“Remember country music?” – An Evening with Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell at Birmingham Symphony Hall, Friday 10 May 2013

Having relished their new album together, Old Yellow Moon, I couldn’t pass up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Emmylou Harris reunited live with Rodney Crowell when their tour to promote the record came over to Europe. I was joined at Birmingham Symphony Hall by an enthusiastic audience; it was almost, but not quite a sell-out, and the crowd clearly enjoyed every second.

It was a generous set; two hours and twenty minutes revisiting highlights of the pair’s past careers (mainly the 70s when they first worked together with a sprinkling of songs from the new millennium), as well as songs from Old Yellow Moon. There was no opening act, and no time for one. The focus was on music rather than chat, with the first four songs completed before anyone spoke a word.

The evening opened with a reminder of Emmylou’s time with Gram Parsons as the band walked on stage and launched straight into ‘Return Of The Grievous Angel’, followed by his song ‘Wheels’ which Emmylou included on Elite Hotel and which was magical here.

A change of pace led to a beautifully understated version of ‘Pancho And Lefty’, opening with Emmylou and her acoustic guitar, with the band later coming in and finally Rodney adding his vocal – a stylistic template for many of the evening’s best songs.

Rodney then sang his own ‘Earthbound’ (from 2003’s Fate’s Right Hand), which I enjoyed much more live than on record. Emmylou then introduced the wonderful ‘Til I Gain Control Again’ as the first song Rodney ever sang for her. He sang a tender lead on the song, with a lovely harmony from Emmylou. The pair then sang ‘Tragedy’, a song they wrote together for her Red Dirt Girl album; while okay, it was not my favorite moment of the evening.

Emmylou paid tribute to the late Susanna Clark by singing Clark’s song ‘I’ll Be Your San Antone Rose’, which Emmylou recorded on 1978’s Luxury Liner. This was just delightful, with honky tonk piano. It was followed by a stripped down ‘Red Dirt Girl’, which was very good.

Rodney then spoke for the first time, unexpectedly sounding a little nervous, before singing his autobiographical ‘Rock Of My Soul’.

The couple then duetted on ‘Heaven Only Knows’, a song written by Emmylou’s ex-husband Paul Kennerley. It was perhaps the most unexpected song choice as it came from Emmylou’s largely overlooked 1989 record Bluebird, and the only song in the set to date from that decade. It sounded very good, though, and was a welcome inclusion.

The swooping melody of ‘Love Hurts’ was a highlight, with emotional vocals from both Emmylou and Rodney (who is a much better singer than the late Gram Parsons). I was less impressed by the martial beat of ‘Luxury Liner’, although I was probably alone in that reaction – it seemed to get a particularly enthusiastic amount of applause, perhaps to reward the band’s virtuoso performances. The sound was a bit muddy for me on this song, although generally the acoustics were superb, and I wasn’t surprised when Emmylou asked for the sound to be turned down for the next song.

The band took a much needed break while Emmylou sat down for a simple acoustic number, ‘Darlin’ Kate’, her lament for her late friend Kate McGarrigle. Friendship was perhaps the overarching theme of the night. Rodney returned on stage to join Emmylou on a lovely traditional version of the Louvin Brothers’ ‘The Angels Rejoiced’. Emmylou then sang ‘Longtime Girl Gone By’, the song she sang on Rodney Crowell’s Kin album of songs written with poet Mary Karr. She didn’t know the song well, and had to use a lyric sheet, while Rodney accompanied her on guitar (he confessed he didn’t know the songs from that album all that well either).

By now the rest of the band was back, and Rodney sang ‘I Know Love Is All I Need’, which he introduced as something he had dreamed.

The Old Yellow Moon portion of the evening then arrived, with a joyful version of the album’s opener ‘Hanging Up My Heart’, followed by a excellent (if slightly too loud) ‘Invitation To The Blues’. Emmylou asked pointedly,

“Remember country music? It’s hard to find sometimes back in the States. But it’s in our hearts, and it’s on our record.”

