Multi-Platinum MCA Nashville singer-songwriter, Parker McCollum, has returned with his brand new album, Never Enough, out now. The album continues McCollum’s meteoric rise, built on a rock-solid sonic foundation that blends together country and rock with ease, bristling with honesty and attitude. There is a real sense, more than on his previous, that McCollum is lifting the veil on who he is as a human and artist, an unvarnished and authentic view of himself, brought out under the capable hands of Jon Randall, who helmed the production. This unbarred view of himself and his inner psyche is the biggest marker between Gold Chain Cowboy and Never Enough, as he paints a vivid narrative of love and heartache (there’s a lot of heartbreak on this record, but it’s artfully and poignantly done).

McCollum has a firm handle on the heritage of country music itself, that comes through on this record. There is undeniably a honky tonk feel and thread that runs through Never Enough, most often in the melancholic songs of heartbreak. So, on ‘Best I Never Had,’ McCollum mourns the one that got away with the refrain, ‘I just wanted you to know, you’re the best I never had‘ and on ‘Stoned’ he stays stoned to run away from his melancholia. ‘I feel like the whole world won’t ever understand my heart / That’s the hardest part / Of being alone / That’s why I stay stoned.’ Of course, it is not just heartbreak that is a hallowed trope in country music – drinking songs are not to be forgotten on the huge track – ‘Handle On You.’ It’s a classic and witty country drinking song, with the refrain, ‘Tennessee and Kentucky ’cause you ain’t here to love me.’ This will doubtless go number one at some point, given its easy charm that suckers you in.

There’s a good deal of focus on life lessons and reflection on this album, from ‘Lessons From An Old Man’ where he traipses on the country trope of conversations with an older friend about life’s lessons (‘There’s making a living and there’s making a life / Lessons from an old man made a young man‘) to his gratitude to his mother on ‘Things I Never Told You’ – these more reflective moments showing his growth as an artist.

This is not to say though that McCollum does not indulge his rock side on this album – from the awe-inspiring guitar solo on ‘Hurricane’ where he celebrates his loved one’s independence (‘Yeah, she’s got some attitude / Someday she’s gonna get her name on a hurricane‘) to the electricity of ‘Speed’ and its meaty guitar shreds to the thrumming notes of ‘Don’t Blame Me.’ This last is one of the highlights of the record, a compelling, catchy guitar and beat-driven track where McCollum begs a lover not to blame them for loving him. ‘Wheel’ is perhaps where these ideas of country and rock come together best, a catchy track that is reminiscent of The Eagles as he sings of the resilience of his heart.

McCollum is a nuanced artist though – that is clear on ‘Have Your Heart Again’ a gorgeous piano ballad, where he yearns for a second chance with a lover. The emotion of his vocal is raw and tender, but more than anything the track proves his ability to provide shade on a record and builds out the rich tapestry of himself as an artist. It’s an emotion that is interwoven on ‘Burn It Down,’ where he weaves his vocal and that of a female singer for a stunning heartbreak song about burning away any memories of a relationship and on ‘Tails I Lose’ – doubtless one of the stand-out tracks on the record -a pedal-steel driven heartbreak ballad. ‘Ain’t a damn thing I can do / It’s heads you win / Tails I lose.’ It’s on these melancholic moments that McCollum appears to showcase the brilliance of his unique, raw vocal to its full potential.

What has always been clear is the strength of McCollum’s handle on who he is as an artist and songwriter, co-writing all the songs on the record, in a way that allows him to infuse country and rock seamlessly. This record hammers that fact home, building out a rich tapestry of songs and stories – from heartbreak to love and gratitude, accomplished without letting a single brilliant guitar riff slip through the cracks.

