatic events we witness when we're young can haunt and indeed shape our older selves. It's a deep subject with an upbeat punchline. 'Like ghosts,' she says, 'sometimes you just need to just sit with them, feel their power, and, because they feel seen, they release their hold on you for a little while.' Elsewhere, the album depicts an older and wiser artist and mother sometimes writing for her daughter, both at the time of her dramatically premature birth and miraculous survival on the achingly pretty 'Summerbaby' and, now a teenager herself, courageously dealing with her own identity on the intimate ‘Hearts,’ on which mountains of blue watch over her.

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Connect with Suzie here!

Monday, June 28, 2021

NEWS | Gary Allan Celebrates Release of Highly-Anticipated New Album 'Ruthless'

Multi-platinum-selling country music renegade Gary Allan is back with his highly-anticipated new studio album Ruthless out now via Snakefarm Records in the UK!  

The California native marks his return to the country music spotlight with the stunning 13-track album produced by Allan along with veteran producers Mark Wright, Tony Brown, Greg Droman and Jay Joyce. Ruthless, one of Allan’s most commanding albums to date, features exceptional songwriting, and superb instrumentation, and Allan’s unique gift for storytelling, wrapped in his passion for 80s and 90s musical influences. The album also finds Gary collaborating with some of Nashville's top songwriters including Hillary Lindsey, the late Busbee, Shane McAnally, Nicolle Galyon, Ross Ellis, Ryan Hurd, Jim Beavers, Blair Daly, The Warren Brothers and more. Listen to/purchase the album here.

'This is a montage of everything I have done since my last album,' Allan says of Ruthless. 'It’s what I love. I remain influenced by the ‘90s -- as well as by the ‘80s. Twenty-six tracks were cut for this album. Then I went back to the studio and recorded three or four more tracks. Then I returned for two more. From each of these many sessions, I pulled out the cool stuff that I wanted on the record.'


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For more information, visit garyallan.com.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

NEWS | CHASE RICE RE-IMAGINES 'THE ALBUM' WITH STRIPPED-BACK VERSIONS OF ALL 15 SONGS


Following the recent release of his brand-new project, The Album, multi-Platinum entertainer Chase Rice has stripped back all 15 songs for a reimagined version of the record on The Album (Acoustic), available now.

The journey of The Album first began in early 2020, when Rice surprised fans with a diverse collection of music, mixing heartland six strings and keys with EDM-laced drama. As the year progressed and Rice returned to his roots with an acoustic guitar while spending time off the road, he was inspired to reimagine the project in a whole new way.

'As we all slowed down this year, I found myself gravitating back to how it all began for me – writing songs with just myself and a guitar,' notes Rice. 'I started sharing videos of me playing some of the new music that way and fans really loved it, so that inspired me to go back to each song and create these acoustic versions, which give The Album a whole new perspective.'

Included among the 15 tracks is Rice’s current single 'Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen. (feat. Florida Georgia Line),' which holds the distinction of Rice’s fastest trip to the Top 10 at Country radio thus far in his career and marks his fifth Top 10 to date.

Rice, joined by FGL’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, recently sat down with Ashley Eicher to discuss the magic of the song as well as their storied musical history together, including as co-writers of FGL’s Diamond-certified and then-record 24-week No. 1 smash hit, 'Cruise.'

'We haven’t done music together in 10 years,' notes Rice when describing the decision to collaborate again on the new track, nearly a decade after co-writing the 11x Platinum hit, 'and all of a sudden it all comes back around for guys who literally lived in a house together and were just trying to figure it out for themselves.'

'We called it the 'fun house,' just to sum it up in two words. We had a whole lot of fun, we played a lot of music, we drank a lot of beer and talked a lot of God,' laughs Hubbard. 'Honestly, that’s sort of why this song resonates so much for all of us. We were all kind of finding ourselves as adults, but we were also really grounded in who we were, in our faith, in our passions, in what we were pursuing, in what we loved — so it was fun just doing it all together when we were green as could be and had nothing to lose.'

'It was a nonstop creative house,' adds Kelley. 'There were so many days when we wrote so many songs, and then we’d get ready to go out and we’d be making up more songs and keeping the whole creative flow going. That’s hard to replicate… We try to somewhat re-create it when we’re writing songs and hanging out, but in those early days we couldn’t get away from songwriting and I still feel like that’s in us.'