Concert Review – Kathy Mattea at Silver Center For The Arts in Plymouth, NH

Kathy Mattea came ready to give it her all. Amidst a blinding snowstorm, and the after effects of the head cold that had eluded her to three days prior, she took the stage Feb 23 in the teeny 665 seat Hanaway Theatre (located in isolated Plymouth, NH) with just three other musicians, a caravan of guitars, and a message.

Of late Mattea has been outspoken on the subject of coal, or “Black Gold” as she sings in a recent song. Her crusade opened a so-far two-album floodgate, a life-changing detour into the Appalachian Folk songs of her West Virginian heritage and the most fully realized music of her thirty-year recording career. Her otherworldly alto graces the lyrics of Jean Ritchie, Laurie Lewis, Hazel Dickens, and Alice Garrard with the plainspoken beauty of a woman directly in line with her authentic center.

But even more impressive is Mattea’s ability to blend the “new” with the old, creating a woven tapestry linked by environmental cause, a deep sense of history, and a sharp ear. She opened with the first track on Calling Me Home (“A Far Cry”) before launching into “Lonesome Standard Time,” her #11 peaking single from 1992, without skipping a beat. She then graced the audience with my favorite of her singles, “Standing Knee Deep In A River (Dying of Thrust),” which was recently reinstated back into her set.

The intermingling of her past hits and newer material took me by surprise. I expected Mattea to focus mainly on the subject of coal, with a dusting of her biggest hits, thus leaving non-signature tunes as distant memories. But instead Mattea covered the hallowed ground between her past and present with the seamless ease of a songstress in tune with every note, paying close attention to every lyric.

Dressed in a mint green blouse, black jacket, and casual leggings, Mattea had the confidence of a seasoned professional but the cool of an everywoman; she was one among equals not a star singing to a crowd. Her greatest virtue was her subtlety, showcased through her candor and humor, on par with that of a next-door neighbor, a friend.

She greeted us like we’ve known her all our lives, commending us “Plymouthians” on our toughness in weather, braving a major snowstorm like a bright sunny day. Later she encouraged communal participation, denouncing those who belittled us for an inability to carry a tune, before having us sing loud and proud on multiple choruses of both “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses” and “Come From The Heart.” The latter bonded us as a tight-knit family – she enthusiastically attempted to get us clapping on the offbeat, which wasn’t meant to be. Clapping on all beats didn’t work either so plan B had us singing “You gotta sing like you don’t need the money, love like you’ll never get hurt, dance like nobody’s watching, it’s gotta come from the heart if you want it to work” at the tops of our lungs.

Further audience participation caused an off-script deviation into “Mary, Did You Know” and a proclamation that it wasn’t included with the $35 ticket price. She rolled with the flow, only grappling with the tune to see if she could reach the high note without her head popping off (she did have a head cold, after all). The song soared, and proved that sick or healthy professionalism wins out every time.

My favorite moment of the night confirmed another of Mattea’s many facets -her shrewd intellect. Her successful blending of old and new cumulated in a shared linkage – most of Mattea’s songs are deeply rooted in various fossil flues, albeit generally indirectly. I’d never viewed her material from such a focal point before, and she gracefully clarified her hypothesis, explaining how she’s singing about the diesel fuel of trains (“Lonesome Standard Time”) and the long hall truckers (“Eighteen Wheels”) to the coal. This led to a fabulous rendition of “455 Rocket” (fossil fuel: gasoline), her 1997 single and final top 20 chart hit. (In another showcase of her clever humor, I loved how she modified the line, “as we skid I thought I heard angles sing (sounded like the Beach Boys)” into a sly commentary on Beyoncé’s recent lip-synching scandal).