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Even before the release of Lucky – her debut full-length album, Megan Moroney was clearly a star in the making. From her single ‘Tennessee Orange,’ it was clear there was something special and original about this star. Her album makes that paramountly clear – equal parts vulnerable and hilarious, Lucky offers a conversational exploration into heartbreak, joy and pain. It’s a showcase of what country music can be at its best – a celebration of its heritage, but cleverly twisting the genre and moving it forward into the next generation.

The album opens with ‘I’m Not Pretty’ – simultaneously one of the wittiest and most shrewd country songs of 2023 so far. The track shows Megan imagining her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend looking through her Instagram and vilifying her. ‘Tearing me down, passing the phone around / Like there’s nothing better to talk about / Zooming out, Zooming in, overanalyzin’ / Like the queen of the mean girls’ committee / But hey, whatever helps / Keep on telling yourself / I’m not pretty.’ The magic of the song is in the relatability both of the subject and singer of the track – Moroney is witty in her observations, confident yet not cocky and it’s immensely charming.

There’s a great deal of bluegrass honky-tonk fun on the record, but it’s delivered in a balanced and restrained fashion that makes it all the more compelling. On ‘Lucky,’ Moroney points out the luck of a lover that she’s drinking or she wouldn’t be making bad decisions – him. ‘And we said we’d be better as friends / But come over and don’t overthink it / Tonight you’re lucky I’m drinkin’.‘ It’s a drinking, party anthem, yes but it doesn’t need to have every instrument turned up to 11 to make it both fun and intoxicating, Moroney’s lyrics do that on their home. That proof is hammered home too on ‘Another On The Way’ which offers a clapping, foot-stomping track as she sings of a bartender – Miss Daisy – and her advice. ‘Baby, don’t you cry / ‘Cause men they’re like trains / If you miss one, there’s another on the way.’ This is detailed, storytelling country songwriting at its best, with its ability to paint a picture of Miss Daisy and her skull tattoo, and it’s a rocket-fuelled delight. Of course, it’s not just men who are judged on Lucky. On ‘Traitor Joe,’ Moroney shows how girls can be the bad seed in a story too as she lets Joe know his girl is stepping out on him. ‘She’s a player, player, a wolf in sheep’s clothes / All I’m sayin’, sayin’, is you should let her go / She’s a traitor, traitor, Joe.’ It’s a grown up, mature version of ‘You Belong With Me,’ as Moroney shows who the better match for Joe clearly is.

Of course, Moroney doesn’t just point fun at heartbreak, there’s a good deal of indulgence in that pain too on the record. ‘Kansas Anymore’ is one of the most melancholic bluegrass-tinged tracks you’ll find on Lucky, as Moroney sings of a love gone wrong. ‘I opened the front door / Sat on the front porch all alone / And everything’s changing, my heart is breaking / ‘Cause baby, we ain’t in Kansas anymore.’ Later track, ‘Mustang Or Me’ offers a similarly stunning take on heartbreak, where Moroney questions ‘Who’s gonna break down first, this Mustang or me?‘ The latter is a gorgeous piano ballad that allows her to pour emotion into every line.

More than anything, Lucky is riddled with self-reflection and a deep unpacking of heartbreak and relationships. So, on ‘Girl in the Mirror’ Moroney takes a look at love gone wrong and the downside of losing yourself in a relationship, as she looks in the mirror and can’t see herself anymore. ‘She looks just like me but I don’t recognize her / She’s got the same eyes but they’re heavy and tired / He just walked out and she’s standing right here / She loves the boy more than she loves the girl in the mirror.’ In the end, she comes to the realisation that she needs to love herself more than the boy and it’s an empowering sentiment to be left with.

