Beginning the round was the perennially sassy Kassi Ashton. If her musical star doesn’t rise in the way that it ought, then Ashton may have a potential career laid out for her in comedy, if the laughs that she drew from the crowd were telling enough. Ashton has a knack of playing off the crowd in her sets, yet still managing to create that ‘moment’ which many artists seek in their sets. Starting off with ‘California, Missouri,’ Ashton gave a glimpse into why she has shot into the spotlight, with the gorgeous tonality of her voice harmonizing with the relatable tale of being the artistic girl in a small and conservative town.

Next to showcase why she has found herself spotlit by platforms such as Rolling Stone was the Canadian sweetheart herself, Tenille Townes with the song, ‘Where You Are,’ as heard before on her ‘Living Room Worktapes – EP.’ Townes has a knack for storytelling in her songs, using different, rarer themes that show her as an artist mature beyond her songwriting years – as witty as Ashton, making sure to point out that the cutting down of trees in her songs was purely for lyrical purposes….

Following Townes, Ashley Campbell again proved exactly why she has made it into the hearts of the UK country fans, this her third return to the UK this year. Starting off her setlist with ‘Better Boyfriend,’ Campbell’s attitude had the audience humming and laughing along in equal measure, whilst still demonstrating her musical legacy of talent.

To many the name of Chris de Stefano, completing the line-up, may be unfamiliar, however the legacy of his songs will not. The name behind hits by Dan + Shay, Chase Rice and Carrie Underwood, De Stefano is a powerhouse songwriter. Still his voice should not be underestimated in its own right – man’s got pipes – and more to the point what will shock many is that the man can rap too. Starting off his stint in the spotlight, De Stefano started off with the new hit from Underwood’s ‘Cry Pretty’ – Champion, a crowd pleaser, getting the seated audience to move to their maximum capacity (a good sway and sing along while respectfully seated – how British!)

The second round of songs brought the tempo down a beat, Ashton beginning the round with the story behind her song ‘Lie To Me,’ telling the story of knowing a relationship was over. (When she was going to end it, her then-boyfriend turned to her, knowing it was over and said Lie to Me.’ Less sentimentally, she ended her story telling of how said boyfriend repeated the same line ‘Lie to Me,’ whilst wanting to meet up when he was about to get married; the inspiration behind the song. Man’s in danger with Kassi’s star ascendant – it doesn’t look like she’s going to mince her words anytime soon).

Plucking at the heartstrings, and creating that ephemeral ‘moment,’ all artists seek to secure, Tenille Townes followed behind Ashton with ‘Jersey on the Wall.’ The story was inspired by the death of a high-school girl, from Townes’ hometown, in a car crash. Anyone could have heard a pin drop in the audience, with Townes breathing the emotion from the song into the audience and letting the gorgeous, unique tonality of her voice and songwriting shine to its fullest potential.

Bringing the storyline of the round back to that old chestnut of relationships and love, Campbell was up with a surprisingly poignant rendition of ‘I Wish I Wanted To’ – the story behind it; moving on and trying to find love after a bad break-up.

Perhaps the worst-kept surprise in the round was when Chase Rice came up to join Chris de Stefano on stage for the hit they penned together, ‘Eyes On You.’ Towering over the other writers on stage, Chase Rice known for his beer-tinged performances gave an amazingly sentimental rendition of the song – albeit with a beer in hand.

Continuing on where Campbell had left, Ashton was next to sing about the bad side of love with her single, ‘Hopeless.’ It is clear that she is going to go from strength to strength in the coming years – already spotlit by Maren Morris herself as one to watch. Speaking of female power, Townes followed ‘Hopeless’ up with her song, ‘White Horse,’ talking of how love is not the fairytale by which it is seen when we are younger. Bringing sassy back, Campbell’s performance of ‘Looks Like Time’ was a memorable part of the evening. No stranger to the UK, Campbell played off the UK audience with ease, even in this more chilled setting, with the audience singing along and laughing along to the cries of ‘god gave you a perfect face / I guess he took it back,’ making us all wish we could sing a similar song to those who hurt us.

Chris de Stefano stepped into his own for his next slot, singing his version of the Dan + Shay song he penned, ‘From the Ground Up.’ Rivalling the duo’s voices is no easy feat, but de Stefano was well and truly up to the challenge here, a goosebump moment. To the audience’s delight, he rounded this up by bringing on the ever-popular Catherine McGrath on stage to sing the song they had written together ‘Just in Case.’