Mattea went on to grace us with more stories – how she first played the banjo in college only to pick it up again more recently, and the time she performed in newly restored theatre in Ohio, only to find out the majority of the audience didn’t know whom she was. She was candid on the subject of marriage, mentioning her and Jon’s recent (the prior week) 25-year milestone, gracing us with “Love Chooses You,” a Willow In The Wind album cut, and the song sung at their wedding.

Before “Love At The Five and Dime” she remarked on Nanci Griffith’s writing, likening the second verse to poetry, and shared that her classic “Where’ve You Been” almost wasn’t written, if co-writer Don Henry hadn’t been in the room. The latter came with a tale about a man with Alzheimer’s who’d forgotten his wife, until a visit in which she and their daughter were yelling at each other – and memories came flooding back.

Some of my favorite moments weren’t even the older hits (she also sang “Untold Stories,” another unexpected surprise) but the new material, even more simplistic on stage, than record. The quiet beauty of “Agate Hill” elicited tears, while her effective reading of “West Virginia Mine Disaster” showcased her storytelling prowess. “The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore” was a nice uptempo change of pace, and “Coal Tattoo” really let the band rip.

My other great joy, and the benefits of my front row center seat, was witnessing the nuances of the band in action all evening. Sitting that close, I was able to take in all that was happening on stage and watch the four musicians bring each song to life with the fullness of a full ensemble. The front row seat brought an appreciation to the evening that even two or three rows back would’ve made near impossible.

Seeing Mattea live was one of those musical highlights of life where everything comes together perfectly for a truly outstanding evening. She’s an otherworldly talent who has only aged with sincere grace and humility since her Nashville hit making days. If you’ve never attending one of her shows, or if it’s been a while since your last evening with Mattea, it’s well worth it to catch her when she’s in your area. It’ll likely be one of the best musical nights of your life. That was certainty the case for me.

Concert review: International Festival of Country Music, Wembley Arena, London – 26 February 2012

For over twenty years (1969-1991) the premier country music event in the United Kingdom, and perhaps in Europe, was the annual International Festival of Country Music held at Wembley Arena in London, which for many years gained country music a wider audience thanks to TV coverage and provided a springboard for the international careers of many country artists. After a hiatus of another two decades, the original promoter, Mervyn Conn, decided to revive the festival this year. The event was reduced to a single day on Sunday 26 February (at its peak it was held over a three-day weekend), with the majority of the lineup moving on to branded festivals in Belfast, Northern Ireland (29 February), Zurich, Switzerland (2 March) and Mannheim in Germany (4 March).

I felt I couldn’t miss the return of this iconic event, but sales overall seem to have been disappointing. Even with ticket prices substantially discounted close to the event, the arena was far from full, so it is not clear whether there will be a repetition, but those who attended clearly enjoyed the experience, offering generous applause throughout the afternoon and evening. The lineup offered a wide range of acts from various aspects of the broad church that is country music these days, and ranging from veterans to newcomers. Presentation was slick early on, courtesy of the genial Essex based country DJ and occasional singer Steve Cherelle, who did an excellent job. Later on, compering was divided between him, veteran DJ David Allan, who did the job at the original festival, but is now rather obviously frail, and the even older George Hamilton IV. They reminisced about the original festival’s glory days, and it was good to have the event’s heritage acknowledged, but it did get a bit rambling and unfocussed at times.

The longest and worst Trace Adkins album ever: a concert review

Last Thursday, my friend Rhonda (hi Rhonda!) invited me to go to the Ohio State Fair with her, emphasizing that she also had tickets for the evening’s Trace Adkins show.  I like Rhonda a lot, and summertime fairs almost as much, so along I went even knowing who the show’s opener was. That particular night’s Trace Adkins tour stop at the Celeste Center in Columbus began with country-rapper (yes, that’s really a thing now) Brantley Giblert. After enduring Gilbert’s set, and the insufferable people around me who had convinced themselves we were hearing quality music, where the pseudo southern rock star sonically roared through his own compositions, including those Jason Aldean has taken to the top of the charts, it was finally time for the headliner to grace the stage. After every song Gilbert offered turned out to be, unsurprisingly, a fist-pumping anthem, I was more than ready to hear Adkins’ baritone tackle some of his better numbers. And while he finally did get around to playing a butcher’s handful of his more meaningful tunes, Adkins began his 70-minute set with a whole slew of his own brand of rock-your-socks country.