That kind of introspection and questioning carries through in ‘Why Johnny’ – another standout from a record of hit tracks, as Moroney pens a letter to June Cash, asking just why she chose Johnny. There’s a great deal of yearning and hope in Moroney’s lyrics, wanting June to give her the answer she wants. ‘Did you always know he’d come around / Change his ways and settle down? / Did your friends call you crazy too? / It’d sure help if I knew / Hey June, why Johnny?‘ With the help of tinges of lapsteel, this track is turned into something magical and musing on this thoughtful original track. Alongside this, ‘God Plays A Gibson’ is another of the cleverest lyrical moments on the record that sees Moroney pondering on what the man she prays to nightly is like. ‘I spend so much of my time wondering what He’s really like / I like to think He spends His off-days up there fishin’ / And I bet God plays a Gibson.’ It’s a musing and meandering track that suckers you in with every line.

The parting line of ‘Georgia Girl’ feels like a motif for the entirety of the record. ‘You’re gonna learn you don’t mess with a Georgia girl.’ This, alongside ‘Sleep On My Side’ are searing character assassinations delivered with a sweet smile, as Moroney shows a middle finger to a cheating lover. The second offers the wittiest retort, as Moroney points out how the differences between her and a lover can be good, except the fact that ‘I sleep on my side / And you sleep with everyone.’ After these judgement calls, ‘Sad Songs For Sad People’ takes an about turn – it is imbued with a great deal of hope and offers a glimpse into where her music may go in the future, as she talks about writing a love song. ‘Your smile, you know what it does to me / ‘Cause of you I got something new to sing.’

Lucky is an extraordinary album – it’s a celebration of country music and women in equal measure, delivered with an immense amount of depth and heart. It’s intimate and empowering, but wittily delivered, making it incredibly charming and relatable. It’s a record that feels like therapy for the artist as she unpacks all the baggage of an ex-lover, musing and pensive and proving that a song doesn’t need to be ‘huge’ to make it a great song.

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On Damn Love, Kip Moore continues the trajectory he laid out on Wild World – where he dove deeper into the rockier edges of his vocal and sound. Damn Love is a gorgeously cohesive album that shows album craft is still alive and well. An album that should be listened to from start to finish, as the artist intended – taking you on a journey of love and loss, watered down in a bar with a hefty dose of whiskey whilst dwelling on life’s complications and joys. Moore himself talks of Damn Love, ‘I’ve always had a nomadic spirit, at the core of me that’s what I am, and it’s a beautiful life I lead – I don’t take that for granted… But I still crave that companionship down deep in my DNA, and that’s where ‘Damn Love’ comes from.’ It’s that tension that runs through as the central tenet of this record and one that makes it so sonically and lyrically interesting.

Moore has always been an extraordinary live performer and there’s a hefty dose of that in evidence on Damn Love – from the anthemic ‘Heart on Fire’ to the thrumming, driving beats of ‘Silver and Gold.’ Nowhere is that energy more evident though than on the title track – a rocking thrumming song about the nature of love, it’s quirks and loveable flaws. ‘It’s sunsets and cold cans / It’s falling hard but college plans / Got you faking that smile / But you can’t let go of her hand / It’s a goodbye kiss and taillights / It’s phone calls and late nights / It’s what I wouldn’t give to be tongue-tied one more time.’ The album lays out the roadmap for the rest of the album – a signature rock-infused country track, where Moore yearns for love.

There are a decent amount of filler tracks on the album – including ‘Kinda Bar’ and the troubadour crooner ‘The Guitar Slinger,’ but it’s the sweet spot where Moore’s yearning for love meets with his electrifying rock-edged tracks that sear. So, on ‘Neon Blue,’ he sings of the world moving on without him as he continues his travelling ways – ‘Cos the world just don’t wait on no cowboy like me‘ – and on ‘Heart on Fire,’ backed with a thrumming beat, he delivers an addictively good rocking track about seduction, with the refrain ‘come get this heart on fire.’ There’s a vintage feel and echoes of his country roots that reverberate throughout the record, like on the 70s tinged rock ballad ‘Another Night in Knoxville.’

Where Moore has matured and grown over the past few albums has been in his quieter, more sentimental tracks that feel less cliched than his earlier tracks like ‘More Girls Like You.’ Now, he delivers the beautifully tender ‘Sometimes She Stays’ dripping with regret as he muses on a lost love. ‘Sometimes she stays, sometimes she goes / And that’s when you know, you want her to stay.’