For the penultimate round, Ashton brought out ‘Taxidermy.’ Written by Natalie Hemby, Ashton said that the song felt like hers as soon as she heard it and couldn’t let it slip away, it’s easy to see why – there aren’t many people who could make the idea of pinning men’s heads on the wall believable and yet not disturbing but hilarious. Townes and Campbell’s songs on the other hand were tearjerkers, with Townes’ rendition of ‘Meet My Maker,’ and Campbell of her father, Glen Campbell’s song, Gentle On My Mind,’ that got the audience swaying along. De Stefano ended the penultimate round with his song, ‘Wide Open,’ that reminded everyone why he is such a prolific songwriter and so esteemed throughout Nashville.

For the final round, all four songwriters brought their A game. Ashton started off with ‘The Straw’; showing just how remarkable she is an artist. Sass she may have written all over her face and mouth, but when it comes down to it, she can create a truly sensational and emotional moment through her beautiful storytelling that is profound. Similarly, Townes’ remarkable song ‘Somebody’s Daughter,’ that was one of the breakthrough hits of the year gave us goosebumps, her unique voice and songwriting having power that ought to have real staying power. In the same way Campbell’s ‘Remembering’ created a real moment, with everyone paying homage to her late father. If anyone needed reminding of the female talent exuding from Nashville at the moment, these women are it – huge personalities, sensitive songwriters and unique beautiful voices. De Stefano should not be neglected, ending his stint with ‘Something in the Water,’ the popular Carrie Underwood hit.

Any fans of country music will have been to many rounds in their time, but this one was a particularly beautiful, balanced and creative bunch of people – unique and different but immensely powerful. All of them are set for breathtaking careers.

Setlist

California Missouri – Kassi Ashton

Where You Are – Tenille Townes

Better Boyfriend – Ashley Campbell

Champion – Chris de Stefano

Lie to Me – Kassi Ashton

Jersey on the Wall – Tenille Townes

I Wish I Wanted To – Ashley Campbell

Eyes On You– Chase Rice and Chris de Stefano

Hopeless– Kassi Ashton

White Horse – Tenille Townes

Looks like Time – Ashley Campbell

From the Ground Up (recorded by Dan + Shay) – Chris de Stefano

Just In Case – Catherine McGrath

Taxidermy – Kassi Ashton

Meet My Maker – Tenille Townes

Gentle on My Mind (Glen Campbell cover) – Ashley Campbell

Wide Open – Chris de Stefano

The Straw – Kassi Ashton

Somebody’s Daughter – Tenille Townes

Remembering – Ashley Campbell

Something in the Water (recorded by Carrie Underwood) – Chris de Stefano

The post #OfftheRecord: Why CMA Songwriters was one of the most magical nights of the year… appeared first on off the record.

One of the most exciting tours of 2018 just got even bigger… fast-rising newcomer Jimmie Allen has been confirmed as the tour support for BBR Music Group label-mate Chase Rice on his forthcoming UK tour dates in October; adding to Allen’s previously announced Country Music Week appearance at the Bluebird Cafe – full dates below. This follows the release of the music video for debut single ‘Best Shot’ and more recently the title track to Jimmie’s Slower Lower sessions, out last Friday.

In his own words: “As an fan of international music, I’m really looking forward to my first trip to the UK. It’s going to be a great adventure taking in the musical culture of a country I admire as well as sharing my music with their listeners. It shall be the beginning of a life long connection. See ya real soon!”

TOUR DATES:

23rd October 2018 – Bush Hall, London (CMW)*
24th October 2018 – Ruby Lounge, Manchester*
25th October 2018 – Oran Mor, Glasgow*
27th October 2018 – O2 Institute3, Birmingham*

28th October 2018 – The Bluebird Cafe @ Bush Hall, London (CMW)

(* – with Chase Rice)

ABOUT JIMMIE ALLEN:
The epitome of the phrase “persistence pays off,” Jimmie Allen laid it all on the line to make his dreams a reality. Now signed to BBR Music Group’s Stoney Creek Records, Jimmie Allen released his self-titled debut EP (10/2017) featuring a cutting-edge mix of country, rock, R&B, and pop produced by Ash Bowers and Eric Torres.

The Southern Delaware native’s talent for songwriting is undeniable, having written a song that was featured in a Super Bowl commercial and appeared in a Diet Coke ad with megastar Taylor Swift. “Blue Jean Baby,” off his debut EP, immediately caught the attention of country music fans and critics alike with its soulful groove— rocketing it to #8 on Spotify’s Viral Top 50 chart and #5 on Spotify’s Wild Country playlist. Allen is currently introducing his music at festivals across the country sharing the stage with the likes of Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Kane Brown, and superstar Toby Keith. The hot newcomer has already been heralded as one of the top “artists to watch in 2018” by Rolling Stone, Billboard, Pandora, and Sounds Like Nashville, has earned spots in CMT’s “18 for 2018” Listen Up program, Bobby Bones’ Class of 2018.

Twitter: @JimmieAllen
FB: www.facebook.com/jimmieallenmusic
IG: www.instagram.com/jimmieallen
www.JimmieAllenMusic.com

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