From “One Hot Mama”, “Marry For Money”, “Chrome”, through “Brown Chicken Brown Cow”, Adkins trotted out his arsenal of bawdy hits early and employed a large screen to play the music video for each. All but “Brown Chicken” featured an appearance by a bikini babe, in it puppets play the farm-couple porn stars. This apparently wasn’t lost on Adkins, as he remarked that his mother doesn’t like his music videos very much, and ended the shtick with his own Goofy guffaw. He would repeat this throaty hiccuping chuckle each time he tickled himself from the stage, which was often. He also offered up several tunes from his just-released Proud To Be Here album –  the catchy “Million Dollar View” sounds like the next single to me.  Midway through his own list of radio favorites came one of the night’s best performances in the form of a cover of rock band Ace’s 1975 hit “How Long”. During this number, he removed his hat and allowed his two-foot locks to flow and began headbanging to the song’s mid-tempo groove. Even though the night’s high marks were when he delivered lasting favorites “Every Light In The House Is On” and “Then They Do”, the only other of his ballads performed was his current single “Just Fishin’”. This was my first seeing either artist in concert, and even though Trace brought his best affable swagger to the stage, I walked away feeling like I’d just heard a really long version of the singer’s worst album.  When he finally played what I already figured would be the closing number, “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” never sounded better.

Concert review: Gene Watson at St. George’s Hall, Bristol, August 13, 2010

Regular readers will know that I’m a big Gene Watson fan, but I’d never actually had the opportunity to see him live before last Friday. I was delighted to attend the first of three concerts in England following a short tour in Ireland. I was really looking forward to this, and I was not disappointed.

The venue, St George’s Hall, Bristol, is a converted 18th century church (complete with altarpiece behind what is now the stage) with excellent acoustics, but it was only a little more than half full. The audience skewed older, but was extremely enthusiastic – understandable when you realize it was Gene’s first appearance in the country since the 1980s, and his first tour since 1979.

Gene opened with his first big hit, the sultry ‘Love In The Hot Afternoon’. He admitted later in the evening to having contracted a sore throat on the transatlantic flight, but for most of the concert this was not discernible, this opening number being one of the few exceptions where he did not sound quite a golden as usual. He led into a Ray Price cover, ‘Take Me As I Am or Let Me Go’, which Gene recorded on his fine From The Heart album in 2001. I was a little disappointed not to hear more from his more recent records, particularly nothing from last year’s The Taste Of The Truth, with the set list focussing on his big hits of the late 70s and early 80s. The only more recent recording to be represented was a really lovely version of Haggard’s classic ‘Today I Started Loving You Again’, which Gene included on his 2007 release In A Perfect World.

He showed that (age and sore throat notwithstanding) his voice is still fabulous, particularly impressively so on this song, which showcased his beautiful phrasing, an impassioned version of ‘Nothing Sure Looked Good On You’, and the seductive cheating song ‘Between This Time And The Next Time’.

The most obscure inclusion, added by popular request on the Irish segment of the tour, was the Mexican-styled ‘Carmen’, a very minor hit from 1986. It was my least favourite of the evening, but got one of the best responses from the audience.

The songs were interspersed with genial chat, mainly about his career. He introduced the tender love song ‘I Don’t Need A Thing At All’ by recommending it as a way to get out of trouble with an irate wife. We also heard the stories behind ‘Got No Reason Now For Going Home’ which sounded good, and the #1 hit ‘14 Karat Mind’, where the mix was a bit loud.