The final quarter of the album is no doubt where the true magic lies, beginning with a sublime duet with Ashley McBryde – ‘One Heartbeat’ – that may be the finest on the record. It’s an electrifying song of yearning and hope for love. ‘One heartbeat and you got nothin’ / Make it two, baby you got somethin’ / This world ain’t meant to travel on alone.’ The raw edges of both Moore and McBryde’s vocals are sublime together.

‘Mr Simple’ is Kip Moore at his finest vulnerability, being happy with the simple side of life with his girl. ‘Why complicate it when it’s so easy to do? / Just call me Mr. Simple, girl / Livin’ simple with you.’ It’s the celebration of the small and everyday parts of life that is where Moore excels, as he rounds out the album with ‘Micky’s Bar’ – a good old country song that sings about the everyday comings and goings of life at its namesake. ‘Last call for drinks, it’s closing time / Micky’s wiping down, Sheri makes the coffee / For all the cold and lonely hearts.’

On Wild World, Moore laid out his heart, flaws and vulnerabilities in ways he had not previously done, and its this journey of personal reflection he continues on Damn Love, painting a picture of himself as a travelling soul but one with regrets and failings, amidst an internal tug of war between settling down and life on the road. Sonically, Moore is quieter, more intense and rock-fuelled than on the earlier records of his career, yet allowing more space for quieter moments of reflection that tie the album seamlessly together.

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Caitlyn Smith continues to astonish and impress with every new release that continues to paint the finer details of herself as an artist and human. Now, she has released High & Low, a new 14 track album – 8 songs of which, were taken from 2022’s High. These six new tracks fill in – literally and metaphorically – the gaps left by High, as a standalone project, blending authentic and raw songwriting with her signature vocal and genre-defying sound that straddles bluegrass, soul, country and pop.

The first new song on the record ‘Lately’ showcases the raw power of Smith’s vocal – a lush piano ballad about a lover being constantly on her mind. ‘Lately, I’ve been walking circles around my neighbourhood and reading Doestoevsky… you’ve been on my mind, lately.’ It’s a rare songwriter that can name drop Russian writers to Beethoven and not seem trite or pretentious. Instead, ‘Lately’ is a raw track, filled with longing, that builds to a huge crescendo, letting her vocal roar in a throaty ballad that threatens the likes of Alicia Keys and Adele for raw power.

Elsewhere, Smith knows where to rein that power in a notch. On ‘Mississippi’, she longs for home in a plucky acoustic driven track, pining over an ex lover – Mississippi itself – ‘am I still your favourite memory?’ do you ever miss me? It’s been a while, but you’re always on my mind / Sometimes it hits me, like a burning whiskey / That I’ll never really ever say goodbye / To you Mississippi.’ Here, she is accompanied by a male vocalist who nicely rounds out the track.

An easy standout from the record is ‘Alaska’ that packs the same emotional punch as pre-released later track ‘Maybe In Another Life,’ as she muses on the disconnection in a long-term relationship. ‘When you look at me, boy, you might as well be in Alaska.’ It’s a huge, heart-wrenching ballad that is brimming with raw emotion that breaks through in her vocal. A true masterclass in songwriting that is carried through on later track ‘I Think Of You,’ a sparse track about loneliness, loss and the breakdown of a relationship. ‘You knew, it was all going to come down crashing, still trying to figure out what the hell happened.‘ Smith is capable of packing more emotion into her vocals than near any other artist, and this track is no exception.