The Album / The Album (Acoustic) Track List:

(Produced by Chris DeStefano & Chase Rice unless otherwise noted)

1.   American Nights (Kevin Griffin, Martin Johnson, Francois Tetaz; produced by Martin Johnson)

2.   Lonely If You Are (Chase Rice, Lindsay Rimes, Hunter Phelps)

3.   Everywhere (Chase Rice, Zachary Kale, James McNair; produced by Zachary Kale)

4.   Best Night Ever (Chase Rice, Chris DeStefano, Matt Jenkins)

5.   Messy (Seth Ennis, Kylie Sackley)

6.   In The Car (Chase Rice, Jesse Rice, Hunter Phelps, Mark Holman)

7.   Forever To Go (Jordan Minton, Casey Brown, Geoffrey Warburton; produced by Casey Brown)

8.   You (Chase Rice, Jon Nite, Zach Kale)

9.   Break. Up. Drunk. (Chase Rice, Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt)

10. Down Home Runs Deep (Daniel Ross, Michael Hardy, Mike Walker, James McNair)

11. Belong (Chase Rice, Chris DeStefano, Jon Nite)

12. The Nights (Chase Rice, Zach Kale, James McNair; produced by Zach Kale)

13. Bedroom (Chase Rice, Jon Nite, Jimmy Robbins; produced by Corey Crowder)

14. If I Didn’t Have You (Chase Rice, Channing Wilson, Jonathan Singleton; produced by Jimmy Robbins & Jonathan Singleton)

15. Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen. (feat. Florida Georgia Line) (Chase Rice, Hunter Phelps, Cale Dodds, Corey Crowder; produced by Chase Rice, Florida Georgia Line & Corey Crowder)

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For more information about Chase, visit chaserice.com.

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

NEWS | CASSADEE POPE'S LATEST SINGLE 'WHAT THE STARS SEE' GETS THE OFFRAMI TREATMENT


Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, Cassadee Pope, is kicking off the next chapter in her musical evolution by blending the two genres of music closest to her heart – the energetic angst of her pop-punk days and the soulful songwriting and storytelling of Country music. Cassadee’s latest single, 'What The Stars See' featuring Karen Fairchild and Lindsay Ell, is an explosive anthem for anyone who's been curious about an ex and wishing to get a glimpse of their life from a more celestial perspective.

Available now, 'What The Stars See,' gets a vibe check from acclaimed Electronic/Dance producer, offrami. The mid-tempo dance cut of the track provides a whole new mood to the already powerful song just in time for summer! Listen to it HERE.

'To take a song from its original form and transform it into a completely different atmosphere takes such talent,' says Pope. “offrami did an amazing job of breathing a new energy into  'What The Stars See.' He has given it a new life and I’m so excited for fans to have this version to rock out to now!'

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For more information about Cassadee visit cassadeepope.com, and keep up to date via her Twitter.

Monday, June 21, 2021

NEWS | BOI RELEASE BRAND NEW ALBUM 'CORON O CHWINC' THIS FRIDAY


Welsh Alt-Rock band BOI are all set to release their brand new debut album entitled Coron O Chwinc via new Welsh independent label Recordiau Crwn on Friday 25th June 2021.

BOI have been playlisted several times on BBC Radio Cymru since releasing their first single back in April, and have had heavy radio support from Adam Walton, Rhys Mwyn, Lisa Gwilym, Huw Stephens, Sian Eleri on BBC Radio, Artrocker Radio, WFMU, KX FM, Bombshell Radio and CISM FM Montreal.

BOI create a big, melodic, unapologetically drum and guitar driven sound, with lyrics and melodies that explore the big issues of our times and the human state. The 10 songs off Coron O Chwinc were recorded in various spaces around Wales, and were then mixed in the capable hands of Dafydd Ieuan (Super Furry Animals).

Stay tuned to For The Record UK for more news about this release! 


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Stay up to date with all things BOI by giving them a follow on Twitter.

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

NEWS | TENILLE TOWNES SET TO RELEASE NEW SONG 'GIRL WHO DIDN’T CARE'


Critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Tenille Townes will release her new song, 'Girl Who Didn’t Care' on June 25th via Columbia Nashville in partnership with RCA Records. 

Pre-Save/Pre-Add “Girl Who Didn’t Care” HERE.

'Something happens to all of us at some point in our lives when we start noticing the cracks. We start realizing that we care about what somebody else thinks. That we want to belong and be accepted, and we’re scared we won’t be,' Townes says about the new song. 