Gene’s usual Farewell Party Band was unable to make it due to various illnesses, and he was backed by a rather pedestrian bunch of pick-up musicians, plus the genuinely impressive steel guitar virtuoso Sarah Jory (who doubled up on acoustic guitar on a handful of numbers), and lacking a fiddle player. Sarah Jory turned from steel to acoustic guitar on the sentimental story song ‘Paper Rosie’ (another of the songs I like less), and also, very appropriately, on the semi-autobiographical ‘Pick the Wildwood Flower’. Her steel playing was definitely front and center on the other songs, and Gene mentioned that his own band members had been impressed by her playing at a steel guitar convention, particularly on his own signature song ‘Farewell Party’.

The set proper culminated with a fantastic version of ‘Farewell Party’, with its building intensity showing off Gene’s voice, supported by Sarah’s steel. The obligatory (but in this case well-deserved) encore was ‘Should I Come Home (Or Should I Go Crazy)’, bringing a great evening to a close.

The support act, The Toy Hearts, were a very talented British family band led by the sisters Hannah and Sophia Johnson (lead vocals and mandolin and harmony vocals and virtuosic acoustic guitar respectively), and their father, who switched between banjo and dobro, plus a copule of hired guns on fiddle and bass guitar. Their music was a punchy blend of bluegrass, jazz, western swing, and a little country. There was a bit too much jazz in there for my personal tastes, but they were very good, playing mostly their own material, and the audience enjoyed their set. I thought the musicianship was better than the vocals, which sounded very good but with slightly muddy diction so that the songs’ lyrics were largely impenetrable. The song I liked best was a wistful sounding ballad called ‘The Captain’ (not the Kasey Chambers song, but an original they said was about being in a British bluegrass band), and I also enjoyed ‘When I Cut Loose’, a bluegrass train song about leaving their home town. They have some US gigs coming up.

In short: Gene Watson is still one of the finest live singers in country music.

Alan Jackson leads benefit for coalminers in West Virginia

Saturday night’s Freight Train Tour stop featuring Alan Jackson with openers Josh Turner and Chris Young wasn’t scheduled as a benefit concert.  But, after the disaster in Montcoal, WV on April 5 took the lives of 25 people, Jackson decided to donate the proceeds from the show to the Montcoal Mining Disaster Fund administrated by the West Virginia Council of Churches.  The Georgia-born singer acknowledged that he didn’t have any personal connection to the lost miners, except for “being just another blue-collar guy”, and paid tribute to them through song and video during the show at Charleston Civic Center.

Show opener Chris Young provided a strong set to a half-empty auditorium, with many of the concert-goers still milling around the lobby or finding their seats.  By the time he sang his closing number, the seats were pretty well filled up and Young lead the crowd in a sing-along of his chart-topping ‘Getting You Home’.  After his set, he made an appearance at the merchandise stand to the squeals of dozens of ladies.  I heard because I was in line for beer just as he emerged.

Josh Turner continued in keeping the ladies satisfied and an all-female mosh pot soon formed around the stage for his set.  Highlights of Turner’s 45 minutes onstage included a cover of George Jones’ ‘One Woman Man’ and his own ‘Got Here as Fast as I Could’.  After getting the crowd further amped up with ‘Firecracker’, he promised to play lots of new music, then launched into ‘All Over Me’, his latest single.  The loudest applause was reserved for Turner’s signature ‘Long Black Train’, which brought the Mountaineer State audience to its feet.