On the final two new tracks, ‘Writing Songs and Raising Babies’ and ‘The Great Pretender,’ you get further insight into who Smith is as a human. Firstly, as a mother, in this plucky, jauntier and jazzier track that paints a real picture of ‘a beautiful life’ albeit one that sometimes is a ‘circus’ or a ‘shitshow.’ It’s authentic and the anthem made for any parents. Finally, on ‘The Great Pretender,’ a bluegrass hued, plucky track, Smith sings about hiding her emotions under a smile, while nearly succumbing to anxiety. ‘Nobody knows I’m crying in a bathroom stall.‘ It’s relatable and honest, making it one of the more charming songs on the record.

Over the course of her career, Smith has earned a slew of awards as a songwriter, but one listen to this record is proof of just how worthy she is of those accolades. This record is flawless, both vocally but lyrically, one that deserves to be listened to on repeat, to appreciate each line for the polished, raw jewel that it possesses. What a wonder of an artist is Caitlyn Smith.

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The rise of Luke Combs over the past few years, from his debut album to winning CMA Entertainer of the Year, has been unprecedented. He has put a voice to the humble thoughts and everyday struggles of all country music fans, leading a new charge of songwriters and artists who dig back into their origin stories and stories from their hometowns for inspiration, delivering a no-nonsense sound that feels gritty and authentic.

Now, Combs has returned with his fourth studio album – the sister record to his third album Growin’ Up that felt somewhat underwhelming, in comparison to the staggering power of his first two records. There was a degree of trepidation then when awaiting Gettin’ Old, but that feeling was unfounded that is filled with the killer songwriting we received with his debut record, with a layer of maturity that feels right considering the new stage Combs is now at in his life – as a father and husband. There’s plenty of material here that takes fans on the journey of Combs life, entering this new stage, as he explores the bonds of fatherhood and brotherhood on ‘See Me Now’ and ‘Take You With Me.’ Of course, Combs continues to revisit the stories of his childhood on ‘Hannah Ford Road’ and celebrate the blue-collar, regular man on ‘Joe.’

More than anything, this record is filled with killer storytelling songwriting, it’s classic Combs in sound, but with a newer mature sound and lyrical touch, filled with huge hits that do not feel inauthentic in reaching for the #1 spot. Gettin’ Old is a showcase in painting a picture of an artist and where they are currently at in their life and shows just why Combs star continues to shine so brightly.

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Alana Springsteen was without a doubt one of the bright lights at C2C 2023 and in country music over the last several years. Her rise has been slow paced, thoughtful and deliberate. Now, she has released the first instalment of her three-part debut album, TWENTY SOMETHING, coming later this year. 

Messing It Up is a phenomenal and enticing opening chapter to TWENTY SOMETHING’s thoughtfully created and crafted narrative – an in-depth autobiographical account of the nonstop emotional whirlwind of life in your 20s. Springsteen is a powerful songwriter, getting fearlessly real about the mistakes and misadventures of early adulthood over the course of six powerhouse songs. The new project showcases the true-to-life storytelling that’s made the 22-year-old Virginia Beach, VA, native one of the most exciting and magnetic new songwriters. On this first part, Springsteen delves into the hardships everyone in their twenties experiences, and the mistakes they make along the way.

There’s a great deal of emotional complexity on the record, from “goodbye looks good on you” featuring Mitchell Tenpenny, which serves up an unexpected twist on the classic breakup song, making peace that they were never right and that the break was for the best to the sadness and loneliness of ‘shoulder to cry on.’ More than anything, the project shows an artist already capable of crafting a project from the details of the songs to the overall picture of a record. It’s a relatable and delightful project, that sees Springsteen seeking empowerment and self-acceptance through catchy melodies and radiant vocal work, marking her as one to watch in the coming years.

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29: Written in Stone wasn’t just a moment in Carly Pearce’s career, but a kind of resurgence in an old-school country sound. It was a pivotal record that changed Pearce’s career and turned her pain into pure magic. Now, she creates a love letter to that album and to the fans who supported it, with the release of a live album 29: Written In Stone (Live from Music City) that shines a light on her sublime vocals and adds another flavour to the record.