'We start measuring our worth against everything else around us. Childhood innocence doesn’t just wait around. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. But the wonder? I think that’s always a part of us if we want to remember it.'

Townes wrote 'Girl Who Didn’t Care' with David Pramik and Steph Jones, and with its release on June 25th, Townes begins the next chapter of her artistic career, almost a full year to the day, from when she released her debut album The Lemonade Stand (June 26th, 2020), an album that most recently was awarded the Country Album of the Year at the 50th Annual JUNO Awards. 

In addition, The Lemonade Stand received glowing mentions from Billboard, People, Rolling Stone Country, American Songwriter, Paste, Forbes, as well as earning Townes performance slots with artists Miranda Lambert, Alan Jackson, Dierks Bentley, and Little Big Town. She will join Brothers Osborne this summer and fall for their We’re Not for Everyone Tour

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For more information on Tenille visit TenilleTownes.com, and follow her on Twitter.

Monday, June 14, 2021

WATCH | INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS UNITE TO CELEBRATE 'OVERCOMING BARRIERS' IN NEW INSPIRING MUSIC VIDEO

 


An inspiring performance of the Des’ree hit by 13 world-class artists from 9 countries in the latest True Colors Festival video.

Artists include Mandy Harvey, whose performance on America’s Got Talent earned Simon Cowell’s Golden Buzzer; Raul Midón, a Grammy-nominee who devoted his life to music after being told that blindness would make it impossible; Kenta Kambara, an accomplished aerial performer and dancer who performed in the 2016 Rio 2016 Paralympics closing ceremony; Signmark, the first deaf artist to be signed to a major record label; and Aliènette Coldfire, who placed third in France’s Got Talent.


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Find out more about True Colors Festival HERE.

NEWS | SINGER-SONGWRITER SUZIE UNGERLEIDER SHARES 'PUMPKINS'


Two-time Juno Award nominee Suzie Ungerleider has shared the official video for her brand new single, titled 'Pumpkins', from her upcoming 10th studio album My Name Is Suzie Ungerleider due out on August 13th, 2021 on MVKA. 'As a person with the penchant for dark moods and melancholy, I have always loved the fall. 'Pumpkins' is about that darkness in the soul that is so beautifully reflected in the decay of Autumn,' says Suzie. 'I’ve grown up with a voice in my head telling me to cheer up and to bury my feelings. Music is the place where I can go 'deep into darkness and weep.''

'Pumpkins' is the follow-up single to previously released songs 'Baby Blues' and 'Mount Royal'. Her forthcoming album officially opens a new chapter of her already distinguished and highly successful career, being the first release since the artist formerly known as Oh Susanna announced that she would now record and perform under her birth name.

Also announced is an upcoming show on Saturday, June 26th at the BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts at Capilano University as part of the North Shore Jazz Series in partnership with the TD Vancouver Jazz Festival. Tickets are available HERE. On Thursday, June 17th Suzie will be launching a new Instagram live series called 'Take Two' where she will play one old and one new tune from her impressive catalogue.

Bursting with trademark evocative melodies and trenchant lyrics, My Name Is Suzie Ungerleider is the tenth solo studio album by the American-born, Canadian-raised artist revered for such landmark records as Johnstown, Sleepy Little Sailor and A Girl in Teen City. Now based once more in her hometown of Vancouver, the album was made with producer Jim Bryson (Kathleen Edwards, Kalle Mattson, Skydiggers), whose assured touch amplifies the atmospheric dreamscapes contained in Suzie's reflective, intimate songbook.

The decision to say 'so long' to her long-time moniker Oh Susanna represents her recognition that the 'exciting, dark, funny, charming' character that she thought was Oh Susanna was actually Suzie Ungerleider (pronounced Unger-lye-der) all along. 'So here I am, leaving behind the trappings of a persona that gave me the courage to climb up onstage and reveal what is in my heart,' she reflects. 'It once protected me, but I need to take it off so I can be all of who I am.'

The name change is both a personal and political decision, fuelled by her realisation that 'Oh Susanna,' the Stephen Foster song of 1848, contained racist imagery and a belief system that she wanted no part of. She came to understand its historic associations to Minstrelsy, a tradition both demeaning and dehumanising to black people. Leaving Oh Susanna behind, she's become her true self with a wonderful record that marks a fresh beginning, a collection of new compositions that refresh and redefine who Suzie Ungerleider is.

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'Wave Upon Wave' , the latest single by North Wales singer / songwriter Eve Goodman is an exploration of the healing power of the s...