‘Gone Country’ kicked off the set from Alan Jackson.  This was followed by ‘I Don’t Even Know Your Name’, which featured a slap-stick comedy routine starring Martina McBride on the video screens.  It was shot in 1930s style cinema, and I admit, I couldn’t follow the plot, if there was any.  It still made for a neat visual treat to go with the song.  Pausing to reflect the benefit portion of the show, Alan talked briefly about the miners and their families, many of whom were in attendance, then dedicated ‘Livin’ On Love’ to them.  He played his hits, he played a couple lesser known singles, a handful of songs from the new album, and didn’t move around much.  Still, he had the crowd in the palm of his hand the entire time.  As was the case with George Strait, I marveled at Jackson’a ability to captivate a crowd with just his voice and a guitar.  About seventy minutes of traditional country music later, Jackson left the stage with the 12,000+ crowd dazzled.  Later, after pushing about 200 of my dollars into the slot machines at Tri State Racetrack and Gaming Center, I too called it a night.

Country music comes alive in the birthplace of Rock and Roll

Pork With An Attitude.

It’s impossible to spend any amount of time in Memphis, Tennessee without seeing some reminder that Elvis Presley recorded his first songs there.  The city proudly wears the title of ‘the birthplace of rock and roll’.  But Thursday night wasn’t about the King of Rock, but of country music royalty.  King George and Miss Reba came through town, bringing along Lee Ann Womack and Melissa Peterman for a night of country music hits.  The largest portion of the night was dedicated to the impressive span of hits made by George Strait and Reba McEntire, but the evening’s entertainment was as unique as the neon signs on the many barbecue joints that line Beale Street.

Lee Ann Womack performs 'Solitary Thinkin'.

Lee Ann Womack kicked off the extra-long music extravaganza from the three country music stalwarts with a cover of the western swing standard ‘San Antonio Rose’.  After running through a set list that could have been her greatest hits disc, the singer ended her half-hour on stage with very strong renditions of her own hits, including her take on Rodney Crowell’s ‘Ashes By Now’ and her mega-hit ‘I Hope You Dance’.  I missed her take on Patsy Cline’s ‘She’s Got You’ due to standing in the beer line, but I could see it from the many screens that dotted that halls of the FedEx Forum.

With the longest hit span of any of her tourmates, Reba chose to stick to mostly newer material, with only two 1980s era hits in her entire repertoire this year.  The first of these was the opening number, and Reba’s first #1, ‘Can’t Even Get the Blues’.  Reba hangs onto the syllables a little longer than the original version from 1982 when she sings it today, and the instruments are certainly more amped up 28 years later too.  From that first chart-topper, she launched into her 1996 hit ‘The Fear of Being Alone’ before pausing to chat with the audience.

Slaid Cleaves live at the Lantern Theatre, Romsey, 9 October 2009

Living in England, I don’t often get the opportunity to see acts live. Although some artists who have had airplay here do tour (usually small) venues, it’s not often both someone I’m interested in is appearing at a venue that’s very convenient for me to get to. So it was exciting for me when the excellent singer-songwriter Slaid Cleaves included the fairly small town where my parents live on his current European tour. It turns out that he’s actually been there before, a couple of years ago, but I missed out on it that time. I’m glad I caught him this time, on the first English stage of his tour.

The venue was not all that prepossessing – a theater attached to a school, with no formal stage, and seating for a couple of hundred. It even offered a bar during the interval. But the acoustics seemed fine, and the intimate atmosphere was ideal for this kind of show. Slaid is very much the travelling troubadour, who best fits under the Americana umbrella, with probably more folk influences than conventional country ones, but his songs are beautifully crafted and his voice is a little rough-edged but distinctive and compelling.

Slaid Cleaves and supporting guitarist/occasional harmony singer Michael O’Connor played great songs, mostly from Slaid’s records, to a raptly attentive audience for roughly a hour and a quarter, interspersing the music with conversation. Everything was as effective live as on record. Highlights included the excellent ‘Drinkin’ Days’, ‘Broke Down’, ‘One Good Year’, ‘Everette’, Karen Poston’s ‘Lydia’, and several songs from Slaid’s latest album, Everything You Have Will Be Taken Away, including ‘Cry’, the song which provides the title, ‘Hard To Believe’, and ‘Black T Shirt’.