There’s an intimacy provided in a live album that Pearce has really tapped into, and a shared knowledge of just what these songs have meant to her fans has only sought to amp up the emotion with which they are received in their live rendition – the anger is pumped up a notch on ‘Diamondback’ with a thicker, raspier growl added to her vocals, amidst a cacophony of clapping, whereas ’29’ is stripped back, full of vulnerability, as is ‘Should’ve Known Better,’ where the band take a back step to allow the power of her vocal to come to the fore, as they do on the acapella intro on ‘Easy Going.’

Live albums can easily be passed by, but there is something electrifying about them, if given their due and attention, where the crowds and fans who have followed the artist’s career act as another voice on the record. Nowhere is this more evident than on ‘What He Didn’t Do,’ where the audience scream back the line ‘I could run him out of this town,’ with a righteous anger. It shows the lives the album touched and the massive reception to the album of people who related to Pearce’s lyrics.

Given the context in which the album was released and its consequent overwhelmingly positive reception, there is a degree of hope and joy in the live rendition that was backgrounded on the studio version, where Pearce largely bore her pain. ‘Next Girl’ in the live retelling is a riotously fun, honkytonk perfection and ‘I Hope You’re Happy Now’ – the gorgeous duet with Lee Brice, sees her find inner peace.

More than anything, this record proves that Pearce is a star – one who is almost better in the raw, unvarnished live retelling than in the more polished studio record. A star who has her audience and fans mesmerised by her vocal and lyrical abilities, as she prepares for the next musical chapter.

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You can’t avoid approaching Morgan Wallen’s new album One Thing at a Time with a degree of trepidation – and not just for his mighty length at 36 songs. Wallen is without a doubt one of the most controversial figures in country music. After a slew of scandals, most notably a 2021 video where he was caught making a racial slur, and a short hiatus where he withdrew from the scene, Wallen returned to music on an apology tour. Since then, he has been welcomed back – a point that remains uncomfortable, given the history of the genre and its reputation for lacking racial and sexual diversity. Wallen’s 2021 album though became the first album ever to spend 100 weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 and Wallen’s popularity continues to rise and rise, with No. 1s earned from the early releases from this record – ‘You Proof’ and ‘Last Night.’

It is through this lens and recognition of his own mistakes and failings, that Wallen approaches his new record One Thing At A Time and it is necessary, it would feel like a massive overstep to forgive himself and move on as if nothing happened. One Thing At A Time is a behemoth – at 36 songs, there’s doubtless some editing that could have been done in terms of culling songs as, no doubt, the record lags at points. Though there is not a huge amount of ‘filler’ material it is just too long an album to imbibe in one sitting or to fully unpack.

Easy highlights are found early on with ‘Man Made a Bar’ – a collaboration with Eric Church, where Wallen adds a few events to the story of creation and on ‘Tennessee Numbers’ where he sings of a girl avoiding his calls in a bid to move on. What is clear from the record is Wallen’s ability to craft a hit track – there is a plethora of material here that could be released as a future single, from ‘I Wrote The Book’ to ‘Single Than She Was’ and ‘Sunrise.’ From, swaggering bro country sounds that wouldn’t sound alien to the early 00s to songs that bring back his Allman Brothers 60s influences, Wallen straddles the legacy of the genre with ease, fusing it into huge tracks and melodies.

Sonically, the record is not a huge departure from his previous material. Wallen has just taken the time to dig deeper with his lyricism and songwriting and to dig in deeper to his own psyche, owning the regrets of his past, most notably on ‘Dying Man.’ It is this new-found maturity and his ability to own his flaws that makes this record a departure from Dangerous and makes it more palatable as a record. For fans of Wallen the record will be a surefire hit and go down seamlessly, no doubt country radio will pick up many of the tracks that will go on to become future no. 1s. If you want to get to the heart of Wallen, One Thing at a Time is a good place to start.

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Blake Mills who led the construction of Daisy Jones and the Six’s 1970s-era debut, Aurora, was almost bound to fail when faced with the task – given that Taylor Jenkins Reid had described the album as changing the face of rock and roll itself. It’s an incredible feat then that this album – the work of a supposed fictional band, stands up as an extraordinary record. One of the greatest records of all time? Probably not, but the record is a perfect and integral part of the Prime Video adaptation of Daisy Jones and the Six. It’s no small wonder that the record is a polished gem of a record, given that it features songwriting contributions from Phoebe Bridgers, Jackson Browne, Marcus Mumford and more.

The magic of Aurora though is in the live and vintage feel, with which Mills has imbued the record. Aurora kicks off the record, a pacy and thrumming off kilter track that feels experimentally 70s in feel, as Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin) sings an ode to his wife Camila. ‘You’re my morning sun / Aurora, you’re my morning sun.’ The track is infused seamlessly with the touches of Riley Keogh’s vocal that soar above the rock melee, complete with a rip roaring and riotous guitar solo to round out the track. The live feel runs through throughout in the transitions between songs, blending seamlessly into Daisy Jones (Riley Keogh)’s honeyed rock vocals on ‘Let Me Down Easy’ where she pleads with a lover to let her go gently, before the duo trade lyrics back and forth. It’s no small stretch to imagine the track as a hit of the 70s, one that became an easy break out hit.

There is more than enough emotion that points to the rest of the show on Aurora. So, ‘Kill You to Try’ is an anger fuelled and bitter track, filled with a lot of pain albeit with a gorgeous and resplendent harmony layered latter half replete with triangle and a luscious groove. It’s a moodiness brought back on ‘You Were Gone’ – a groovy and moody Billy Sunne-led track .

The record is often at its best when the pain of the Dunne and Jones’ vocals is allowed to shine through. So, ‘Two Against Three’ offers a gorgeous pared back track from Daisy complete with an acoustic strumming guitar, as she points to the pain of the love triangle and final track ‘No Words’ is a quieter and pluckier track where Billy and Daisy trade off lyrics about being unable to put their emotions into words – a plaintive note to round out the album.

Still, the duo are also poised and brilliant when they trade lyrics back and forth, sparring at each other in song. So, on the pre-released ‘Look At Us Now’ and ‘Regret Me’ the duo appear to bait and dare each other back and forth, indicating that they can really ‘make a good thing bad.’

It is in the latter half of the record that the brilliance of Aurora is truly unleashed. So, ‘Please’ offers a musical ode to the 70s itself, complete with an Elton John-esque build and solo from Dunne, infused with a Magical Mystery Tour tinged production. On ‘The River,’ the band is seamlessly brought together in a truly delightful and hopeful track, where their harmonies are brought to their true potential.

Whilst Aurora can by no means stand shoulder to shoulder with Rumours, something truly magical was achieved in Aurora – an evocation of real nostalgia for 1970s rock and roll, and live and authentic songwriting and experimentation. Above all, the record is a love letter to the era and music itself.

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Ahead of his performance as part of this year’s C2C 2023 Festival, Jordan Davis will this week release his second studio album – Bluebird Days – a captivating record that shows a snapshot of Davis, as he is now in his life and career, a movement forward from his debut album Home State, released back in 2018.

Davis has always had an ease about him when he steps into easy-breezy, summer jams, but he truly hits his stride when these are met with lyrical twists, giving them a needed spice. So, on the record’s opening track, Davis hits the gas pedal on ‘Damn Good Time,’ a charming track about enjoying the lighter side of life. Elsewhere, Davis offers bigger, heavier production on his upbeat party tracks. So, on the funk-laden ‘One Beer In Front Of The Other,’ Davis easily trips around his lyrics in an intoxicating track about drinking to forget – a theme he returns to on ‘Whiskey Weak’ – a sultrier and lazier groove of a track (‘She stole the bright out the neon / Got me running up these tabs… Her “Goodbye” ruined everything / Her leaving even made the whiskey weak.’) On the former though, Davis’ lyricism is on point – simple words to fit complicated and twisted rhythms. ‘The only way to make the moving on train go / Is putting one beer in front of the other / Linkin’ drink rings into another / ‘Cause your goodbye kinda hurt like a mother / But I’m thinking maybe that I’m on the upper.’ More than anything else, the track really is a damn good time.