A Beatles cover offered in part as a tribute to John Lennon, whose 69th birthday it would have been that day, was slotted in between two of the songs Slaid has written with childhood friend Rod Picott, and introduced with reminiscences of bonding with Rod as self-confessed ‘nerdy’ eight year olds on the school bus up in their home state of Maine.

The request spot was filled by the choice of a couple who had driven three hours to get there, the audience participation eight-minute Canadian folk of ‘Breakfast In Hell’, a tragic and very convincing story song about a lumberjack’s fatal struggle breaking a log jam. Slaid told us he had been trying to drop it from his regular set, but it was obviously requested the previous night in Wales, so he may have to think again as it’s obviously one of his most popular numbers.

It was followed by one of my favorites, the cheerful ‘Horses’, which Slaid explained was written about a 60 year old neighbor of his parents in Maine, reduced to penury thanks to “horses and divorces”. It’s one of the more conventionally country-sounding of his songs, featuring a very effective yodel, and he then moved away from the microphone to accommodate the yodeling cover of mentor Don Walser’s 1960s hit ‘I’m A Rolling Stone From Texas’, introduced with more reminiscences. After that Slaid needed some time to recuperate so handed over center stage to Michael to sing his own song ‘Getaway Car’ which Slaid Cleaves has recorded. He too has a fine voice, and a recovered Slaid joined him on harmonies midway through the song.

He seemed a little unsure as to what to offer for the obligatory encore, saying he didn’t want to end on a downbeat note, but had already played his one cheerful song. Eventually, he took the advice of an audience member, and played ‘Flowered Dresses’, another Karen Poston song from Slaid’s album of covers of songs mainly by his peers, Unsung.

The show was a great experience. Slaid is well worth catching if he comes your way: tour dates are available on his myspace.

The show started with a five-song set from Dan Raza, a skinny English boy with an engaging presence and Americana-infused folk material, who accompanied himself on guitar and occasionally harmonica. The best of his songs were his first number, ‘Bad Luck’, about a woman about to be hanged with a memorable hook (“It’s glory, glory, and maybe Hallelujah”). I enjoyed his segment, although his songs lacked variety in tempo, and the strong Americana/Texas singer-songwriter influence, admirable enough, had encouraged him to write using some Americanized language, which didn’t sound like his natural songwriting voice and definitely jarred on the more personal material like ‘40 Miles From Home’ which was written about living in London,. He definitely shows promise, though.

‘Til the sun shines, Heidi Newfield will

The sky was gray and threatening before Heidi Newfield took the B105 stage at Cincinnati’s annual Taste of Cincinnati festival last night.  And after several downpours earlier in the evening during opener Justin Moore’s set, the crowd was wet, but still excited and plenty rowdy when Newfield hit the stage just after 9 pm.

The blonde vixen ran through her repertoire, which consists mostly of songs from her debut album, with the ease of a diamond cutter on a deadline, letting her fun-loving personality shine through the clouds in the sky during ‘Cry Cry (Til The Sun Shines)’ and ‘Can’t Let Go’ – a number she infused with a whole lot of harmonica.

The only song in the set the crowd seemed to know was the hit ‘Johnny and June’ and they were singing along like it was their own.  Newfield rocked out on numbers like ‘Knocked Up’ and her current single, the autobiographical ‘What Am I Waiting For’, but showed her tender side on ‘Wreck You’, another solid track from the debut album.

There’s not much harmonica – if any – that I can remember on her debut album, but Heidi seemed to want to play the fire out of the instrument last night, even on her closing number.  I was a bit puzzled by her closing song, as she went with Trick Pony’s debut single ‘Pour Me’ – a definite crowd-pleaser.  For an artist trying to forge ahead on her own, I didn’t expect her to draw from the band’s songbook for her show, but this one seemed to work.  Newfield was in great voice, and kept the already dampened and tired crowd engaged and entertained during her 50 minute set.

Watch the music video for ‘Cry Cry (Til The Sun Shines) on CMT.