Davis’ sweet spot has been refined over the years, honed to tracks with real depth and a moral story – couched in charming production and lyricism. So, ‘Money Isn’t Real’ and ‘Buy Dirt’ celebrate the importance of real things in life and not losing sight of your roots. On the former, Davis realises this when seeing empty chairs at a rich man’s funeral that makes him realise that his jealousy was unfounded. ‘Money isn’t real, can’t call you like your momma does / It can’t make you old friends, it can’t make you young again… It’s just paper and some ink / It’ll never ask you how you feel…When it comes to happiness, money isn’t real.’ It’s a meaningful tune about what is important in life and Davis vocal – both sonically and lyrically – cuts through. Similarly, ‘Sunday Saints’ is another mellow track about living large and full, yet still retaining faith. ‘Yeah, we’re hell-bent on calling heaven home when He calls our name / We’re the don’t-stop believers, the somewhere-between-ers / The Saturday sinners and the Sunday saints.’ It’s a gorgeous track – sampling ‘When The Saints Go Marching In’ – with ease and following the line of ‘Church in a Chevy’ shines a light on the unconventional ways to celebrate faith.

Nowhere is this poignancy and intimacy more refined on Bluebird Days than on ‘Fishing Spot’ – a gorgeous track (don’t be put off by the title) – about missing his late grandfather and visiting him at their place they shared together – their fishing spot. ‘You always knew how to listen and just what to say / And that’s what brought me out here today / Instead of standing at your stone, I’m sittin’ on your rock / Catching up with you at your fishin’ spot.’ It’s sentimental, without falling into cliche and there’s real emotional power in the lyrics that peels back and reveals a little more on every line.

Of course, there’s a good amount of ink spilled on the album on old-fashioned country love songs, but again Davis is a masterful enough songwriter to make these feel both unique and personal. So, ‘What My World Spins Around’ is a rock-edged and raucous track about an immense love ‘I don’t even know what it is, but now that I’ve found it / I can’t imagine me living without it’ and ‘Next Thing You Know’ is as charming as they get – a track about the undeniability of love. ‘Next thing you know / You’re savin’ money like never before / Just to spend it all at a jewelry store / Gettin’ down on one knee on her mama’s porch / Just prayin’ she don’t say, “No” / Next thing you know.’

Where Bluebird Days evolves yet further and shows Davis’ growth as an artist is in his increasing vulnerability and intimacy with his audience. On ‘What I Wouldn’t Do’ and ‘Short Fuse’ he narrates his own failings as a human and his regrets in life. ‘Bluebird Days’ though is an easy stand-out – a melancholic, soaring track about his parents’ divorce. ‘Two hearts fell in love / And two hearts grew apart / They went their separate ways / And our bluebird days went dark.’ It’s a gorgeous and sweet piano-laced ballad that doesn’t feel over done, despite its poignancy and intimacy. It is perhaps this track that best shows Davis’ depth as a songwriter, where touches are enough to paint a broad picture and allowing listeners to paint the broad brushstrokes with their own experiences.

Sonically, the album doesn’t evolve hugely from what we have heard from Davis previously – albeit vocally he transforms on the gruffer tones of ‘No Time Soon’, but lyrically there is an increase in maturity and depth on the record that gives it real power. Davis packs emotional heft and punches where it is needed and couches the rest of the record in clever, intricate lyrics that are immense fun to unpack and listen to. A truly solid record that shows Davis’ staying power as an artist.

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